The Gansu Uyghur Kingdom was established around 848, by the Uyghurs after the fall of the Uyghur Khaganate in 840. The kingdom lasted from 848-1036; during that time, many of Gansu's residents converted to Buddhism. The Gansu area was, traditionally, a Chinese inroad into Asia. By the ninth century the Uyghurs had come to dominate the area, taking over from the Tibetan Empire. The area had become a "commercially critical region", making the Uyghur wealthy and cosmopolitan. By the early 11th century, they were in turn conquered by the Tangut people of the Western Xia Dynasty.