What Is the Tartarian Empire & Is It Real?

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Conspiracy expert John Paul Gomez explains what this conspiracy theory is & where it comes from

Co-authored by John Paul Gomez and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: December 10, 2025 Fact Checked

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• What is Tartaria?
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• Conspiracy Theory
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• Real History
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• Was the Tartarian Empire real?
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• Why do people believe in conspiracies?
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• How do conspiracies start?
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• Video

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What do the White House, the Erechtheion in Athens, and the Great Wall of China have in common? According to the Tartarian Empire conspiracy theory, they were all built by the same advanced civilization! But is there any truth to these wild claims? Come with us to discover what Tartaria is, what the conspiracy theory claims, and the real history of this region in Eastern Europe and Asia, with insights from conspiracy expert John Paul Gomez.

What is the Tartarian Empire?

Conspiracy expert John Paul Gomez says the Tartarian Empire is a conspiracy theory about a region called Tartaria on old world maps. It was a name Europeans used to refer to land in Eastern Europe and Asia, but some people believe Tartaria was an advanced civilization that constructed buildings all over the globe.

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Section 1 of 6:

What is Tartaria?

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1. 
   Tartaria is a geographic region on Renaissance and Early Modern maps. If you look at a map from the 16th through the 18th centuries, you might notice that parts of it are named "Tartaria" or "Tartary." Gomez explains that “Tartary” was a real geographic term that referred to a broad, loosely defined region in Central and Northern Asia. He says it was used by European mapmakers for centuries.

   • Western Europeans (e.g., England, France, and Germany) referred to those regions by that name because they associated it with people called the Tatars (totters).
   • Today, however, some people believe in a conspiracy theory that Tartaria was actually an advanced civilization, which the current world powers are trying to cover up.
   • Gomez explains that “the name [Tartaria] feels ‘mysterious’ today mainly because the label fell out of use as maps became more accurate.” So, “when people stumble on the word now, it looks like a forgotten civilization instead of an outdated mapping term.”

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   John Paul Gomez is a conspiracy expert and freemason with over 17 years in the world of freemasonry. He is also the Worshipful Master of his Freemason lodge.
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Section 2 of 6:

Tartarian Empire Conspiracy Theory Explained

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1. 
   This theory claims that Tartaria was an advanced, globe-spanning empire. According to Gomez, the conspiracy theory is “a modern pseudohistorical internet myth claiming that a lost, highly advanced ‘Tartarian Empire’ once existed worldwide.” He says believers of the theory “point to ordinary 18th and 19th century architecture, with its large windows, oversized doors, and ornate facades, and reinterpret them as evidence of a forgotten civilization of giants, extraterrestrials, or advanced technology.” From there, he explains, “the theory branches into ‘mud floods,’ hidden history, and global cover-ups” which “becomes a mix of historical revisionism and internet folklore that spreads quickly in online echo chambers.” Here are a few of the specific beliefs associated with this conspiracy theory:

   • Mud flood: Believers claim that most of the Tartarian constructions were destroyed in a giant mud flood engineered by the current world powers (Europe, the United States, China, etc.) to destroy Tartaria and cover up its existence. Then, to erase Tartaria from history completely, any Tartarian architecture that survived was given a false builder.
   • World's Fair buildings: Tartarian Empire conspiracy theorists believe the Tartarians constructed the buildings that were supposedly made for the World's Fairs in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
     • Debunked: The construction of these buildings is well-documented. Furthermore, their designers and builders were real people.
   • Free energy: The Tartarian Empire could supposedly harness wireless free energy from the air using metal spires. These spires appear on many of the buildings conspiracy theorists claim are Tartarian in origin.
     • Debunked: This technology doesn't exist. In fact, it's impossible because it violates the law of conservation of energy in physics.
   • Architecture of similar styles: Many buildings around the world share similar architectural styles, like the Ionic columns on the White House in Washington, D.C., and on the Erechtheion in Athens, Greece. Conspiracy theorists suggest that this is evidence that they were all built by one group of people (the Tartarians).
     • Debunked: Modern architectural movements often echo the styles of the past. For example, the Neoclassical movement of the 1700s was influenced by Roman and Greek art and architecture.

Section 3 of 6:

The Real History of Tartaria

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1. 
   Tartaria was a name Western Europeans gave to regions in Russia and Asia. Some scholars believe that the name "Tartaria" evolved from the word "Tatar," which originally referred to a group of people who may have been conquered by the Mongolian Empire in the 13th century. Later, Western European countries used "Tatars" as an umbrella term for Mongols, Turks, and other people who lived in Eastern Europe and Northern and Central Asia.

