The Franciscan monk, William of Rubruck, who visited Kharakhorum in 1255, called this the Saracen Quarter, using the then current European name for Muslims. Since almost everything had to be imported to the remote region, there was a thriving market area inside the city walls but outside the palace compound. Of course, all the businessmen were not Muslims, but there must have been a fair majority for William to have called it after them. Despite the reliance on the Muslim trade from central Asia, most of the coins which have been found at the site originated in China.

At each of the four gates into the city, a specific commercial enterprise grew up. At the east gate, one could find sellers of millet and other grains, most of which were imported as the land around Kharakhorum would not support the feeding of so many residents. A visit to the west gate was in order if sheep and goats were on the shopping list. The horse traders congregated at the north gate and purveyors of cattle, oxen and wagons displayed their stock at the south gate. Originally, each of the city gates was guarded by a great stone turtle. A symbol of immortality, the turtle offered protection from floods. The one you can see at the top of this page is the only one which remains.

This quarter of Kharakhorum was also a gathering place for traveling Mongols and for the ambassadors who came to seek an audience with the Khan.


Sources:
Lane, George. Daily Life in the Mongol Empire. Greenwood Press, 2006.
Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman. Chinese Imperial City Planning. University of Hawaii Press, 1990.
Silk Road Seattle-Kharakhorum

Image by Frithjof Spangenberg, used in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 License