Mongol Empire INT LCV.qxd
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Genghis Khan’s Mongol Empire
Beginning in the late 1940s, excavations
by Russian archaeologists at Karakorum revealed that Ogedei’s palace was built over a
platform of earth measuring about 180 by
148 feet (55 by 45m). The building was
supported by six rows of pillars set into
granite bases. According to ancient accounts, it was floored and roofed with
glazed tiles, while statues of dragons and
other animals decorated its exterior walls,
pillars, and roof. Inside, the walls were covered by fresco paintings, created by applying a mixture of wet plaster and paint
directly to the wall surface.
William of Rubruck described the palace
at Karakorum as a city within the city. The
structure reminded him of a church, with a
long central hall flanked by two long aisles.
In the middle of the building was a fountain, built by a European silversmith
The Decline of the Mongol Empire
named William the Parisian to supply the
khan and the members of his court with
their favorite drinks:
At its roots are four lions of silver,
each with a conduit through it, and
all belching forth white milk of
mares. And four conduits are led inside the tree to its tops, which are
bent downward, and on each of
these is also a gilded serpent, whose
tail twines round the tree. And from
one of these pipes flows wine, from
another cara cosmos, or clarified
mare’s milk, from another bal, a
drink made with honey, and from
another rice mead, which is called
terracina; and for each liquor there is
a special silver bowl at the foot of
the tree to receive it.41
This Buddhist monastery was built in the late sixteenth century on the site of Karakorum, the
Mongolian capital established by Ogedei.
Although many Mongols settled into city life in Karakorum, many more preferred to keep to their
traditional nomadic lifestyle, as depicted in this illustration.
Like all the Mongol rulers, Ogedei was a
great lover of drink and merriment, according to the Persian chronicler Rashid al-Din:
and he would proceed from thence to
Qarshi [the palace at Karakorum],
where tender youths would stand before him and for the space of a month
he would devote to pleasure. He
would open the doors of the treasuries and cause noble and base to
share his general bounty; and every
night he would pit archers, crossbowmen, and wrestlers against one another and would show favor and
make presents to the winners.42
And when he was on his way to
Qara-Qorum, there was a tall pavilion which he had built 2 parasangs
(about 6 miles) [10 km] from the
town named Tuzghu-Baliq; here he
would . . . make merry for one day.
Then on the next day the people
would don garments of one color,
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