Khara-Khoto and the Disappearance of the Tanguts
- Date of account
- Western Xia and later Mongol-period occupation, eleventh–fourteenth centuries CE
- Location
- Ejin Banner, Inner Mongolia
- Source
- model_recalled_reference
- Record updated
- 2026-10-10
Record summary
Khara-Khoto, or Heishuicheng, was a major fortified settlement associated with the Tangut Western Xia and later regimes. Its dry environment preserved manuscripts, paintings, coins, and everyday objects, while the city’s abandonment has been linked variously to changing river courses, warfare, and wider political transformations. The site is important for comparing frontier urbanism, multilingual administration, and archaeological preservation. Its history is not simply a mystery of sudden disappearance: chronology varies across sectors, and the relationship between military destruction, environmental change, and gradual relocation remains under investigation.
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