Karakorum

Karakorum was the capital of the Mongol Empire from 1235 to 1260 and the Northern Yuan dynasty in the 14th–15th centuries. Its remnants are located in the northwestern part of the Övörkhangai Province in modern-day Mongolia, close to the current town of Kharkhorin and adjacent to the Erdene Zuu Monastery, likely the oldest surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. These ruins are situated in the upper section of the Orkhon Valley, a designated World Heritage Site. In 2023, Mongolia's President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh announced a plan to reconstruct the historical capital city of Karakorum (Kharkhorum) in the Orkhon Valley, Mongolia.

Currently, the city serves as the center of the Kharkhorin somon in the Uvurkhangai province. The main sources of municipal revenue are tourism and agriculture. The fields to the east of the city are irrigated from the Orkhon River. Kharkhorin Airport, with a gravel runway, receives regular flights to and from Ulaanbaatar.