The 13th Century – Inner Asia and Beyond 
ABSTRACT 
This lecture starts with the rise of the Mongolian Empire and the construction in the middle of the 13th century of two capitals Shangdu in Mongolia and Dadu (Bejing) in China. We then follow the trade route westward to west Asia and the Seljuks who centered their empire (for a while) on Isfahan, where they built a new type of mosque, the four-iwan mosque. The lecture also covers the Seljuk caravanserai as well as the Mamluks the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan in Cairo, Egypt (1356).

KEY PEOPLES AND EMPIRES
•	Mongolians: Mongolic people lived in inner Asia, mainly in Mongolia. One of several Asian steppe cultures
•	Genghis Khan (1162? – August 1227): founder of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his demise
•	Kublai Khan (1215 – February 18, 1294): Genghis Kan’s grandson, created new capitals Shangdu and Dadu
•	Turkish People: One of several Inner Asian people. Left Inner Asia, for Persia to become the Seljuks (ca. 1040- 1300). One of their capitals was Isfahan. Their Persian holdings were taken by the Mongolians to become Il-Khanate (1256 – 1335). The Seljuks came to control Turkey.
•	Mamluks: meaning "property" or "owned slave," mamluk is an Arabic designation for slaves, it refers to a military caste in Egypt that rose from the ranks of slave soldiers to become its rulers in a period known as the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517)
•	Tuareg
•	Ghana
•	Ethiopia

KEY CONCEPTS
•	Wangcheng
•	chakravartin
•	Iwan/ Four Iwan Mosque
•	muqarnas
•	Caravanserai
•	Madrassa
•	artesian well

KEY PLACES
•	Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, Delhi, India, begun 1190s
•	Shangdu, Mongolian Capital, 1265
•	Dadu, China (Bejing)
•	Samarkand
•	Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Delhi, India, 1200-1300
•	Friday Mosque Isfahan, Iran, 9th-12 centuries
•	Sultanhani Caravanserai, 1229, Turkey 
•	Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan, Cairo, Egypt, 1356
•	Biet Gheorghis, Lalibela, Ethiopia, ca. 1200
•	Shangdu (Supreme Capital):  capital from which Kublai Kahn administered and ruled his various territories in Mongolia
•	Dadu (Great Capital): was the city from where he governed China, both capitals were designed as “Chinese cities” except that at the core of Dadu was a game reserve where the emperor could engage in the heavenly hunt

NOTES ON SELECT TERMS 
Chakravartin
Kublai Khan became a devotee of Tibet Lamaism (a form of Buddhism) who championed the idea of cahravartin. / protector of China/ divine right as reincarnation of Buddha/ Tibetan monks served as protector of the divine mandate. The idea of a chakravartin was used to denote a universal monarch, whose realm and influence spread extensively – symbolically referred to through the chakra or wheel. Mongolians thus defined themselves not unlawful foreign rulers but benevolent protectors. Emperor was not in power because of his armies, but because it was an historical task on earth as a bodhisattva.

Description of Dadu by Marco Polo
It is enclosed all round by a great wall forming a square, each side of which is a mile in length. It is also very thick, and a good ten paces in height, whitewashed and loop-holed all round. At each angle of the wall there is a very fine and rich palace in which the war-harness of the Emperor is kept, such as bows and arrows, saddles and bridles, and bowstrings, and everything necessary for an army. 

The great wall has five gates on its southern face, the middle one being the great gate, which is never opened on any occasion except when the Great Khan himself goes forth or enters. Close on either side of this great gate is a smaller one by which all other people pass; and then towards each angle is another great gate, also open to people in general; so that on that side there are five gates in all.

Inside this wall there is a second wall. In the middle of the second enclosure is the Lord's Great Palace.
This is the greatest palace that ever was. Towards the north it is in contact with the outer wall, whilst towards the south there is a vacant space which the barons and the soldiers are constantly traversing. The palace itself has no upper story, but is all on the ground floor, except the basement is raised a bit above the surrounding soil. The roof is very lofty, and the walls of the palace are all covered with gold and silver. They are also adorned with representations of dragons (sculptured and gilt), beasts and birds, knights and gods, and other subjects. And on the ceiling, too, you see nothing but gold and silver and painting. 

The hall of the palace is so large that it could easily dine 6,000 people; and it is quite a marvel to see how many rooms there are besides. The building is altogether so vast, so rich, and so beautiful, that no man on earth could design anything superior to it. The outside of the roof is all colored with vermilion and yellow and green and blue and other colors, which are fixed with a varnish so fine and exquisite that they shine like crystal, and lend a luster to the palace so it can be seen from a great distance. This roof is made too with such strength and solidity that it is fit to last forever.