Under the auspices of Speaker of the State Great Hural (Parliament) ZANDANSHATAR Gombojav, an international scientific conference themed “The 800 years of Kharkhorum - History and Heritage” dedicated to the 800th anniversary of Kharkhorum, the capital of the Mongol Empire, was held at the National Library of Mongolia on December 17, 2020.

The 800th anniversary of the founding of Kharkhorum (Karakorum) city is marked this year, and in this regard an online conference was organized by the Parliament of Mongolia, International Association for Mongol Studies, Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Institute of History and Ethnography, National Library and the Kharkhorum Society.

The welcome message of the Speaker of the State Great Hural G.Zandanshatar to the participants of the international scientific conference was delivered by D.Togtokhsuren, Member of the State Great Hural and Head of the MPP faction at the State Great Hural wishing success to the scientists and participants.

In his welcome message, Speaker G.Zandanshatar noted, “Kharkhorum is not only the ancient capital of Mongolia, but also a valuable historical and cultural heritage of the Mongolian people. According to historical sources, Ezen Bogd Chinggis Khaan (Great Khan and Emperor of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan) declared Kharkhorum as the capital of the Mongol Empire in 1220, the year of the iron dragon, and Ogedei Khan built Tumen Amgalant Palace in the spring of 1235, the year of the blue sheep. Kharkhorum, now Kharkhorin, was culminated in its prosperity as an important hub in political, cultural, religious, trade and communication, connecting Asia and Europe, as well as then world-famous complex of nomadic and sedentary civilizations. Therefore, it is our noble duty today to preserve this rare and precious historical heritage, to pass it on to future generations, and to develop it in accordance with modern standards. Thus, the issue of Kharkhorin development has always been at the center of Mongolian state policy.

The road construction connecting the East and West under the “Millennium Road” project, approved by the Parliament Resolution No.09 in 2001, is related and coincided with the proclamation of Chinggis Khaan as the “Man of the Millennium”. Moreover, the "Sustainable Development Vision 2050", Mongolia’s long-term development policy approved by the Parliament on May 13, 2020, stipulates to support the development of national archaeology, preserve values, restore and strengthen the ruins such as the ancient city of Kharkhorum, and establish museums, foundations and research centers specializing in archaeology, paleontology and ethnography. In addition, it states to conduct a feasibility study and general development plan for the new capital city in the Orkhon Valley and to begin construction works in 2021-2030. So it’s time to implement a state policy to upbuild a new city in the Orkhon Valley by continuing the study, protection and restoration of the ruins and monuments of the ancient capital of Kharkhorum”. He also emphasized the importance of this scientific conference for the new future of the historic city.

During the conference the welcome message of the President of Mongolia was also read, where over 20 presentations were delivered and participated by foreign and domestic leading researchers, scholars, and historians in Mongol Study including Dr. Agnes Birtalan, President of International Association for Mongol Studies, Dr. .Jack Weatherford, author of "Genghis Khan and the Quest for God" and "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World", Ph.D. Borbala Anna Obrusanszky, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary to Mongolia.

About the International Association for Mongol Studies

The International Association for Mongol Studies (IAMS) is an internationally recognized organization working to promote Mongol Studies worldwide, publish scholarly journals and collections, and organize meetings and workshops. Established in 1970, the Association was called the Standing Committee of International Congress of Mongolists, after 20 years of successful activity, with the objective of expanding the Committee into a permanently functioning organization, a decision was taken in 1987 when representatives of 36 countries and 4 international organizations, including a person representative of UNESCO Director-General, to establish the International Association for Mongol Studies. After the IAMS, which was unanimously established, its Secretariat, structural organization as well as the Association’s funding and budget were decided under a Resolution 107 passed by the then Council of Ministers of the Mongolian People’s Republic in 1988. Subsequently, IAMS developed its Statute that defined the Association’s activities, which was adopted at the IAMS Congress.

IAMS and its Secretariat have been regularly promoting Mongol Studies at the international level and have been engaged in regularly issuing publications, including the News Information on Mongol Studies, beginning in 1988,  the Mongolica international scholarly journal as of 1990 and since more than 40 works by foreign and local Mongolists have been published. The IAMS Secretariat has also been hosting Mongolists from the United States, France, Japan, Russia for a period of six to twelve months, supporting their research activities in the country and also providing them with funding assistance from the state budget. IAMS Secretariat is also traditionally responsible for organizing and managing the regular International Congress of Mongolists, which is held once every five years. IMS Secretariat, in recent years, has been focusing on implementing the National Program of Promoting Mongol Studies.

Press and Public Relations Department of the State Great Hural