Opposite Unifying Force
This 1397 illustration from a Persian poem about Chinggis Khan shows him (right middle) fighting the Chinese. China was united under Mongol rule in 1279.
THE TRADITIONAL HOMELAND OF THE MONGOLS SITS ON the eastern end of the central Asian steppes. To the west are the Altai and Tian Shan Mountains, with the forests of Siberia to the north. The Gobi Desert lies to the south, and to the east is the forested Greater Kuinggan Range. A few rivers cut through Mongolia, but it has no direct access to major waterways or the ocean. The steppe here is about a mile above sea level, and the climate can be harsh, with a short summer and extremely cold winter. The 13th century Italian priest Giovanni DiPlano Carpini (c. llSG-c. 1252), author of The Story of the Mongols Whom We Call Tartars, described the conditions he faced on his journey from 1245 to 1247 to meet the Great Khan Guyuk (d. 1248). He wrote, “We had to throw ourselves flat to the ground because of the force of the wind, and there was so much dust we could hardly see.” Hail and severe thunderstorms, the priest wrote, were common.
The climate, sandy soil, and lack of a steady water supply made farming difficult for the people of the steppes. They relied on their herd animals for basic supplies, such as food and clothing. The Mongols and their nomadic neighbors moved with their flocks between summer and winter grazing areas. When they could not meet their needs through herding and hunting, they traded with the city dwellers of China and Central Asia who lived just beyond the steppes.
World History
