RouranFirst GöktürkTang ruleSecond GöktürkUyghurKirghizHunsWestern GöktürkTürgeshKarlukKhazar
This article: 390–414
- 400
- 500
- 600
- 700
- 800
- 900
- 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 Tufa founded the state the Chinese records call the Southern Liang, in what is now Qinghai and Gansu, in 397; it lasted until 414.
The house is notable for its name. Tufa and Tuoba are generally held to be two Chinese spellings of one word. This would make the Tufa a branch of the house that built the Northern Wei. If that is right, it is a useful reminder about the Chinese records of the steppe. Two spellings of one name can carry two peoples through the sources for centuries, and the reverse happens just as often.
Literature
- Peter B. Golden, An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples (1992)
Cite this article
Yavuz, Emre-E. “Tufa.” Turkic Atlas, revised 20 October 2026. https://turkicatlas.org/lineages/tufa/
Last revised: 20 October 2026
