President Khurelsukh Visits Archaeological Excavation Site of the Summer Palace of Ilkhaan Khulegu
During his State Visit to the Republic of Türkiye, President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa got acquainted with the progress of the archaeological excavation work of a joint Mongolian-Turkish team at the summer palace of Ilkhaan Khulegu, grandson of Great Emperor Chinggis Khaan, located in the Van province of the Republic of Türkiye.
Historical records indicate that while passing through the region in the fall of 1259, Ilkhaan Khulegu decided to build a summer palace considering the favorable pasturelands and terrain. Construction of the palace began in 1261 and was completed in 1265.
The research team of the Joint Institute of Turkic Studies of the National University of Mongolia and the Izmir’s Katip Çelebi University conducted archaeological surveys and trial excavations in 2022 and 2023 in the Çaldıran District of Van Province. As a result, the team discovered the ruins of the summer palace.
The summer palace site, historically referred to as Aladag or “the city of the Variegated Mountain,” covers an area of approximately 900 by 1,200 square meters, as determined by archaeologists. During the excavations, remnants of ceramic wares featuring hexagonal patterns and wares with Zeebad carvings were discovered. This marked the first discovery of Mongolian-style artifacts in the Middle Eastern region.
President Khurelsukh visited the excavation site of the summer palace ruins, which were completed 760 years ago, and observed the stone relief of Khulegu Khaan displayed on the walls of the Akdamar Church near Lake Van.
During the visit, the President emphasized the importance of the ongoing research and discussed the next steps and challenges with the archaeologists and scholars. President Khurelsukh expressed his full support for the continuation of large-scale archaeological excavations and research at the site.
The site of the summer palace in Aladag has been officially registered as a first-class archaeological heritage site by the Republic of Türkiye and placed under state protection. Experts emphasized the immediate need to delineate the full extent of the ancient city and implement measures to safeguard it from natural and human-induced threats.
The Joint Institute of Turkic Studies of the National University of Mongolia and the Izmir’s Katip Çelebi University of the Republic of Türkiye was established in 2018. The Institute is dedicated to studying and researching historical and cultural relics of the Mongol Empire within Türkiye.
Since 2022, the Institute has been implementing a project titled “The Summer Palace of Ilkhaan Khulegu, Founder of the Ilkhanate: Exploration of the Aladag Palace in the Republic of Türkiye.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Battsetseg Batmunkh, Minister of Culture, Sports, Tourism, and Youth Nomin Chinbat, Member of Parliament Bum-Ochir Dulam, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the Republic of Türkiye Munkhbayar Gombosuren, Members of Parliament of the Republic of Türkiye Burhan Kayaturk and Kayahan Turkmenoglu, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye Gokhan Yazgi, Van Province Governor Ozan Balcı, and archaeologists from the joint Mongolian-Turkish research team accompanied the President on a visit to Van Province.
