The Gobi Wall is a system of walls and fortifications that stretches over 321 kilometers across the deserts between China and Mongolia, whose origins, function, and historical context had remained unknown to scholars of medieval Inner Asian civilizations.

Now a study led by Professor Gideon Shelach-Lavi and researcher Dan Golan from the Department of Asian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with experts from Mongolia and the United States, has managed to unravel part of the mystery surrounding this colossal structure.

After years of fieldwork combining remote sensing technology, on-foot exploration, and strategic excavations, the researchers have determined that its construction mainly dates back to the Xi Xia dynasty period (1038–1227 CE), a kingdom ruled by the Tangut tribe in what is now western China and southern Mongolia.

Gobi wall china mongolia desert
Another view of a section of the Gobi Wall. Credit: Tal Rogovski

In a time of profound geopolitical transformation, when protecting the borders of expanding empires was essential, the wall emerged as a defensive shield and multifaceted tool of territorial control.

More Than a Barrier: The Strategic Role of the Wall

For a long time, it was assumed that structures like the Gobi Wall had been erected solely to stop invasions. However, the study shows that its function was far more complex. It wasn’t simply a line dividing territories, explains Professor Shelach-Lavi. It was a dynamic mechanism, designed to manage the movement of people, regulate trade, and, above all, reinforce state authority in an extremely hostile environment.

Archaeologists discovered that the wall’s route was not chosen at random; rather, its layout responded to the availability of critical resources such as water and wood—essential for sustaining the garrisons that patrolled the area. In addition, forts and checkpoints were placed at strategic points such as mountain passes, dunes, and other geographic features that maximized their effectiveness as surveillance outposts.

The very construction of the wall reflects a clever adaptation to the environment, as it was built with rammed earth and reinforced with stone and wood. The structure was erected using local materials, which allowed for its construction in an arid and remote territory where resource supply was limited.

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One of the fortresses in the wall. Credit: Tal Rogovski

A Prolonged Occupation: From the 2nd Century BCE to the 19th Century CE

Although the main phase of construction corresponds to the Xi Xia period, excavations have revealed that the region was intermittently occupied for nearly two millennia. From the 2nd century BCE, during the height of the trade routes that preceded the Silk Road, to the 19th century, already in the modern era, the area around the wall retained its strategic importance.

Archaeologists found overlapping layers of ceramic artifacts, tools, and structural remains, which attest to the continuous presence of human groups for military, commercial, or surveillance purposes. Each period left its mark, notes Professor Chunag Amartuvshin of the National University of Mongolia and co-author of the study. This tells us about a region that, despite its isolation, was never marginal on the political map of Asia.

The study offers a new perspective on how premodern states exercised their power in extreme environments where frontier infrastructures like this one functioned as living systems, capable of adapting to the changing needs of the empires that built them.

This study challenges the traditional view that walls were simply passive barriers, says Professor William Honeychurch of Yale University and a participant in the project. In reality, they were active tools of territorial management, vital to the survival of regimes that depended on controlling peripheral regions.

SOURCES

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Golan D, Shelach-Lavi G, et al., Exploring the Gobi Wall: Archaeology of a Large-Scale Medieval Frontier System in the Mongolian Desert. Land. 2025; 14(5):1087. doi.org/10.3390/land14051087

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