The earliest mention of the Shule is around 120 BC, by the
Western Han Chinese, when exploring their borders. In 127 AD, Shule began to pay tribute to the
Eastern Han. Some sources say they were only made into a
tributary, and the Tang had very loose
suzerainty. After being conquered by the Tang, it was part of the
Protectorate General to Pacify the West between and . It was one of the
Four Garrisons of Anxi stations between 649 and 670. After 670, one of the garrisons was changed, but Kashgar was still a seat of the four garrisons. In 670 AD, Shule was conquered by the
Tibetan Empire. In 673, the Shule kingdom declared itself a vassal of the Tang, but was not reconquered by the Tang Chinese until 692 AD. It is alleged and probably untrue that
Qutayba ibn Muslim in 715 attacked Kashgar. Kara Khanid Muslim Turks absorbed Kashgar during the
Islamicisation and Turkicisation of Xinjiang. According to
Mahmud al-Kashgari, within Kashgar's vicinity, some non-Turkic languages like the Kanchaki and
Sogdian were still used in some areas. It is believed that the
Saka language group was what Kanchaki belonged to. The Tarim Basin was believed to be linguistically Turkified before the end of the 11th century. ==Economy==