The Xueyantuo were an ancient Tiele tribe and khaganate in Northeast Asia who were at one point vassals of the Göktürks, later aligning with the Tang dynasty against the Eastern Göktürks.
The epitaph of Pugu Yitu, a Xueyantuo who died in 678
Cavalry figurines from the tomb of Pugu Yitu, a Xueyantuo leader
Ceramic figures from Shoroon Dov Kurgan, the tomb of Pugu Yitu, a Xueyantuo leader.
Painting from the Shoroon Bumbagar tomb
A khanate or khaganate is a type of historic polity ruled by a khan, khagan, khatun, or khanum. Khanates were typically nomadic Turkic, Mongol and Tatar societies located on the Eurasian Steppe, politically equivalent in status to kinship-based chiefdoms and feudal monarchies. Khanates and khaganates were organised tribally, where leaders gained power on the support and loyalty of their warrior subjects, gaining tribute from subordinates as realm funding. In comparison to a khanate, a khaganate, the realm of a khagan, was a large nomadic state maintaining subjugation over numerous smaller khanates. The title of khagan, translating as "Khan of the Khans", roughly corresponds in status to that of an emperor.
Hunnic Empire of Attila in c. 450 CE
Khazar Khaganate, 650–850 CE
Tamgha of the Bulgar Turkic Dulo clan which ruled the First Bulgarian Empire