Mongolia history · History of Mongolia
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History of Mongolia
History of Mongolia
Recorded history of Ancient Mongolia dates back to third century BC when the Huns (Xiongnu) came to power among many other nomadic tribes.
Due to illiteracy and nomadic lifestyle, little was recorded by Huns of themselves except they first appear in Chinese history as Barbarians against whom the walls were built which later became known as Great Wall of China.
There have been several Empires in Mongolia after the Hun Nu. For example: A Tureg Empire around 650AD with its capital approximately 110km north of Har Horin (Kharkhorum). Also the Uighur Empire with its capital Har Bulgas (Khar Bulgas or Xar Bulgas) also near Har Horin. The Khitans who controlled North China around 1000AD as the Liao Dynasty had an administrative center (Har Bukh) 120km to the northeast. The Government of Turkey has been promoting some Turkish Empire monuments and there is a museum full of artifacts at the Bilge Khaan site.
The struggle for mere existence and power over other tribes kept going till the time of Genghis Khan, or Chinggis Khan as he is known in Mongolia. When he came to power and united these warring tribes under the Great Mongol Empire in 1206, he was proclaimed as Genghis Khan (Chingis Haan) of all Mongol tribes.
If you are really into the history, try The Secret History of the Mongols by Professor Onon. Every Mongolian reads the book in the modern Mongolian language. This is probably the oldest book in Mongolian. There are vivid similarities with the Bible in literary style, wording and story telling. It is speculated that the author could have been a Christian or at least was very knowledgeable about the Bible. According to Hugh Kemp, Qadag (pp 85-90, Steppe by Step) is the most likely candidate for authorship of Secret History of the Mongols. He writes about the history of ancient Mongolia and connects the modern reality with the ancient world. Even though his book is about the history of Christianity in Mongolia, he covers much more in a very interesting way. His book will help you to see the picture of ancient Mongolia from the height of 21st century. The "History of Mongolia" by B. Baabar is a good source for the Modern History of Mongolia.
On the trail of Marco Polo covers some travel through the Mongol Empire in the time of Genghis' grandson, Kublai Khan.
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Mongolia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.