Exploring Mongolia (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
Visiting Khar Balgas (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
When I was in Mongolia over the summer, I had the opportunity to visit and study the 8th-9th century remains of the old Uighur capital of Ordu-Baliq (Khar Balgas) with other archaeologists from the Society for East Asian Archaeology and the National University of Mongolia. We spent most of our time exploring and photographing the city’s outer walls and Buddhist stupa.
Khar Balgas is just one section of the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape which includes numerous archaeological remains dating back to the 6th century. The Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape is located in the central part of Mongolia–approximately 360 km from the capital of Ulaanbaatar. According to UNESCO: “Collectively the remains in the site reflect the symbiotic links between nomadic, pastoral societies and their administrative and religious centres, and the importance of the Orkhon valley in the history of Central Asia.” The Orkhon Valley today is still marked by the long-standing traditions of Central Asian nomadic pastoralism. Surveying the remarkable archaeological remains in the Orkhon Valley with fellow archaeologists was truly the adventure of a lifetime…
