Who Was the Builder of Mongol Towns in Transbaikalia?

Abstract

In the Transbaikalia territory, unique archaeological sites belonging to the Mongol Empire period are found – the town of Khirkhira and the palace of Kondui. They were already known as early as the 18th century and were excavated in the mid-20th century by S.V. Kiselev. The summarized research results were published in a book, “Ancient Mongolian Towns” (1965). The results of recent investigations open up the new prospects for research. Purpose – the article is an attempt to ascertain who the initiator was of construction of Mongol Empire towns of the Transbaikalia territory. Research materials – summarized results of the archaeological excavations of the towns and manor complexes on the Transbaikalia, along with published written sources on the Mongolian history. Research novelty comprises the statement of results of the new archaeological studies as well as in the localization of the territories in Transbaikalia and contiguous zones of the Inner Mongolia (Hailar) assigned to the brothers of Chinggis Khan, Qasar and Tämügä (Otchi Noyan), and their descendants. Research results indicate that the urbanization processes in the Transbaikalia territory of the Mongol Empire are related to key times in the establishment and rise of the Chinggis Khan’s Empire. The towns appeared here in the 13th century and likely persisted into the 14th century. The town of Khirkhira is traditionally interpreted to be the residence of Yesünggü, son of Qasar. The mention of his name on the “Chinggis’s stone” is the rationale behind this assertion. The written sources afford opportunity to clarify some new, previously unknown details of his biography and the dating of the stele.