黑水城 (Hēishuǐchéng), known in Mongolian as Khara-Khoto, was a thriving city of the
西夏 (Xīxià, Western Xia) Tangut empire on the Silk Road. Russian explorer Pyotr Kozlov excavated it in 1908-1909 and removed thousands of Tangut and Chinese manuscripts — the find single-handedly opened modern Tangut studies. The city was likely abandoned in the 14th century, possibly after the Ming army diverted its water supply.
