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Archaeology in the Orxon Valley

Part of the Orxon Valley Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site

The historical and archaeological monuments of the Orxon Valley have enjoyed the continuous attention of world scholars since their "discovery" by Western scientists in the late 19th century.

• In 1889 N. M. Yadrintsev, on a mission from the East Siberian branch of the Russian Imperial Geographical Society, identified the ruins located next to Erdene Zuu Monastery on the bank of the Orxon River as those of Karakorum, capital of the 13th-century Mongolian Empire (Ix Mongol Ulus). Yadrintsev also published the first scientific article concerning the Türkic stelae discovered on the bank of the Xögshin Orxon River near Caidam lake, now known as the Xoshoo Caidam monuments.
• In 1890 a scientific expedition led by the Finnish scholar A. Heikel examined the stelae at Xöshöö Caidam and published a monograph reporting on their findings. ^[1]
• In 1891 the Russian Academician V. V. Radlov directed a large expedition from the Russian Royal Academy of Sciences, aiming to study and describe the principal monuments of the Orxon and Tuul River valleys. This team also performed limited archaeological excavations, notably at the memorial complex dedicated to Bilge Xan at Xöshöö Caidam. The findings of this expedition were published in the four-volume Atlas of Ancient Mongolian Monuments and in a five-volume report entitled Activities of the Orxon Expedition. ^[2]
• In 1933-1934 the Russian scholar D. D. Bukinich, working at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, conducted surveys of Karakorum, Xöshöö Caidam and the remaining monuments of the Orxon Valley, and carried out excavations at some sites, the results of which were recorded in a series of scientific reports.
• In 1948-1949 Professor S. V. Kiselev and the eminent Mongolian archaeologist X. Perlee jointly led a Mongolian-Soviet team which conducted extensive excavations at the site of Karakorum, leading to the discovery of a number of important artefacts connected to the history of Mongolia in the middle ages, which helped to confirm the great importance of the ancient Mongolian capital.
• In 1959 L. Lisl and N. Ser-Odzhav led a joint Mongolian-Czechoslovakian excavation of the sacrificial temple dedicated to Kül Tegin at Xöshöö Caidam.^[3]
• The Mongolian-Soviet Historical-Cultural Joint Expedition was established in 1948 and continued operating until the 1980s. Among the significant activities of this Expedition were the discovery and excavation of the Moiltyn Am and Orxon-VII paleolithic dwelling and artisanal production sites.
• From 1976 to the early 1980s the field operations team of the Historical Institute of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, under the direction of N. Ser-Odzhav, worked at the ruins of Karakorum and Xar Xul Xaany Balgas, performing excavations of graves in the peripheral district of the city as well as general surveys in order to understand the demographics of Mongolian cities. ^[4]
• In 1995-1996 a joint Mongolian-Japanese team organized by UNESCO produced a detailed topographical map of the entire Karakorum site, conducted surveys of nearby monuments, defined a protected area including the ruins of the ancient Mongolian capital, and erected a fence around the ruins, thus helping to protect these valuable archaeological remains from damage caused by contemporary industrial activities and other improper uses of the site. ^[5]
• The Mongolian-Japanese joint "Bichees" project (1996-1998) involved a wide-ranging study of monuments featuring textual inscriptions, located both in the Orxon Valley and elsewhere in Mongolia.
• Since 1997 a Mongolian-Turkish project for the "Conservation, study and restoration of some Türkic monuments on the territory of Mongolia" has been studying the Türkic memorials of Xöshöö Caidam, and is working towards the conservation of these monuments in their present state and the establishment of an open-air museum.
• Since 1999 a Mongolian-German project has been investigating the ruins of Karakorum, conducting excavations in the area of the palace of Ögedei Xaan and along the main thoroughfare of the city, with the aim of conserving the uncovered remains in situ as an open-air museum, and studying the most significant discovered artifacts in order to understand the development of this ancient city.

Notes

1. ↑ A. Heikel. Inscriptions de l'Orkhon recueillies par l'expédition finnoise, 1890. Helsingfors: 1892.
2. ↑ Сборник Трудов Орхонской Экспедиции. Вып. 1, Спб, 1892, Вып. 3, Спб, 1897, Вып. 4, Спб, 1897.
3. ↑ Lisl L. "Vyzkum Kulteginova pamatniku v Mongolske Lidove Republice". Archrologicke rozhledy. XII, No. 1. Prague: 1960.
4. ↑ Н. Сэр-Оджав, Д. Баяр. 1979-1980 оны Хар Хорумын шинжилгээний ангийн тайлан. [Report of the Xar Xorum Research Team, 1979-1980.] Manuscript, Institute of Archaeology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences.
5. ↑ Shimpei Kato. Activities report 95-96. Protection and conservation of the ancient ruins of Xaraxorum city, Mongolia. // The Ancient City of Xaraxorum. Beijing: UNESCO, 1997.