Tartarian Empire
Imagine a civilization so grand, so technologically advanced, that its very existence was systematically erased from history—leaving behind only whispers and enigmatic architecture. This is the audacious claim of the "Tartarian Empire" conspiracy theory, a modern internet phenomenon with surprisingly deep roots. But what exactly is Tartary, and how did a forgotten historical name become the centerpiece of such a captivating, yet baseless, global myth? Historically, Tartary was a real geographical term used by Europeans to describe a vast region of Central Asia and Siberia, not a unified empire. The "Tartarian Empire" is a pseudohistorical conspiracy theory asserting a technologically advanced global civilization was hidden from humanity. Proponents often cite grand, ornate architecture, a supposed global "mud flood," and claims of unlimited energy as evidence for this lost world.
AI Summary
Imagine a civilization so grand, so technologically advanced, that its very existence was systematically erased from history—leaving behind only whispers and enigmatic architecture. This is the audacious claim of the "Tartarian Empire" conspiracy theory, a modern internet phenomenon with surprisingly deep roots. But what exactly is Tartary, and how did a forgotten historical name become the centerpiece of such a captivating, yet baseless, global myth?
- Historically, Tartary was a real geographical term used by Europeans to describe a vast region of Central Asia and Siberia, not a unified empire.
- The "Tartarian Empire" is a pseudohistorical conspiracy theory asserting a technologically advanced global civilization was hidden from humanity.
- Proponents often cite grand, ornate architecture, a supposed global "mud flood," and claims of unlimited energy as evidence for this lost world.
The Real Tartary: A Historical Name, Not an Empire
Before diving into the conspiracy, let's clarify what Tartary actually was. For centuries, European cartographers and writers used the term 'Tartary' or 'Tartaria' to refer to a massive, ill-defined region of Central Asia and Siberia. It wasn't a single, unified empire in the traditional sense, but a vast expanse largely inhabited by various Turkic and Mongol peoples.
This geographical designation often appeared on maps from the medieval period well into the 18th century. It broadly covered everything from the Caspian Sea to the Pacific Ocean, encompassing parts of modern-day Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and Russia. Think of it less as a kingdom with fixed borders and more as a general descriptor for lands beyond the familiar European sphere.
Birth of a Conspiracy: Russian Roots
The elaborate myth of a hidden "Tartarian Empire" began not in ancient texts, but in relatively recent Russian pseudohistory. Early seeds of the idea emerged in the mid-1970s with Anatoly Fomenko's controversial 'new chronology,' which radically reinterprets global history.
Later, figures like Nikolai Levashov, known for his racial occult theories, popularized the notion of a glorious 'Great Tartaria.' In this Russian nationalist narrative, Tartaria was presented as the 'true' ancient name for Russia—a grand civilization supposedly suppressed and ignored by malicious Western historians.
Despite its fantastical claims, this theory has been firmly debunked by legitimate historical and scientific institutions, including the Russian Geographical Society. Far from denying the term, the Society has proudly showcased numerous historical maps of 'Tartary' from its collection, highlighting its actual historical context.
From Niche Theory to Global Phenomenon
Around 2016, the Tartarian Empire conspiracy theory took on a new life online, shedding its specific Russian nationalist origins. Fueled by image-sharing platforms and alternative history forums, it morphed into a global narrative—a tale of a sophisticated, lost civilization whose existence was systematically erased from public memory.
The 'Evidence': Architecture and Mud Floods
At the heart of the globalized Tartarian conspiracy theory is an alternative interpretation of architectural history. Adherents scour old photographs and existing buildings, claiming that many grand structures around the world are not products of the Gilded Age or earlier eras, but remnants of the advanced Tartarian Empire.
They point to ornate, monumental buildings like the Singer Building, the original New York Penn Station, or even the temporary structures of the 1915 World's Fair, arguing these were too magnificent or complex for their supposed builders. In this view, many iconic global landmarks, from the Great Pyramids to the White House, are repurposed Tartarian constructions.
Advanced Technology and 'Free Energy'
The lost Tartarian Empire is often imagined as a utopia of advanced technology and peaceful living. A frequent claim is that these Tartarians possessed 'unlimited wireless energy,' allowing them to power their vast cities and intricate devices without fossil fuels or conventional infrastructure. This echoes other conspiracy theories about suppressed 'free energy' devices.
The Great 'Mud Flood' and Global Reset
How did such a powerful, advanced civilization vanish without a trace? The most common explanation offered by proponents is the 'mud flood.' This catastrophic event, often depicted as a colossal wave of earth and debris, supposedly buried vast swathes of the world, leading to widespread depopulation and the destruction of Tartarian cities.
Adherents find 'proof' of the mud flood in common architectural oddities: doors, windows, and archways that appear to be partially submerged below modern ground level. They argue these are not simply signs of shifting ground or multiple construction phases, but clear indicators of a global inundation that buried the lower levels of Tartarian buildings.
World War I and II are also woven into the narrative, not as global conflicts, but as a deliberate cover-up and further destruction of Tartarian remnants. Proponents suggest that the extensive bombing campaigns of WWII, which indeed destroyed many historic buildings, were part of a coordinated effort to erase any last vestiges of the lost empire.
Pattern Recognition or Conspiracy Thinking?
