The Mongolian people’s emphasis on their nomadic traditions shaped the function and meaning of Karakorum. Predating the founding of Karakorum in 1235, Mongolian people were of nomadic, steppe, descent, and were always on the move in response to changing weather or hunting patterns. The many skills and technology they possessed revolved around complementing a mobile and nomadic and pastoralist lifestyle. For most Mongolian people, yurt dwellings could be easily dismantled and stored into a wagon. For the nobles and royalty, their dwellings could be hoisted onto an ox-drawn wagon and assimilated into the flow of travel. Aside their housing, their weaponry was also adapted to succeed in nomadic conditions. For much of the of the Mongolian Empire until its decline, from the early 1200s to 1290s, Mongolian bow and arrow technology was feared throughout Eurasia due to their dependence on the bow. Mastery of the bow was necessary for the sake of survival on the steppes, being the primary means for obtaining food and engaging in combat with neighboring tribes. Being a society built upon nomadic success, it appeared unlikely that the Mongolian people would settle.

It was only until after Genghis Khan passed away in 1227, that his son, Ogedei Khan would prepare to establish a capital city to create a face for the Mongolian Empire. Ogedei decided upon a frequent nomadic stopping point and established Karakorum in 1235. Karakorum would become the site of trade and flourishing ideals, truly becoming the face for the Mongolian Empire that Ogedei had hoped for. It was the site where Mongolians displayed the spolia of their conquests, be it artisans or treasures. The city would also be where the Mongolian people displayed their religious tolerance to the world, housing many different religious temples within the palace walls. As intended, many people from Northern Africa and Eastern Europe, such as William of Rubruck, travelling between 1253 to 1256, were tasked on journeys to specifically write detailed reports on the esteemed city of Karakorum back to their kings or religious authority. Despite the fanaticism of foreigners, the Mongolian people were less impressed with Karakorum. The Mongolian people mostly retained their nomadic lifestyles and only entered the city in times of need. Usually, Mongolians were self-sufficient enough to live off the land as did their ancestors and avoid contact with the city. A few occasions they entered may have been when warriors returned from the battlefield and wanted to drink some airag, an alcoholic beverage made from fermented mare’s milk, to cast their worries away at the city bar, such as Ogedei Khan himself until he likely died of alcoholism in 1241. Karakorum was established by the Mongolian people, not to change their lifestyles to a more sedentary system, but to become a face for the empire.

Nonetheless, the Mongolian royalty recognized the importance of the city toward maintaining their regime. As the Mongol Empire began to fall into disarray and competing factions following Ogedei’s death, Karakorum was used to legitimize leadership. In 1246, Queen Toregene, wife to the deceased Ogedei Khan, orchestrated the kurultai of her son, Guyuk Khan. The plan was to have a procession from a corner of Karakorum to the imperial ger outside the city. To legitimize the procession, she gathered world leaders from throughout the empire, be it the Sultan of Turkey, to the Grand Prince from Europe. The gathering of world leaders for the coronation of a new khan symbolized their submission to the Mongolian Empire. Karakorum served as the stage which legitimized Mongolian rule. While Karakorum legitimized leadership, it also became a site for political strife between the Mongolian leaders. After Guyuk’s death, his widow, Oghul Ghaimish served as khatun, ruling in the vicinity of Karakorum. Later, she would be overthrown, stripped, sewn together, and then disposed into a river under the orders of Sorkokhtani beki, mother of Kublai Khan, in 1246. Mongolian leaders regarded Karakorum as a venue for establishing political legitimacy to the world. The city bore a spotlight that promulgated the messages of the royalty.

However, even while Karakorum existed as a site of political legitimacy, the will of the Mongolian people revealed they did not need it. In 1260, following the death of Mongke Khan, Kublai Khan held an election in South China to claim the throne. Such a move was unheard of since all past important kurultais were held in Karakorum with the presence of the noble families. Ariq-Boke, a direct descendent to Genghis Khan, around the same time, also held his own election, but within the capital city, therefore being the legitimate leader of the Mongolian people. The conflicting events led to a clashing for the throne, named the Toluid Civil War from 1260 to 1264, resulting in Kublai Khan’s victory and recognized leadership by the people. Following the Toluid Civil War, Kublai Khan decided to abandon Karakorum and found a new one in 1266. Kublai’s challenging of tradition illustrated that cities only confined Mongolians of their potential. While Kublai did not conform with the city of Karakorum, he proved that the city was no more special than that of the yurts he brought with him.

Karakorum only had a purpose when the Mongolians inhabited it. When the city was abandoned by the Mongolians in the 1260s, its meaning faded as well. Foreigners who inhabited the former capital followed Kublai Khan to his new capital in Daidu, modern-day Beijing, leaving Karakorum to fall apart. Yet, when the Mongolians returned almost a century later, in 1368, led by the fleeing Yuan royal son, Ayushiridara, Karakorum was revitalized as a city. In 1370, Ayushiridara officiated himself as emperor in Karakorum and would fight using the city as a base until their retreat which would lead to the razing of Karakorum in 1388.

While the city was largely inhabited by foreigners, the Mongolian people defined the functions of Karakorum over its existence. The series of events which unfolded during Karakorum’s existence was a testimony to the ability of the Mongolian people to contour the spirit of sedentary cities. When Ogedei established the capital city, Mongolians still conducted most of their business outside the city walls. Kublai Khan became the legitimized ruler without being formally elected within the capital city. The Mongolian people were never content with staying in one place and the shifting of capitals illustrates the sanctified regard they had towards their nomadic roots.