Yelü Dashi

Yelü Dashi, also known by his temple name Emperor Dezong of Liao, was the founder of the Qara Khitai, also known as the Western Liao dynasty. He initially ruled as king from 1124 to 1132, then as emperor from 1132 to 1143. He was also known in Muslim sources as Nūshī Taifū, Qushqin Taifū or Qushqīn, son of Baighū. He fled the Liao dynasty in northern China as it was on the verge of destruction by the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty and moved westward into Central Asia where he established a new empire.