ḲARA KHITĀI (or ḲARĀ KHIṬĀI), the usual name since the viᵗʰ (xiiᵗʰ) century in Muḥammadan sources for the Kitai people, mentioned by the Chinese from the eighth century A. D. onwards, who were probably Tunguz (according to another view Mongol)... From the beginning of the tenth century the Kitai carried on a campaign of conquest, conquered the northern part of China and founded a dynasty which as a Chinese ruling house was called Liao (916).
Source: wiktionary