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Karakorum

Type Object Region Mongolian Plateau Time c. 1220–1260

Karakorum in the Orkhon Valley of the Mongolian Plateau was the early khaganate seat and formal capital of the Mongol Empire.

Timeline

  1. c. 1220Banks of the Orkhon River · Orkhon ValleyDuring his western campaigns, Genghis Khan moved the Mongol khaganate seat to the banks of the Orkhon River, establishing the Great Ordo (palatial camp) there as the steppe political center for imperial military dispatch and diplomatic traffic, laying the foundation for Karakorum's status as the empire's core residence.
  2. c. 1235–1240City of Karakorum · Orkhon ValleyÖgedei Khan formally constructed walls, palaces, and religious buildings on the banks of the Orkhon River, summoning craftsmen from the Central Plains, Persia, and Europe; Karakorum transformed from a nomadic camp settlement into an imperial capital with fixed fortifications, becoming an international metropolis where envoys and caravans from across Eurasia converged.

Sources