genghis khan

genghis khan

The tomb of the emperor who united the tribes of Mongolia and led them to create the largest empire in the world was shrouded in secrecy the moment he died on 18 August 1227.

Legend states that when Genghis Khan’s mortal remains was brought back to Mongolia, the slaves who built his tomb were massacred by soldiers to protect the site.  To ensure the complete secrecy of this site, these same soldiers were later killed as well.

What we know of Genghis Khan’s death is not much more than the location of his final resting place.  The circumstances surrounding his death have ranged from injuries suffered from falling off a horse, to pneumonia and injuries suffered during intercourse with a Tangut princess who placed pliers in her vagina when she was taken as war booty.

Genghis Khan asked to be buried following Mongol customs, that is, without markings.  Monguls during that era would either leave the body in the open field to be devoured by animals, or tied to the back of a horse and sent into the vast plains of Mongolia.  But the talk of a secret tomb has persisted and the possibilities of what spoils may be enclosed in the tomb have led many treasure hunters and historians to seek it out.  Now that the Soviet Union has fallen and China is slowly opening its door to the western world, Mongolia is much more accessible to researchers than ever before.

There are a few places that seem the likely locations of this secret tomb.  One is Kherem (Wall Site),  which is 200 miles from the capital and near his birth place.  The other is near the Onon and Kerulen rivers and the Burkhan Khaldun mountain, which was one of his favorite places to be.  Unfortunately, many places in Mongolia carry the title of Burkhan and finding the original one in question has proved most difficult.

Finding this secret tomb will not only shed light on one of the most powerful leaders known to history, but may also lead to the discovery of various other important tombs.  Emperors of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), which include Kublai Khan, requested to be buried at this same secret location.