The 1,000-year-old palace of the Khitan dynasty in China
The palace built by the Khitans during the Liao Dynasty has a total area of more than 200 square meters, and is a place for the royal family and courtiers to avoid the summer heat.
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Temple built during the Liao Dynasty in Beijing. Photo:Frederic J. Brown. |
Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient palace that served as a summer retreat for the Liao Dynasty emperors and officials, Newsweek reported. To escape the heat, each year from mid-April to mid-July, the Liao emperor would take the entire royal family and high-ranking officials to the mountains that are now part of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Archaeologists found more than 100 structural elements at the site in Duolun County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, including glazed bricks, ceramics and bronze nails. They recorded the foundations of 12 buildings with a total area of more than 232 square meters. Ge Zhiyong, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, said the artifacts excavated from the site helped determine that the palace was built during the mid-Liao Dynasty.
The discovery of the palace will help archaeologists gain new insights into both the architecture and cultural customs of the Liao Dynasty. Large-scale excavations will be carried out at the site.
The Liao Dynasty was founded by the Khitans. This was a nomadic people distributed in present-day Mongolia and many areas of northern China, Russia and Korea. On February 27, 907, the leader of the Khitans, Yelü Abaoji, proclaimed himself "Heavenly Emperor". On March 17, 916, Yelü Abaoji ascended the throne, taking the national title "Khitan". In 947, the national title was changed to "Great Liao". In 1125, the Liao Dynasty collapsed and was destroyed by the Jin Dynasty.
Although initially lacking a written language to express the original Mongolian dialect, the Liao dynasty developed two scripts that share many features with modern Chinese characters. Liao emperors continued to expand their territory but placed great emphasis on maintaining pure royal bloodlines, stipulating that emperors were not allowed to marry from the conquered Khitan tribes. However, Liao women had considerable political influence, with at least three empress dowagers serving as regents.
