battle, notable, ancient

Battle of Zhizhi

Name: Battle of Zhizhi
Location: Taraz, Kazakhstan

Battle of Zhizhi was a battle fought in 36 BC at Taraz, in what is now Kazakhstan. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Taraz. It was part of the Han–Xiongnu Wars, which ran from 139 BC to AD 89. The recorded result: Han victory. Recorded strength: 3,000 Xiongnu cavalry and infantry with 10,000 cavalry reinforcement from Kangju against 40,000.

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Fought36 BC

WhereTaraz, Kazakhstan42.883N, 71.367E, placed at the location, approximate

OutcomeHan victory

BelligerentsXiongnu; Kangju alliesagainstHan dynasty; Wusun; Tarim Basin city-states

Part ofHan–Xiongnu Wars139 BC to AD 89

Where it sits in the Han–Xiongnu Wars

7 placed engagements of the Han–Xiongnu Wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date	36 BC (year precision) to 36 BC
Place	Taraz, Kazakhstan 42.883N, 71.367E
Kind	Battle, ancient
Strength	3,000 Xiongnu cavalry and infantry with 10,000 cavalry reinforcement from Kangju	40,000
Casualties and losses	Heavy losses, with 1,518 killed, over 1,000 surrendered and 145 captured	Minimal or not reported
Commanders	Zhizhi Chanyu	Chen Tang (general) Gan Yanshou

Placed at Taraz; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Battle of Talas AD 751, 81 km SE
Battle of Tashkent 1865, 237 km SW
Otrar Catastrophe 1219, 250 km W
Siege of Shahrukhiya 1461, 312 km SW
Siege of Shahrukhiya 1462, 312 km SW

In the same war

Elsewhere in 36 BC

Battle of Zhizhi is one of 159 engagements of the 1st century BC in the atlas and one of 17 in present-day Kazakhstan.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q870947, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Zhizhi, revision 1370596714, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.