Other 'evidence' for the Tartarian Empire includes the global prevalence of similar architectural styles, such as domed capitol buildings or intricately designed 'star forts.' The argument is that these commonalities point to a single, originating civilization rather than cultural diffusion or shared design principles.
Moreover, many photographs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries depict strikingly empty city streets in major capitals. Conspiracy theorists interpret this as proof of a depopulated world after the 'mud flood,' rather than the long exposure times and slower pace of life typical of early photography.
The stark contrast between ornate, towering stone structures and the seemingly primitive horse-and-cart transport, or sparsely dressed inhabitants in some old photos, is also highlighted. This perceived disparity is presented as evidence that these people were not the true builders, but merely inheritors of a grander, forgotten world.
Why Does This Theory Resonate?
Journalist Zach Mortice has characterized the Tartarian Empire theory as 'the QAnon of architecture.' He suggests it reflects a broader cultural discontent with modernism, implying that traditional architectural styles are inherently good, while anything modern is inherently bad or inferior. It taps into a nostalgia for a perceived golden age.
Religious scholar Moritz Maurer links Tartarian imagery to other internet conspiracy theories, such as the 'giant trees' theory, which claims flat-topped buttes are the stumps of primordial 'mother trees.' He attributes the lack of a clear, coherent narrative in these conspiracies to their origins in image-based social media and 'meme culture,' where striking visuals often precede logical explanations.
Ultimately, the Tartarian Empire conspiracy theory preys on our natural human curiosity about lost civilizations and unexplained phenomena. By cleverly reinterpreting existing historical artifacts and photographs, it offers a compelling, albeit entirely fabricated, alternative reality that challenges established narratives and provides a sense of hidden knowledge to its believers.
Article
Tartarian Empire
A 1700 map of Asia dividing "Great Tartary" into "Muscovite Tartary", "Chinese Tartary", and "Independent Tartary"
The Tartarian Empire or Great Tartaria is a group of pseudohistorical conspiracy theories, including ideas of a "hidden past" and "mud floods", which originated as pseudoscientific Russian nationalism.
Tartary, or Tartaria, is a historical name for Central Asia and Siberia. Conspiracy theories assert that Tartary, or the Tartarian Empire, was a lost civilization with advanced technology and culture. This ignores well-documented accounts of Tartary within the history of Asia. In modern conceptions of the conspiracy theories, Tartary has been claimed to cover a region spanning central Afghanistan to northern Kazakhstan as well as areas in Mongolia, China, and the Russian Far East.
Background
Tartarian Empire
The theory of Great Tartaria as a suppressed lost land or civilization originated in Russia, with aspects first appearing in Anatoly Fomenko's new chronology in the mid-1970s and early 1980s, and was then popularized by the racial occult history of Nikolai Levashov. In Russian pseudoscience, known for its nationalism, Tartaria is presented as the "real" name for Russia, which was maliciously "ignored" in the West. The Russian Geographical Society has debunked the conspiracy theory as an extremist fantasy, and far from denying the existence of the term, has used the opportunity to share numerous maps of "Tartary" in its collection. Since about 2016, conspiracy theories about the supposed lost empire of "Tartaria" have gained popularity on the internet, divorced from its original Russian nationalist frame.
Conspiracy theory
Tartarian Empire
The Palace of Horticulture built for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915
The globalized version of the conspiracy theory is based on an alternative view of architectural history. Adherents propose that demolished buildings such as the Singer Building, the original New York Penn Station, and the temporary grounds of the 1915 World's Fair in San Francisco were actually the buildings of a vast empire based in Tartary that has been suppressed from history. Sumptuously styled Gilded Age buildings are often held out as really having been built by the supposed Tartaria. Other buildings, such as the Great Pyramids and the White House, are further held out as Tartarian constructions. The conspiracy theory only vaguely describes how such a supposedly advanced civilization, which had reputedly achieved world peace, could have fallen and been hidden. Proponents of the theory also frequently claim that Tartarians have developed unlimited wireless energy.
The destruction of the Tartarian Empire is typically attributed to a colossal "mud flood".
In the conspiracy theory, the idea that a "mud flood" wiped out much of the world via depopulation and thus old buildings is common, supported by the fact that many buildings across the world have architectural elements like doors, windows, and archways submerged many feet below "ground level". Both World War I and II are cited as a way in which Tartaria was destroyed and hidden, reflecting the reality that the extensive bombing campaigns of World War II did destroy many historic buildings. The general evidence for the theory is that there are similar styles of building around the world, such as capitol buildings with domes, or star forts. Also, many photographs from the turn of the 20th century appear to show deserted city streets in many capital cities across the world. When people do start to appear in the photographs, there is a striking contrast between horse-and-cart users in the muddy streets and the elaborate, highly ornate stone mega-structures that tower above the inhabitants of the cities, which is seen even in modern cities where extreme poverty is contrasted with skyscrapers.
Zach Mortice, writing for Bloomberg, believes that the theory reflects a cultural discontent with modernism and a supposition that traditional styles are inherently good and modern styles are bad. He describes the theory as "the QAnon of architecture". Moritz Maurer, a religious scholar, links Tartarian imagery to the "giant trees" theory, in which colossal, flat buttes are envisioned as the stumps of primordial "mother trees" cut down at some point in the past by unknown nefarious agents. Maurer attributes the lack of a clear narrative for both conspiracies to the image-based social media on which they are presented, describing it as "meme culture" and also comparing it to QAnon.