Site of Xanadu

元上都遗址

China · Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Ancient cityUnknownUNESCO · 2012
Approximate period1,256 CE — 1,430 CEYuan period and subsequent use See on the map ↓

In brief

Shangdu, founded for Kublai Khan, first served as a capital and later as the summer center of the Yuan rulers. The city plan documented through excavations shows a combination of Chinese urban design and the Mongol way of life.

What was found?

  • 1Palace and temple remains

    The city contains mounds indicating palace and temple structures, as well as remains investigated through excavation. These allow the capital's administrative and worship areas to be identified.

  • 2Mingde Gate remains

    Remains of the imperial city's Mingde Gate have been preserved. The gate is important for understanding the capital's entrance layout and connections within the city.

  • 3City walls

    The wall lines of the palace city, imperial city, and outer city can be traced on the ground. These boundaries make visible the capital's plan, divided into areas with different functions.

  • 4Tiefan'gang Canal

    The canal and other water structures are material remains of the organization of the city's surroundings. They help explain the capital's relationship with the river and surrounding land.

  • 5Tombs associated with the city

    The burial areas support historical information that Mongol and Han communities lived in Shangdu. They contribute to investigating the cultural composition of the city's population.

What does it point to?

Shangdu's plan shows that China's settled capital tradition and Mongol nomadic life came together in the same center. Traces of nomadic camping areas alongside palaces and walls indicate that the administrative center maintained its connection with steppe life.

What did it teach us?

  1. It documented that Mongol and Han traditions were both present in the city plan.
  2. It showed that the capital's sections consisting of stone and earthen structures were designed together with areas for nomadic use.
  3. The tombs provided material evidence of the presence of different communities in the city.

Images

Xanadu (54565544254)
xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Mongol Empire and Yuan Dynasty
Coordinates
42.3580°, 116.1851°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. whc.unesco.org
  3. whc.unesco.org
  4. UNESCO — Mingde Kapısı belgesi

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