Asia
35 empires
Mongol Empire
The largest contiguous land empire in history. Genghis Khan united the Mongol tribes in 1206. His ar...
Qing Dynasty
The last imperial dynasty of China. Manchu conquerors who adopted Chinese culture while ruling as fo...
Ming Dynasty
Drove out the Mongols and restored Chinese rule. Built the Forbidden City in Beijing, 980 buildings....
Maurya Empire
The first pan-Indian empire, founded by Chandragupta with help from his advisor Chanakya. Ashoka the...
Gupta Empire
Called the Golden Age of India. Invented the concept of zero and the decimal system. Aryabhata calcu...
Han Dynasty
The golden age of Chinese civilization. Invented paper, the seismograph, and the compass. The Silk R...
Tang Dynasty
Another golden age of Chinese civilization. Changan was the largest city in the world with 1 million...
Song Dynasty
The most technologically advanced civilization of its era. Invented movable type printing, gunpowder...
Mughal Empire
Built the Taj Mahal, one of the most beautiful buildings ever created. Akbar the Great promoted reli...
Khmer Empire
Built Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world, covering 400 acres. Angkor may have b...
Srivijaya Empire
A maritime empire controlling the sea lanes between India and China. Made rich by taxing passing tra...
Majapahit Empire
The last great Hindu-Buddhist empire of Southeast Asia. Controlled most of modern Indonesia, Malaysi...
Maratha Empire
Founded by Shivaji, who guerrilla-warfared against Mughal power. At its peak, controlled most of the...
Sikh Empire
Ranjit Singh, the Lion of Lahore, built a secular empire with Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs in governme...
Kushan Empire
An empire stretching from Central Asia into northern India, founded by the Yuezhi people. Under Kani...
Ghaznavid Empire
A Turkic dynasty based in Ghazni in Afghanistan. Mahmud of Ghazni led repeated raids into northern I...
Khwarazmian Empire
A Persianate Sunni Muslim empire centered on Khwarazm south of the Aral Sea. It briefly became the d...
Timurid Empire
Founded by the conqueror Timur, whose campaigns stretched from Delhi to Ankara. He made Samarkand a ...
Yuan Dynasty
The Mongol dynasty that ruled all of China, founded by Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan. Its ca...
Xiongnu
A nomadic confederation of the eastern steppe that became the first great rival of imperial China. M...
First Turkic Khaganate
The first state to bear the name Turk, founded when Bumin overthrew the Rouran. It quickly stretched...
Qin Dynasty
The first dynasty of imperial China, which unified the warring states in 221 BC. It standardized wri...
Sui Dynasty
Reunified China after nearly three centuries of division. The Sui built the Grand Canal linking the ...
Zhou Dynasty
The longest lasting dynasty in Chinese history. The Zhou justified overthrowing the Shang with the M...
Liao Dynasty
An empire founded by the Khitan people that ruled northern China, Mongolia, and Manchuria. It forced...
Jin Dynasty (1115-1234)
An empire founded by the Jurchen people of Manchuria. It destroyed the Liao and in 1127 captured the...
Empire of Japan
The Japanese state from the Meiji Restoration to the postwar constitution. Japan industrialized rapi...
Delhi Sultanate
A series of five dynasties ruling from Delhi over much of the Indian subcontinent. It repelled sever...
Vijayanagara Empire
A South Indian empire whose capital at Hampi was one of the largest cities in the world in its time....
Chola Dynasty
A Tamil dynasty that built a powerful navy and dominated South India. Rajaraja I built the Brihadees...
Pala Empire
A dynasty ruling Bengal and Bihar in eastern India. Gopala was reportedly chosen as king by an assem...
Durrani Empire
Founded by Ahmad Shah Durrani, regarded as the father of modern Afghanistan. His armies invaded Indi...
Tibetan Empire
An empire on the Tibetan Plateau that rivaled Tang China. Songtsen Gampo unified Tibet and married p...
Uyghur Khaganate
A Turkic empire on the Mongolian steppe that replaced the Second Turkic Khaganate. The Uyghurs helpe...
Pagan Kingdom
The first kingdom to unify the lands that make up modern Myanmar. King Anawrahta unified the Irrawad...