Overview
Sultan Ahmad Khan, also called Pulat Khan, ruled the Yarkent Khanate twice, from 1630 to 1633 and from 1636 to 1638. His reigns fall in the years when the rival khoja factions became kingmakers in the khanate.
Rise to Power
He followed Abd al-Latif Khan in 1630. In 1633 he lost the throne to Mahmud Sultan (Qilich Khan), who ruled until 1636, when he was poisoned by Khoja Yahiya, leader of the Kara Taghlik (Ishaqiya) khojas.
Rule and Achievements
- Was restored to the throne in 1636 with the help of Khoja Yahiya
- In 1638 the emirs of Kashgar and Yarkand forced him to give up the throne, after Khoja Yahiya invited Abdullah Khan of Turpan to take Kashgar and Yarkand
Legacy
The record of his reigns is thin, but their pattern is clear: by the 1630s the khoja leaders could make and unmake khans. His removal brought Abdullah Khan to power for three decades.