13/10/2026
What did the Mongols ever do for us?
The Mongols might be best known for conquest, but they also helped ideas, technologies and cultures travel across enormous distances.
Mongol rulers patronised medicine, astronomy and engineering, establishing institutions where knowledge from different parts of the empire could meet. Scientific works developed under Mongol rule included Mansur ibn Ilyas' pioneering colour atlas of human anatomy.
For much of the empire's history, different faiths were allowed to coexist. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism and traditional Mongol beliefs were practised across the empire, helping people of different cultures work together in politics, trade, science and the arts.
The Yam network of relay stations allowed messages, people and goods to travel vast distances. Messengers carrying a paiza or gerege could access food, rest and fresh horses along the way.
These connections helped goods, people and ideas move between east and west, from scientific knowledge to technologies such as gunpowder.
Of course, greater connectivity came with risk too: long-distance trade networks also played a role in the spread of diseases such as plague across continents.
So, what did the Mongols ever do for us? Quite a lot, actually.
Discover how the Mongols changed the world in Genghis Khan: How the Mongols Changed the World.
📍 Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, 4th Floor
