The Rise of Urban Centers in the Golden Horde and the City of Ükek

Abstract

This essay examines the emergence of urban centers in the Golden Horde through the lens of European travelers (Marco Polo, William of Rubruck) and Arabic geographers (Abū l‑Fidā, Ibn Baṭṭūṭa), emphasizing the shift from nomadic to sedentary economies. The city of Ükek, located midway between Saray and Bulgar and at the edge of nomadic migration routes, emerged as a grain‑production center perhaps aided by climatic shifts. The essay also offers a reinterpretation of the name Ükek, arguing it describes the geological “box‑like hollow” formation rather than fortifications.