Ordos, a city in the desert, mixes tradition and luxury

The rituals and ceremony of the Wedding of Ordos is an attraction to many travelers. [Photos Provided To China Daily]

If you want to experience both China's ancient nomadic traditions and the modernization that has followed by the country's rapid economic development, Ordos is the city that you should not miss.

Ordos, whose name literally means "numerous palaces", is a megacity known in China for its wealth and historical sites. It is also known as a "ghost city" because there are many vacant skyscrapers and dark residential communities with few lights on at night because of the real estate bubble and the once prosperous coal economy.

The city, which is located in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has spent more than 20 years in controlling sand and managed to create an oasis out of the desert. It has also preserved well the Mongol nomadic culture and the mausoleum of Genghis Khan, the 13th-century conqueror.

The Mausoleum, which was established in 1956, lies 185 kilometers from Baotou, the capital of the autonomous region. This holiest place for the Mongolian people covers an area of 55,000 square meters and is one of the historical sites under strict state protection.

The mausoleum consists mainly of four magnificent palaces in the shape of Mongolian yurts that are linked by corridors. A huge sculpture of Genghis Khan dwells in the 26-meter-high Main Palace, where multiple ceremonial rituals to worship the conqueror are held every year. The rituals are protected as a state intangible cultural heritage.