ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the revival, reconstruction and creation of cities across Eurasia. Trade and mercantile activity require stability and investment from elites in order to flourish. Set within this context the role of Mongol cities in Eurasia takes on an entirely different meaning. The Mongols are most commonly associated with destruction and violence, while at the same time the Mongol period in history is also heralded as the safest time to be traversing the Silk Road by travellers, religious figures, traders and other sections of society. These two opposite views are best explained through a discussion of the cities under the Mongols, because in doing so it challenges the premise that the Mongols destroyed all vestiges of the old world order. Mongol cities formed the basis for power and continued as symbols of wealth and prestige, showcasing both nomadic and sedentary characteristics. Beijing, Moscow, Sarai and Caffa, to name a few, were all built and supported by the Mongols. The discussion about economic prosperity across the Silk Road necessarily includes the numerous cities which sprang up as capital cities, mobile courts, travelling bazars (markets), artisan cities, workshops and manufacturing units which converted Eurasia into a series of interconnected commercial hubs. This chapter lends itself to expanding the discussion on economic prosperity under the Mongols by furnishing information on the state of the Silk Road through its flourishing cities.
