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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Golden Horde

Reconstruction of the ancient mosques and buildings of ancient Sarai-Batu. (vesta48/Adobe Stock)

Sarai Batu, the Once-Magnificent Capital of the Golden Horde

The Turko-Mongol Golden Horde was one of history’s most powerful empires, sweeping across the plains of Asia and East Europe, subjugating many kingdoms by their sheer might. And although the Mongols...
Ivan the Great tearing the khan's letter to pieces.      Source: Aleksey D. Kivshenko / Public domain

The Rise of Ivan the Great and the Birth of The Russian Empire

During the medieval period, ruling over a nation as vast and powerful as Russia was never an easy task. The numerous rulers that came to its helm always experienced their ups and downs, and so this...
Sunrise, Old Orhei monastery, Republic of Moldova   Source: Calin Stan/Adobe Stock

The Little-Known Treasure of Beautiful Moldova - Old Orhei

Moldova may be the least visited country in Europe , but it has the largest wine cellar in the world, and a history that stretches back for millennia. Because of its incredible past, it has been home...
The Mongol ruler Hulagu in Baghdad interns the Caliph of Baghdad among his treasures. Hulagu founded the Ilkhanate.

The Ilkhanate Had Only Two Goals: Conquest and Power

The Ilkhanate was one of the four khanates that emerged after the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire. This khanate was founded by Hulegu Khan, one of Genghis Khan’s grandsons, and lasted from the...
A statue of Batu Khan in Turkey.

Batu Khan: The Leader of the Golden Horde Kept His Grandfather Genghis’ Legacy Going

Batu Khan was a Mongol ruler and the founder of the Golden Horde (known also as the Kipchak Khanate, and the Ulus of Jochi). He was a grandson of Genghis Khan through Jochi, the Great Khan’s eldest...
‘Mongols at the Walls of Vladimir’ by Vasily Maksimov. Depiction of Mongols of the Golden Horde outside Vladimir - presumably demanding submission before sacking the city.

The Golden Horde and the Mongol Mission to Conquer Europe

Before Mongol emperor Genghis Khan died in 1227 AD, he divided his vast empire into four khanates (fiefdoms) among three sons and a grandson. The westernmost of these regions was ruled by the Golden...
Mongol attac

The Famous and Powerful Khanates that Followed the Mongol Empire

A khanate was a political entity ruled by a khan. Historically speaking, the ruler of a Mongolian tribe was given the title ‘Khan’. Later on, this title was adopted by many Muslim societies. Although...
Taniec tatarski (Tatar's Dance), a painting by Juliusz Kossak

The Tatars: The Golden Horde, People from Hell, Or Something Else?

Today, Tatars is a collective name given to a number of Turkic-speaking groups that live in Russia and several former Soviet countries. But Tatars has had various other meanings through history. For...