Lost capital city of the Mongol Empire was far bigger than thought

The city, built by the son of Genghis Khan, was once thought to be about one-tenth as big as it actually was

By Michael Marshall

The capital of the Mongol Empire has been mapped in unprecedented detail. It turns out that the city of Karakorum was far larger than once thought and was quite unlike medieval European cities in its layout.

In the late 1100s and early 1200s, the Mongol leader Temüjin established a vast empire spanning much of Asia and Europe.

Temüjin became known as Chinggis Khan, and is also remembered as Genghis Khan in many nations today. After his death in 1227 …