The Qan's City : Kökeqota and the role of a capital city in Mongolian state formation

This article studies the ambiguous relations nomadic powers have with cities. Recent studies have proved that nomadism is compatible with urbanisation . But are sedentary urban forms necessary to found a state and control an empire? What is the role of sedentary capitals in the establishment of steppe states? Do nomads build cities just for practical reasons, that is, to maintain an administration, archives, treasures, craftsmen, military camps etc., and/or for symbolic reasons, as instruments of prestige, symbols of power? Are cities a sign of acculturation, a headquarters, or just a façade? Could nomads rule a state on a long-term basis with no city, no fixed centre, or with other forms of urban structures such as nomadic ‘felt cities', or temporary gatherings? Is the foundation of a city especially necessary when a nomadic power rules over Chinese subjects? Or, is the building, settling and holding of cities a loss rather than a long-term historical gain, because they handicap the nomads, are basically contradictory to a nomadic way of life and entail acculturation?<br />This article attempts to re-examine these classical debates on the importance of a fixed political centre firstly by examining the specific features of some cities founded by nomad rulers on China's northern frontier, and, secondly, by taking the particular example of Kökeqota (ch. Hohhot, Huhehaote 呼和浩特) the city, founded by Altan Khan of the Tümeds in 1572