Marco Polo’s Account Marco Polo visited Shangdu during his travels in the late 13th century and described it vividly in his book The Travels of Marco Polo. He portrayed it as a magnificent city with opulent palaces, bustling markets, and elaborate gardens. Though some historians debate t

Architectural Features One of Shangdu’s most remarkable features was its palace complex. Unlike the purely nomadic tents or yurts of earlier Mongol camps, the palace included permanent wooden and brick structures adorned with Chinese-style roofs and decorations. Water management was also

Location and Environment Shangdu was situated near the present-day town of Dolon Nor in Inner Mongolia, roughly 350 kilometers north of Beijing. The city was built on a vast plain with rich grasslands and forests nearby, suitable for the Mongols’ traditional horse culture and hunting lifest

Introduction Shangdu, famously known in the West as Xanadu, evokes images of grandeur, mystique, and imperial splendor. Nestled in the northern plains of China, Shangdu was the summer capital of the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), founded by the great Mongol conqueror Kublai Khan. It became a sym