Overview

In this true story of adventure, Robin Ackroyd travels on horseback among nomads in northern Mongolia. Drawing on extensive research, the author provides the first comprehensive modern analysis of the whereabouts of Genghis Khan's tomb. It is one of the world's greatest mysteries - a puzzle that has lasted since August 1227. The author investigates how and where Genghis Khan died, and where he was taken for burial. He explains how Genghis Khan was buried in what would become an imperial necropolis, with other important family members interred there. Robin explains some of the reasons why the grave site has remained secret for so long. Death, and talk of death, has long been taboo in Mongolian culture. The author examines historical and modern taboos, some described in medieval texts, and the influence of shamanism. The author travels extensively by horse, in an unsupported expedition. He explores sites associated with Temujin - the young Genghis Khan, or Chinggis Khan - and described in the 'Secret History of the Mongols', an important Mongolian text from the 1200s. He finds a way of life that has changed little since the world conqueror's time 800 years earlier. Robin travels to sites said to be the last resting place of Genghis Khan, and evaluates the evidence for those claims. Using the 'Secret History', Mongolian chronicles from the 17th Century, and other historical sources, he builds a convincing picture of where Genghis Khan was actually buried. He also looks outside the Mongolian heartlands, in the mind's eye, to Iran and the Persian Ilkhanate, and to Central Asia. The burials of the Mongols who ruled there give us important clues as to how Genghis and his family - including Khubilai Khan, the Yuan dynasty ruler of China - were buried. Robin lives among nomadic herders during his remarkable trek through Genghis Khan's homeland of modern-day Tov and Khentii provinces. He finds important archaeology from Turkic times. He rides through one of the world's last great wildernesses, to the sacred mountain Burkhan Khaldun. Then, as he travels by horse towards Genghis Khan's birthplace near Russia's Siberian border, he is joined on his trek by a loyal dog, Spirit. Genghis: Sacred Tomb, Secret Treasure contains more than 40 black and white photographs, as well as translations and explanations of over 30 Mongolian proverbs and sayings. The book will appeal to the general reader. More detail, historical context, and translations, are provided in extensive explanatory endnotes.

Full Product Details

9780993393617

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Robin Ackroyd is a professional writer with a particular interest in Central Asia and Mongolia. He is a member of the Society of Authors, and the National Union of Journalists, in the UK.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available