   • "Tartaria" or "Tartary" appeared on old European maps from the 16th to the 18th century. By the 19th century, however, the name had disappeared. This is probably because mapmakers gained more knowledge of these regions and the people who inhabited them.
   • Long story short? The word “Tartaria” is an old name for an actual region on the globe, not the name of a secret lost civilization.
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Section 4 of 6:

Was the Tartarian Empire real?

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1. No, there's no evidence that this conspiracy theory is real. Everything that conspiracy theorists believe about the so-called Tartarian Empire can be debunked. Gomez explains that “there was no unified empire, no shared culture, and certainly no advanced global civilization.” He says Tartaria “was simply an old cartographic label that modern conspiracy theorists misinterpret as something far more mysterious.”

   • Also, the presence of Tartaria on old maps and its absence on modern ones isn't a sign of a government cover-up. It's simply that naming conventions, governments, and peoples have changed in the centuries since those old maps were drawn.
   • Explore more conspiracy theories in these fun articles:
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     • Ice Cream Truck at Night: TikTok Conspiracy Theory Unpacked
     • How to Join the Illuminati: Is It Even Possible?

Section 5 of 6:

Why do some people believe in conspiracy theories?

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1. 1
   People may turn to conspiracies to make sense of uncertainty or complexity. Gomez says a conspiracy theory can provide a simple explanation and someone specific to blame when life feels chaotic or unfair. He notes that “many people have a natural inclination to identify a ‘bad guy’ or scapegoat who can be blamed for whatever miseries or injustices they feel in life.” This creates an “us-versus-them mindset built on grudge and mistrust, where the world makes more sense if there’s a hidden enemy responsible for everything that goes wrong.”

   • So, Gomez explains that conspiracy theories can offer emotional resolution, a sense of control, and a clear villain.
   • Gomez adds that “a lot of believers aren’t acting out of malice.” He says, “Many are people who feel unheard, powerless, or betrayed by the institutions that were supposed to guide them.”
   • For example, Gomez says some conspiracy theory believers might have grown up in strict religious environments or around family members who framed the world as a constant spiritual battle. “In those spaces,” he explains, “conspiracy thinking becomes a familiar coping mechanism” that “replaces nuance with certainty.”
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   Believing in conspiracy theories gives some people a form of identity. “When someone discovers a ‘secret truth,’ they feel special, chosen, or more enlightened than the people around them,” notes Gomez. And this can definitely be addictive. “Once you form friendships within those communities,” he explains, “the social reward becomes stronger than any factual correction.”
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   Conspiracy theories can be really exciting. Gomez explains that ordinary explanations often feel pretty boring. But on the other hand, “‘hidden elites,’ ‘forbidden knowledge,’ or ‘ancient secrets’ feels cinematic.” And that emotional appeal often outweighs evidence, Gomez says.
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Section 6 of 6:

How do conspiracy theories start?

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1. Conspiracy theories often start from a misunderstanding that gets amplified. According to Gomez, most conspiracy theories begin with a gap in knowledge. He says, “A small piece of information gets misread or taken out of context, someone spins a story around it, and others add their own interpretations.” If the explanation fits a fear or belief someone already holds, the story becomes “truth” overnight. Then, Gomez says, “All it takes is one charismatic voice to amplify it.” This might be a popular YouTuber or TikToker, or simply a determined commenter on social media.

   • “Once [the conspiracy theory] enters a tight-knit online community, the theory evolves and strengthens, even when the evidence weakens,” explains Gomez. “People start defending the idea not because it’s true, but because it has become part of their identity.”
   • Gomez says, “By the time the story spreads widely, it’s grown far beyond the original misunderstanding” and “it’s no longer about evidence at all.” Instead, “it’s about belonging, emotion, and the satisfaction of feeling like you’ve uncovered something hidden.”
   • Gomez is a Freemason, and shares that he has seen this happen firsthand with Freemasonry. “Someone encounters a symbol they don’t understand, or hears a term like ‘Worshipful Master’ without context.” Instead of asking about it, he says, “They fill the gap with imagination.” When they make an assumption, someone else repeats it with more confidence, and that becomes a full narrative about secret rituals or hidden agendas.
   • Ultimately, Gomez likens a conspiracy theory to a fight that starts from gossip or speculation. “A single detail gets misunderstood, a comment gets exaggerated, and before long, the story has taken on a life of its own.”

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