Kharkhorin

Kharkhorin is a small city in central Mongolia, which lies on the site of the former capital of the Mongolian empire, Karakorum. Karakorum was setup in the 13th century by Ögedei and was the capital of the Mongolian empire for 40 years. After being destroyed in 1388, the remains of Karakorum were used to build the Erdene Zuu monastery, which was later badly damaged during the Stalinist purges. Nowadays what is left of the former capital is a museum and the remains of the Erdene Zuu monastery. These include a number of buildings in a large walled compound. The Great imperial map monument is located near Kharkhorin on a hill overseeing a river valley.