Khoshut Ablai Taiji and his Fortified Monastery on the Upper Irtysh

Abstract

This paper argues that until the 1680s, political culture in the Upper Irtysh region was centered on Khoshut clan leadership, rather than Jungar power. It outlines the life and influence of Ablai Taiji, founder of the Buddhist monastery Ablai-kit, and his strategy of cooperation with Muscovy and involvement in trade with China. The study draws on critical analysis of archival sources and historiography to reconstruct the establishment, significance, decline of the monastery, and the role Ablai played in 17th-century Oirat political dynamics.,