Quli 渠犁

The state of Quli 渠犁 (Türkic name Korla), also written 渠黎, was located on northern route of the Silk Road. Today it is found on the banks of the Kongque River 孔雀河 in the region of modern Kurle 庫爾勒, Xinjiang. This state with a size of 1,500 inhabitants was controlled by the steppe federation of the Xiongnu 匈奴 before it fell into the hands of the Chinese. Because its soil was comparatively fertile, the region was transformed into a military colony commandery (tuntian xiaowei 屯田校尉). The agricultural products of Quli served to support the military logistics of the campaigns that the Han empire 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) fought in the Western Territories (xiyu 西域). In the 60s BCE there were even people from Cheshi 車師 settled down in Quli as labourers in the fields of the colony. Quli was later conquered by its mighty neighbour Yanqi 焉耆.