Both former capitals of the Golden Horde are now in Russia

Old Sarai (Sarai-Batu) – Selitrennoye, Astrakhan Region

The 2012 reconstruction of Sarai-Batu in the Astrakhan region, near Selitrennoye village

Viktoriya Strizhova (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The city, founded in the 1250s by Batu Khan, stretched for 10-15 kilometers and occupied an area of 36 km2 – huge for its time.

The 2012 reconstruction of Sarai-Batu in the Astrakhan region, near Selitrennoye village

Viktoriya Strizhova (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The exact location of the city is still disputed, but the prevailing version is that it stood on the site of the village of Selitrennoye, Astrakhan Region.

The 2012 reconstruction of Sarai-Batu in the Astrakhan region, near Selitrennoye village

Viktoriya Strizhova (CC BY-SA 4.0)

It was divided into districts according to the ethnic groups that inhabited it. Russians, Kipchaks, Circassians, Volga Bulgars, Greeks and more – in total, over 70,000 people.

The actual remains of Sarai-Batu, Astrakhan region, near Selitrennoye village. A brick furnace

Oksana harab (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The city center, which had houses made from burnt or raw brick, occupied about 10 km2. The khan’s palace was lined with gilded tiles, while poems in Farsi were written on the walls.

The 2012 reconstruction of Sarai-Batu in the Astrakhan region, near Selitrennoye village

Viktoriya Strizhova (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The heyday of Sarai-Batu lasted a little more than half a century – the khan of the Golden Horde Uzbek (ruled in 1313-1341) moved the capital up the River Akhtuba – to the New Sarai.

The actual remains of Sarai-Batu, Astrakhan region, near Selitrennoye village

Oksana harab (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The old city quickly became derelict. And the "historical" buildings that now stand in the village of Selitrennoye near Astrakhan are just decorations erected in 2012 for the filming of the movie ‘The Horde’. It has become a tourist site and is part of the ‘Sarai-Batu’ historical park.

New Sarai (Sarai-al-Jedid, Sarai-Berke)

A memorial plaque near Tsarev village, Volgograd region, where the New Sarai (sarai-Berke) was once located

DNikon (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The new capital may have been founded by Khan Berke as early as the 1260s, but this is just a hypothesis. The location of the city is also disputed. Now, the prevailing opinion is that it was located near the present village of Tsarev, Volgograd Region.

In 1361, the ‘Great Troubles’ began in the Golden Horde – the struggle for the throne. The city passed from hand to hand and, in 1395, was destroyed by Tamerlane's troops, during his war with Khan Tokhtamysh. Now, there are only potholes in the ground and a lonely commemorative plaque in place of the once majestic city.

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