Khanbaliq

Khanbaliq, also known as Khanbalik or Cambulac, was the capital of the Yuan dynasty established by Kublai Khan in the 1260s on the site of the northern Chinese city that would later become Beijing. The name Khanbaliq means "City of the Khan" in Mongol-Turkic languages; Cambulac is its Persian exonym; in Chinese sources the city was often called Dadu, or Great Capital. The city lay on the northern fringe of the Jin heartland and functioned as the political center of the Mongol-ruled empire in China, housing the imperial palace, ministries, and foreign embassies, and serving as a hub of commerce along the Silk Road.

Construction and layout: The Yuan designed Khanbaliq as a grand capital with walls, moats, and a ceremonial axis; its layout influenced later Chinese capitals, and it drew builders and merchants from across the empire. Travelers such as Marco Polo described Cambulac during their journeys, noting its size and opulence; Chinese sources describe the city as a major urban center with a cosmopolitan population.

Decline and legacy: After the fall of the Yuan in 1368, the Ming dynasty seized the city, and it came to be known as Beiping. The Ming later built and relocated the capital to Beijing, and this site corresponds to the present-day capital of China. The name Khanbaliq survives in historical and scholarly works as a reference to the Yuan-period city, and it is studied for its role in Mongol administration and the development of Beijing.