Karakorum, Archaeological site of the Mongol Empire capital in Övörkhangai Province, Mongolia

Karakorum was the capital of the Mongol Empire from 1235 to 1260, founded in 1220 in the upper Orkhon Valley of Övörkhangai Province. Ögedei Khan enclosed it with a rammed-earth wall in 1235, a rectangle of roughly 1.5 by 2.5 km running south to north, and built the Tumen Amgalan Ord palace inside. The ruins lie near Kharkhorin, beside Erdene Zuu Monastery.

Ruler Ögedei Khan founded the first permanent capital of the Mongol Empire here from 1235 onwards and had a palace and fortifications built. The city lost importance after the capital moved to Beijing and was later partly destroyed.

The excavations show workshops of different craftspeople who made ceramics, metalwork and textiles by combining techniques from several cultural traditions. In the residential quarters today you can still find traces of ovens and workplaces that make daily life in the city visible.

The site lies a few kilometers from Erdene Zuu Monastery and can be explored on foot during a walking tour. A visitor center in the nearby town of Kharkhorin offers information and orientation before heading to the excavations.

Archaeologists found evidence during excavations of an underground heating system that was installed in several buildings and used smoke channels beneath the floors. Workshops also came to light where weapons, tools and jewelry were produced on a large scale.