Chairman of the State Great Hural G.Zandanshatar received a team of researchers led by Dr. D.Ankhbayar on July 5, 2022.

On June 12-18, 2022, the joint research team of the Turcology Research Institute within the National University of Mongolia and Izmir Katip Зelebi University Turkic Studies Application and Research Center found the ruins of a summer palace and settlement that were built in the 1260s by a ruler of the Mongol Ilkhanate State Hulagu Khan in Van province of the Republic of Turkey.

It was the first research that was conducted abroad by Mongolian researchers with official permission. During the meeting, the team emphasized that the research was successfully carried out thanks to the support provided by the Chairman of the State Great Hural.

Historical sources in ancient Persian and Armenian state that Hulagu Khan had his summer palace built between 1261 and 1265 in the fertile region in present-day Van province of Turkey. As a result of many years of research, the ruins of this summer palace were discovered and rare valuable artifacts were unearthed to confirm historical facts and information. In the first days of the research, the scientists found the remains of ceramics that trace back to the period of Hulagu Khan.

Director of Turcology Research Institute Dr. D.Ankhbayar said, “To date, the ruins of palaces of three Mongol Khans, including the palace of Kublai Khan in Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, the summer palace of Ambaghai Khan in Iran and Sarai city of the Golden Horde, were found. This time, we discovered the fourth palace. It is believed that it was a palace-city with an area of ​​at least 1200x1200 meters. Archeological research excavations are planned to be carried out in cooperation with Turkish scientists,"  adding that it is necessary to prepare for the excavations within the legal framework, and he asked the Chairman to support this at the decision-making level.

Speaker G.Zandanshatar said, "As a result of many years of research by our distinguished archaeologists and scientists, the discovery of the previously unexplored summer palace of Khulegu Khan, the founder of the Ilkhanate, has become an important discovery in the history and archeology of Mongolia as well as the world. I am confident that the research will be intensified and many historical artifacts will be found in the future”.

The researchers said that the model of the city of Kharkhorum was probably used in terms of building design and architectural arrangement. The construction of a Buddhist temple and the involvement of Buddhist sculptors and artisans in the decoration of the palace increase the possibility that the palace is Mongolian in nature. The preliminary observation of the research team revealed the remains of blue and green pottery of the Ilkhanate period, as well as the remains of wall-patterned pottery.

The meeting was attended by Director of Turcology Research Institute Dr. D.Ankhbayar, Director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences Dr. A.Enkhtur, Professor of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology Dr. Yu.Boldbaatar, and Historian Dr. B.Enkhchimeg.