The grave of one of the world’s most important people must be an extremely well-documented geographical landmark. Sometimes we locate the tomb, but we do not open it for fear of what might be inside (such as the tomb of China’s first emperor). But at other times we don’t know where someone like Plato or Genghis Khan is buried.

In the case of Plato, we have new clues thanks to technology that has allowed us to decipher burnt papyri found in Pompeii. There are clues about Genghis Khan’s tomb, but it remains one of the obsessions of current archaeology.

legend in life. Born in the mid-12th century, Temuyin spent his youth campaigning to unite the different Mongol tribes. After numerous conflicts against Asian tribes, ‘Kan’ declared himself king of Mongolia in 1204, but the Yamuja coalition did not recognize him and a major war ensued. However, his great enemy died two years later and he became the absolute king of Mongolia without any political or military rivals.

It will come as no surprise to anyone to say that Genghis Khan was a great conqueror, as he has inspired fictional characters, video games and movies, works based on his life, and legends such as those that killed so many people that the temperature of the earth dropped. The most conservative estimates put 4 million people dead on his orders, but the most fanciful estimates put the figure at 60 million.

During his reign, his people made social progress; Improvements were made in trade between Asia, Christian Europe and Muslim Asia. During her reign, all Mongolian slaves were freed (they were replaced by Chinese and Persian slaves) and laws were passed giving women more rights (even if they were men, they could inherit, go into the army, and be kidnapped). in marriage) like medical schools.

mystery in death. He built an empire the size of Africa in 25 years, and his entire life is extremely well documented. However, his death is a mystery. It begins because it is not known for certain how he died. There are documents stating that he died in a war against the Xia dynasty, and it is unknown whether he died from injuries, a hunting accident in which he fell from his horse, or disease.

There are also legends that claim that he kidnapped a princess of Xia as a spoil of war and that he was the one who killed her. And more recent research points to one death from bubonic plague. This may be the most likely story, as the symptoms of both Han and his troops have been analyzed and match an epidemic occurring in Western Xia at the time.

Yes, there is a tomb, a mausoleum in Ordos, but the king’s remains are not found here:

Tomb of Genghis Khan

Legends. Genghis Khan wanted to be buried without leaving a trace, and this is where the legends and myths around his final resting place began. There are legends that his men took the body to Mongolia, possibly to his birthplace near the Onon River, but there is no specific spot on the map that we can recognize as Genghis Khan’s tomb. According to legend, funeral escorts killed anyone who got in their way, so their whereabouts were never known.

It is also said that the 2,000 slaves who built the tomb were massacred so that they could not speak, the direction of the river was changed so that no one could find the tomb, dozens of horses trampled the place, and then trees were planted. There is another story that tells that a baby camel was buried next to the Khan and days later the camel’s mother was found crying at the grave. Additionally, Khan requested that his purrs be buried next to six living cats to assist him in his passage to the afterlife. I doubt cats will start purring in this situation.

Searching. This is very interesting because we know that he died in 1227 but there is nothing about his location even though we have been searching for this place for decades. There have been recent attempts to locate the site using drones, and in 2020 Chinese archaeologists claimed to have found the exact spot somewhere in Qinghe County. There are other researchers who argue that we should not rush to make such statements and that we will have to wait for the investigations to be completed. In fact, there are many countries that claim (without providing any evidence, of course) that the Mongol king was buried on their territory.

Here it is. It had to happen, but it can’t.

Big Taboo. We may not know its exact location, but we know its area: an area of ​​240 square kilometers in Burhan Haldun. It is an area that is difficult to reach due to natural reasons, but is also prohibited under penalty of death. So it’s strange that there are people who claim to have found it, since only Han’s family can enter.

And the truth is… it makes sense. Mongols remember Genghis Khan for the unified lands he created, social advances, and improvement in trade routes connecting east and west. And the aim is not to disturb the resting place of someone much loved in the country. It is unlikely that the government will allow any excavation or testing to find Genghis Khan’s tomb as it would disturb the national hero’s resting place.

The world will end. To make things even more complicated, we need to enter the plane of beliefs. In 1941, Soviet archaeologists found the tomb of the Turco-Mongol king Tamerlane. Immediately after, Nazi soldiers, World War II. began the Eastern Front offensive in World War II; This is something some describe as cause and effect. In fact, two years later Tamerlane’s body was reburied with appropriate Muslim rites, and the next day German Field Marshal Von Paulus surrendered in Stalingrad.

For this reason, superstitions are added to the death penalty and the great taboo in Mongolian society. Of course, archaeologists will have more respect for the order of the Mongolian government than something out of an Indiana Jones movie, because finding Genghis Khan’s actual tomb could trigger an apocalyptic event.

Pictures | UNESCO, Ganzorig Gavaa, Prince Roy, Fanghong, Astrokey44

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