Beshbalik was an important garrison command (chengzhen 城鎮) in the northwestern region during the Yuan period 元. Chinese transcriptions of this Turkic name with the meaning of "Five Cities" are "Bieshibali 別失八里", "別十八里", or "別石八里", "Bieshima 鱉思馬", "Bieshiba 別石把" etc. During the Han period 漢 this region in modern Jimsar 吉木薩爾/Xinjiang Autonomous Province was called Cheshi 車師, during Tang 唐 it was the place of Tingzhou prefecture 庭州, later called Beiting 北庭. From the 6th century on this region was occupied by Turkish tribes (Tujue 突厥). The name "Beshbaliq" is first mentioned in Chinese documents of the Tang period, as well as in Turkish documents like the stone slab of Bilge Khan from th 8th century. At the end of the Tang period, the Uighurs (Huigu 回鶻) dominated over competing federations and states like Tibet (Tubo 吐番) and the Qarluqs (Geluolu 歌邏祿). It was especially the Uighurs of Gaochang 高昌 that controlled the region north of the Tianshan Range 天山 and that established their realms of the "Five Cities" which is actually the name of a single capital. The Mongols called the Gaochang Uighurs "Weiwur" 畏兀兒 after their khan (iduq-qut, Chinese: "yiduhu 邑都護") Barjuq Art Tegin had submitted to Genghis Khan. In 1251 Möngke Khan established an "en route" branch secretariate in Beshbaliq for a better control of Central Asia. During the contest between the brother Ariq Böke and Khubilai Beshbaliq was an important power base of Ariq Böke. At the begin of Khubilai's reign Qaidu who was now installed as governor of this region rebelled against the Great Khan. The potential dangers for the government in China that rose in the Beshbaliq region could only be controlled after Khubilai had ordered his troops of occupy Beshbaliq and to establish military agrarian colonies (tuntian 屯田) that should nourish the garrisoned soldiers. The transformation of Beshbaliq into a pacification office (xuanweisi 宣慰司), later to military command (yuanshuaifu 元帥府) of Beiting, underlined the importance of this region as communication, transport and trade channel from east to west and vice versa. Post stations (yi 驛) facilitated the way of communication between the khanates and China. Two times Beshbaliq was occupied by Dua 篤哇, khan of the Čaqadai Ulus and finally came under the control of his descendants until the Ming period. In 1471 "Waisi 歪思", ruler of Beshbaliq, moved his seat to Ilibaliq.