Abdullah Khan (in Turfan 1634/5-1638/9) 1638–1669, was the eldest of 9 sons of Abduraim Khan, grandson of Abdurashid Khan.
Khan
According to the local source " Tarih-i Kashgar ", written by anonymous author of the first half of XVIII century on Uyghur language in Yarkand, he was born from Qalmak wife of Abduraim Khan Begim Pasha, daughter of Dzungar chieftain Duranga, and when he was 8 years old he was taken to Kucha and was raised here by a ruler of Kucha Mirza Abul-Hadi Beg. Mirza Abul-Hadi Beg married him on his eldest daughter, Yulbars Khan ( Moghul Khan ) and Arslan Khan were their sons. In 1634 Abdullah Khan became a ruler of Uyghurstan (Chalish-Turpan-Kumul) after the death of Abduraim Khan and thus took position of a Little Khan of Yarkand Khanate, previously held by Abduraim Khan (1591-1594,1605-1634). Soon, he repelled attack of Sultan Ahmad Khan( Pulat Khan ) (1630-1633, 1636-1638) on Kucha and in revenge managed to take Aksu from Mahmud Sultan (Qilich Khan) (1633-1636), Great Khan of Yarkand. This caused a civil war between a Little Khan , sitting in Turpan and a Great Khan , sitting in Yarkand of Yarkand Khanate. In 1636 Qilich Khan was poisoned by Kara Taghlik leader Khoja Yahiya who brought Sultan Ahmad Khan back to power as a Great Khan in Yarkand. In 1638 Khoja Yahiya decided to get rid of Sultan Ahmad Khan (Pulat Khan) as well and invited Abdullah Khan to attack Kashgar and Yarkand. Although Abdullah Khan failed to take these cities by force, the Council or Kurultai of Kashgar and Yarkand Begs forced Sultan Ahmad Khan to resign and leave the country to Balkh. in the same year Abdullah Khan came to Yarkand and was declared a Great Khan of the Yarkand Khanate in the royal Palace Altunluk , with its gorgeous 9 gates which led to the Hall of Receptions. He ruled Yarkand Khanate for about 30 years. During his reign he allowed the tribes of Kyrgyz to enter Yarkand Khanate, who settled in the mountains around Kashgar, and started to recruit mercenaries from Kyrgyz and Dzungar tribes, these mercenaries were called Kara Yanchuks .
During his reign Dzungars started to make a regular incursions into Yarkand Khanate and in 1657 Dzungar Khan Sengge (1653-1671) with a title Khong Tayiji led himself one of these incursions, reaching Keriya in support of the uprising of Sarig Uyghurs or Yellow Uyghurs of Buddhist Yellow religion in Cherchen and Charklik on the southern rim of Takla Makan Desert. To quell this uprising Abdullah Khan sent numerous troops under command of his Atalik Muhammad Mumin Sultan that suppressed uprising with a big difficulty and extreme cruelty. When news about Sengge arrival at Keriya reached Yarkand, Abdullah Khan sent from Yarkand and Khotan 10,000 troops and soon followed himself being accompanied by Yulbars Sultan with troops from Kashgar. Upon approaching of these troops Sengge left Keriya by the main road on direction of Niya, but Abdullah Khan troops reached Niya faster by the little-known and used auxiliary road and blocked Sengge's retreat , forcing him to start battle in the place that had name Yalgiz-Agach. Being surrounded from all sides Sengge made three fruitless attacks to escape from the trap but the battle completed with a truce that Abdullah Khan made with Sengge allowing him to leave without harm. In this battle forces of mercenaries, Kara Yanchuks, were actively used and after that battle they started to play a considerable role in the all internal power struggles between Begs and Sultans of the Yarkand Khanate.