The name of Ogodei's palace enclosure means Palace of Myriad Tranquilities, Myriad Peace, or Worldly Peace, depending on what you're reading, somewhat of a strange choice for a Mongol warrior. The story goes that Ogodei set the boundaries of the walls by shooting arrows. Where they fell marked the corners and the placement of the main buildings. Located in the southwest corner of Kharakhorum, the walls were built of sundried bricks, as were the buildings they surrounded, and enclosed some 2800 square meters of land.

When one entered the compound, the first building was a large public reception hall, which had either two or three stories and a roof of red and green enameled tiles ornamented with gold. Inside, the lofty ceiling was supported by sixty-four pillars and the walls were decorated with paintings by Khitan artists. The Khan presided from a raised dais on his panther skin covered throne. Everyone inside was warm in the winter too, thanks to the heating system which ran under the flooring. Behind this public hall were the formal quarters of the royal family. Still, the inherent Mongol distaste for living within buildings was evident as there were mounds for the placement of their traditional gers.

The pride of the palace was a fountain made of silver in the shape of a tree with a man at the top who was blowing a trumpet. At its base were four dragon heads, each facing in a different direction, from which flowed four different kinds of beverages into gold and silver bowls.

Ogodei had a garden built above the town, planted with flowers and evergreen trees and having four gates. One was used only by the Khan, another by his princesses, a third by his children and relatives and a fourth gate was open to the public. Inside this garden was a pavilion which held a throne. Three sets of stairs led to the dais - one for the Khan, one for his ladies, and one for his servants. The cupbearers' rooms below contained huge vats of beer and ale for the royal entertainments which were often held here. When the need arose, elephants, camels and horses were employed to move the vats up the steps to the throne room.

Those vats were important. The Mongols were quite fond of their drink. They imported such large wagonloads of bagni and sorma (beer and ale) that six oxen were needed to pull each cart. Ogodei was no exception, one of his earliest construction projects in the palace complex was wine cellars. He drank so much that his elder brother Chagadai assigned an official just to count how many goblets he drained each day. In the end, the alcohol policeman didn't do the Khan much good. He died in his sleep on a hunting trip after a night of drinking. He was only fifty six, but his subjects may not have mourned him all that much. As with many drunks, he was also prone to spending money on sudden whims, and just as suddenly raising taxes to pay for his sprees.

You can see a model of Ogodei's palace, along with artifacts found at the site at the The National Museum of Mongolian History in Ulaanbaatar


Sources:
Lane, George. Daily Life in the Mongol Empire. Greenwood Press, 2006.
Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman. Chinese Imperial City Planning. University of Hawaii Press, 1990.
Jules Vernes Mongolia
Genghis Khan and the Mongols
Silk Road Seattle-Kharakhorum
Treasures of Mongolia