Mongol Relay Station System (Yam)

Type Object Region Eurasia Time c. 1220–1250

The Great Mongol State's Eurasia-wide relay and horse-change network (Mongolian zhan-chi or Yam), with fixed-interval stations, tally-based travel, f…

Timeline

c. 1220–1236Mongolian Plateau · Mongolian PlateauBefore the western campaigns, Genghis Khan institutionalized the steppe traditions of relay message-carrying and requisition, and Ögedei Khan further expanded the relay stations, connecting Karakorum with the key roads of the conquered regions.
1241–1250Eurasia · EurasiaBetween 1241 and 1250 the relay network supported Batu's western expedition with military intelligence, grain and fodder dispatch, and communication with the khans' courts, enabling the empire to maintain command coordination across a front of thousands of kilometers.

Sources

Mongol Imperialism: The Policies of the Grand Qan Möngke in China, Russia, and the Islamic Lands, 1251-1259 — Thomas T. Allsen (1987)
The Mongols — David Morgan (2007)