Ruins of the Ancient City of Olon Süme

Ruins of the Ancient City of Olon Süme

The ruins of the ancient city of Olon Süme are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The ancient city of Olon Süme is also known as the "City of the Zhao King" or the "City of the Five Heroes." The site is rectangular in shape, approximately 960 meters wide from east to west and about 570 meters long from north to south, covering a total area of around 550,000 square meters. The city walls had gates on all four sides, with corner towers built at each of the four corners. The outlines of the gates, corner towers, and city walls are still clearly visible. The base of the city walls is about 3 meters wide, with remnants standing 2 to 3 meters high. Seventeen building foundations and 99 earthen mounds or platforms have been discovered within the site. A cemetery has also been found about 300 meters east of the city. In addition, a large number of architectural components, stone tablets, stone beasts, and Nestorian tombstones have been unearthed at the site.

-- The ruins of the ancient city of Olon Süme are located about 28 kilometers northeast of Bairin Right Banner. This ancient city was the capital of the Ongud tribe, a clan closely related to Genghis Khan’s family. Situated on the northern bank of the Ebu’gei River (then called the Black Water), it was known at the time as the New Post Station of the Black Water. It was also called the "City of the Zhao King" because the royal family of the Zhao Kings of the Ongud tribe resided here.

-- The ancient city of Olon Süme was built in the first year of the Tai Ding era of the Yuan Dynasty (1323 AD). It boasted towering and majestic halls, luxurious and elegant palaces and pavilions, as well as densely packed streets and shops, along with splendid cultural and religious buildings such as the "De Feng Hall." It became the political, economic, and cultural center of the Ongud tribe at that time. This ancient city was the second-largest settlement on the Mongolian Plateau after the Yuan Dynasty’s Shangdu, and also the first major city through which European civilization entered the East. At the same time, it served as a strategic hub connecting the northwestern Mongolian Plateau with the inland regions. The city holds unique historical and archaeological value and is currently under protection and undeveloped, with efforts underway to nominate it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, standing in the heart of the ancient city, one can almost envision the smoke of battle across the southern deserts, while the magical legends of the "36 Obo" and the "City of the Five Heroes" have been passed down through generations. Amidst the broken walls, the former prosperity of the Zhao royal family of the Ongud tribe can still be faintly glimpsed.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units