{"id":1181,"date":"2024-07-02T09:54:33","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T08:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/orchontal.de\/wordpress\/?page_id=737"},"modified":"2025-04-10T12:21:44","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T10:21:44","slug":"temple-palace-city","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/orchontal.de\/en\/monuments\/karabalgasun\/temple-palace-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Temple-\/Palace City"},"content":{"rendered":"
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View over the remains of Karabalgasun \u00a9 H. Rohland \/ DAI<\/span><\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n
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Karabalgasun Temple and Palace City<\/h1>\n

The most prominent area of Karabalgasun is probably the temple or palace city, whose towering walls are still visible from afar in the landscape. With an area of 390 x 460 m, it is considerable in size. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The Enclosing Wall<\/h2>\n
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The remains of the enclosing wall still stand up to 10 m high and are well preserved on almost all sides. Despite weathering and erosion, the construction technique is still clearly recognizable. Following the Chinese model, the walls were built with rammed earth construction (Terre Pis\u00e9\/Hangtu \u592f\u571f), which was stabilized at regular intervals by alternating diagonal horizontal tie beams. In visible areas that are more exposed to the weather, only cavities remain today; the timbers have long rotted away. The walls taper towards the top and are up to 35 m thick at the base. Bastion-like extensions at intervals of approx. 100 m also act to stabilize the construction and give it the extremely defensive appearance it is still known for today.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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The Temple and Palace City<\/h2>\n

The large quadrangle of the temple\/palace city is extended by an annex on both the east and west sides. While the western annex is considerably narrower and has no recognizable access from the city area, the eastern annex extends to the east across at a length of 240 m and is identical in width to HB2. Its walls are flatter than those of the palace city, but are still clearly recognizable in the terrain. Its interior is divided into a wide, open square-like area leading to the only gate of HB2. To the south and north of this are two areas divided into a total of 12-14 sections. As no excavations have been carried out in this area to date, it is only possible to make assumptions about its construction and function. The Russian researcher Sergei Kiselev assumed that these structures were gardens. However, it is also conceivable that they served as an economic area for the main complex. The interior of the so-called temple\/palace city, on the other hand, is primarily characterized by two striking buildings. In the western half on the central east-west axis, there is a tower-like rammed earth construction – now known as a stupa<\/a> – whose original function has not yet been clarified. Immediately to the east of the so-called stupa are two further mounds, which can be interpreted as temples based on the excavation results<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n