Nushibi

Rouran epoch Göktürk epoch Uyghur epoch Kirghiz epoch

Rouran First Göktürk Tang rule Second Göktürk Uyghur Kirghiz Huns Western Göktürk Türgesh Karluk Khazar

Rouran 400–554
First Göktürk 552–630
Tang rule 630–682
Second Göktürk 682–744
Uyghur 744–840
Kirghiz 840–924
Huns 370–469
Western Göktürk 552–659
Türgesh 699–766
Karluk 766–800
Khazar 650–969

The Nushibi were the western of the two halves into which the Ten Arrows were divided. They were five tribes west of Suyab under five great chiefs of the rank irkin. The eastern half, the Duolu, had five tribes under five great churs.^[1] The Jiu Tang Shu and the Xin Tang Shu name the five irkins one by one: the Axijie Que irkin, the Geshu Que irkin, the Basaigan Tun Shaboluo irkin, the Axijie Nishu irkin and the Geshu Chupan irkin.^[2] The Axijie Que irkin was the strongest of them.^[2] The Chumukun belonged to the Duolu. Their Lü Chur stands first in the list of the five churs.^[2]

It is not settled where the line between the two halves ran on the ground. The sources give the division as a fact of organisation rather than of geography. The Nushibi appear in the Chinese chapters whenever the western khaganate is counted or divided. They go over to the Tang with the rest of the Ten Arrows in the conquest of 657 to 659.^[3]