e same. Rashiduddin speaks of a tribe
of Utikien Uigurs living in this country. (_Bretschneider, Med. Geog._
191; _D'Ohsson_, i. 437. _Rockhill, Rubruck_, 220, note.)--Karakorum was
called by the Chinese _Ho-lin_ and was chosen by Chinghiz, in 1206, as his
capital; the full name of it, _Ha-la Ho-lin_, was derived from a river to
the west. (_Yuen shi_, ch. lviii.) Gaubil (_Holin_, p. 10) says that the
river, called in his days in Tartar _Karoha_, was, at the time of the
Mongol Emperors, named by the Chinese _Ha-la Ho-lin_, in Tartar language
_Ka la Ko lin_, or _Cara korin_, or _Kara Koran_. In the spring of 1235,
Okkodai had a wall raised round Ho-lin and a palace called _Wang an_,
built inside the city. (_Gaubil, Gentchiscan_, 89.) After the death of
Kublai, _Ho-lin_ was altered into _Ho-Ning_, and, in 1320, the name of the
province was changed into _Ling-pe_ (mountainous north, i.e. the
_Yin-shan_ chain, separating China Proper from Mongolia). In 1256, Mangu
Kaan decided to transfer the seat of government to Kaiping-fu, or Shangtu,
near the present Dolonnor, north of Peking. (_Supra_ in Prologue, ch. xiii.
note 1.) In 1260, Kublai transferred his capital to _Ta-Tu_ (Peking).

Plano Carpini (1246) is the first Western traveller to mention it by name
which he writes _Caracoron_; he visited the Sira Orda, at half a day's
journey from Karakorum, where Okkodai used to pass the summer; it was
situated at a place Ormektua. (_Rockhill, Rubruck_, 21, III.) Rubruquis
(1253) visited the city itself; the following is his account of it: "As
regards the city of Caracoron, you must understand that if you set aside
the Kaan's own Palace, it is not as good as the Borough of St. Denis; and
as for the Palace, the Abbey of St. Denis is worth ten of it! There are
two streets in the town; one of which is occupied by the Saracens, and in
that is the marketplace. The other street is occupied by the Cathayans,
who are all craftsmen. Besides these two streets there are some great
palaces occupied by the court secretaries. There are also twelve idol
temples belonging to different nations, two Mahummeries in which the Law
of Mahomet is preached, and one church of the Christians at the extremity
of the town. The town is enclosed by a mud-wall and has four gates. At the
east gate they sell millet and other corn, but the supply is scanty; at
the west gate they sell rams and goats; at the south gate oxen and
waggons; at the north gate horses.... Mangu