Kazakh–Dzungar War (1635–1658)

The Kazakh–Dzungar War of 1635–1658 — was a significant phase of the protracted geopolitical struggle between the Kazakh Khanate and the Dzungar Khanate for dominance over the trade routes and pastures of Central Asia. This period was characterized by the centralizing efforts of the Dzungar leader Erdeni Batur, who sought to consolidate the Oirat tribes into a unified state, and the defensive-strategic response of the Kazakh ruler Salqam Jangir Khan. Supported by regional allies, most notably the Khanate of Bukhara under Yalangtoʻsh Bakhodir, the Kazakhs engaged in a series of large-scale military campaigns that shaped the borders and political landscape of the region for the next century.

Rich in water recourses and fertile pastures,on the territory of Zhetysu and southern Kazakhstan became the arena of military operations between the Kazakhs and the Dzungars. These lands were also of great interest to both sides due to the transit routes from East Turkestan to the urban centers of southern Kazakhstan and Central Asia.