This is a List of historical cities and towns of Mongolia. Mongolia is a

landlocked A landlocked country is a country that does not have territory connected to an ocean or whose coastlines lie on endorheic basins. There are currently 44 landlocked countries and 4 landlocked de facto states. Kazakhstan is the world's largest ...

country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

to the south, east and west. Ulaanbataar, the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

and largest city, is home to about 45% of the population.

Special characteristics

"Mongolian cities" means those cities that were built in Mongolia as well those built in areas directly under Mongol influence. The special characteristic of Mongolian historical cities is that they came into being amidst a predominantly nomadic society. It is a misunderstanding to assume that there were no cities in Mongolia, or that all of the people were entirely nomadic all through their history. Based on current research, Mongolia's tradition of cities goes back over 2000 years.

Historical towns and settlements

Prehistoric settlements

* Tamsagbulag Neolithic Settlement, Khalkhgol sum, Dornod Province * Norovlin Neolithic Settlement, Bulgan sum, Dornod Province

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209 ...
period (209 BC-AD 93)

* Lungtang * Lungcheng ( Mongolian: Luut; Dragon City), capital of the Xiongnu Empire,

Orkhon River The Orkhon River (; mn, Орхон гол, ''Orkhon gol'', Old Chinese: 安侯水 ''(*arhoushui)'') is a river in Mongolia. The Orkhon river derives its name from the Old Turkic prefix "or" meaning "middle", and "khan" or king. It rises in ...

valley * Lungzi * City built by Zhaoxin in 120 BC as ordered by the Shanyu * Kherlen Tsagaan Aral * Terelj Hasar Balgas * Bayanbulag Balgas * Tsenkher Gol Kherem * Shuvuutiin Gol Kherem

Rouran The Rouran Khaganate, also Juan-Juan Khaganate (), was a tribal confederation and later state founded by a people of Proto-Mongolic Donghu origin.*Pulleyblank, Edwin G. (2000)"Ji 姬 and Jiang 姜: The Role of Exogamic Clans in the Organizati ...
period (AD 330 - 555)

* Mume, capital of the Rouran Khaganate,

valley * Lungcheng

Göktürk and Uighur period (AD 555-840)

* Toba Khan’s Ord * Bilge Khan’s Ord * Khar Els *

Khar Balgas Ordu-Baliqalso spelled ''Ordu Balykh, Ordu Balik, Ordu-Balïq, Ordu Balig, Ordu Baligh'' (meaning "city of the court", "city of the army"; mn, Хар Балгас, ), also known as Mubalik and Karabalghasun, was the capital of the first Uyghur ...

* Baibalyk * Kharkhurem

Khitan Liao period (AD 907-1125)

* Zuun kherem * Baruun kherem * Bars khot * Chin Tolgoin Balgas (Zhenzhou, built in AD 994) * Khar Bukhyn Balgas

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...
and
Yuan period The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fif ...
(AD 1206-1368)

* Khaidu Khan’s Ord * Tenduk * Tataryn Kherem * Genghis Khan’s Four Ordos * Karakorum, capital of the Mongol Empire * Suurin * Tosokh * Shar Ord * Khokh nuuriin Ord * Ongiin Ord * Khogshin Teeliin Balgas * Tsagaan Balgas * Arlyn Balgas

Northern Yuan period (AD 1368-1635)

* Choir - 1691 * Tsagaan Baishin (or White Palace of Tsogt Taij) * Ikh Khuree (now the capital city Ulaanbaatar) - 1639 * Khovd (city) - In 1685 founded by Galdan Boshugtu Khan on the bank of the Khovd River.Ховд аймгийн нутаг дахь археологийн дурсгалууд
/ref> *

Tsetserleg (city) Tsetserleg , also romanized as Cecerleg ( mn, Цэцэрлэг, ; "park" or "garden") is the capital of Arkhangai Aimag (province) in Mongolia. It lies on the northeastern slopes of the Khangai Mountains, southwest of Ulaanbaatar. It has a popu ...

- 1631. In 1586 the first monastery founded. *

Ulaangom Ulaangom (; mn, Улаангом, ; xal, Уланһом, ) is the capital of Uvs Province in Mongolia. It is located on the slopes of the Kharkhiraa mountain, southwest from the lake Uvs Nuur shore and south from the Russian border. Descri ...

- 1686?

Qing period The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...
(AD 1691-1911)

*Mörön (city) - 1809 *Choibalsan (city) - 1823 *Uliastai - 1833 ...

Architectural heritages in Mongolia

*Choijin Lama Temple *Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan *Erdene Zuu Monastery *Gandantegchinlen Monastery * Manjusri Monastery *:Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia

References

This article is based on the textbook "''Mongol Ulsyn Tuuh''" (History of Mongolia), National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2006.