Genghis Khan not only created the largest Mongolian empire in history, but also left countless mysteries for future generations. Especially the place where Genghis Khan was buried is a mystery. For hundreds of years, people have searched everywhere and found nothing. Recently, there was an explosive news in the domestic media: the joint archaeological team of Japan and Mongolia announced that Genghis Khan's cemetery had been discovered near Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. After the news was released, relevant experts and scholars expressed doubts about the reliability of the news.
Four Views on the Death of Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan, formerly known as Temujin, was born in a noble family of Mongolian beggar Jin in A.D. 1 162. After years of fighting, Temujin unified the ministries of Mobei grassland. 1206 Great Mongolia was established to commemorate Genghis Khan, which means "a great leader like the sea" in Mongolian. 1227, Genghis Khan died in the army when he conquered Xixia at the age of 66. Nowadays, many admirers in the West call him "the emperor of all mankind".
There are many stories about the death of Genghis Khan. According to the Secret History of Mongolia, Genghis Khan had problems in his physical condition one year before he went to Xixia. When I was hunting, I fell off my horse and got hurt. I also had a high fever. At that time, the plan to attack Xixia was fixed, because Genghis Khan was unwell and considered withdrawing troops. However, during the negotiation of the envoys, Asha, the general of Xixia, dared not speak insolently, which made Genghis Khan furious: "He spoke so loudly, how can we reply?" Ask him even if he is dead. Who knows forever! "So I called in sick. In the end, although Xixia was destroyed, Genghis Khan died in the military camp. Some scholars believe that Genghis Khan was seriously ill and died.
In addition,1Pranno Gabini, the Vatican's envoy to Mongolia in the 1940s, said in his handed down works that Genghis Khan was killed by lightning. The famous Italian traveler Kyle Poirot left a record that Genghis Khan was shot to death by an arrow during the siege. The most bizarre statement can be found in the book Origin of Mongolia written by the Qing Dynasty. It is recorded in the book that Genghis Khan captured the beautiful Xixia princess Goulpeau Lejingo Wohatun, stabbed Genghis Khan to death while he was sleeping, and then jumped into the Yellow River. Genghis Khan also died of his injuries. At present, historians and archaeologists tend to record the cause of death of Genghis Khan in the Secret History of Mongolia.
Four viewpoints on the location of mausoleum
Over the years, there have been four opinions on the specific location of Genghis Khan's cemetery: First, it is located in the south of Mount Kent in Mongolia and north of the Krulun River; Second, it is located in Otog Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia; The third is located in Altay Mountain in northern Xinjiang; The fourth is Liupan Mountain in Ningxia. For more than 700 years, the main reason why Genghis Khan's mausoleum has not been discovered is that the royal family in the Yuan Dynasty implemented the secret burial system, that is, the burial place of the emperor's mausoleum was not marked, announced or recorded.
Based on Mount Kent in Mongolia, according to relevant historical records, Genghis Khan sat under an elm tree in Mount Kent for a long time before his death, and then suddenly stood up and said to his followers, "I will be buried here after my death." It is also recorded in the notes of scholars in the Southern Song Dynasty that after Genghis Khan died in Ningxia, his body was transported to a place under the Kent Mountain in Mobei and buried in a deep pit on the surface. His body was kept in a wooden coffin. The so-called wooden coffin is to cut a section of a big tree and hollow it out to make a coffin. After the wooden coffin is buried, backfill the grave soil, and then "Wan Ma Pingchuan".
The basis in the territory of Otog Banner in Ordos City will be introduced in detail later.
Near Sandaohai, Qinghe County, where Altay Mountains are located in northern Xinjiang, an archaeologist found an artificially reconstructed mountain peak in this area, and it is speculated that it may be the tomb of Genghis Khan. One of the evidences is that Kyle Polo wrote in his Travels of Marco Polo: "On the way to transport the monarch's coffin to Altay Mountain, the escort will regard everyone he meets as a martyr."
The basis of Liupan Mountain in Ningxia is that Genghis Khan died near Liupan Mountain in the midsummer of 1227 when he attacked Xixia. According to this, some archaeologists believe that according to the Mongolian custom in the past, people should be disposed of within three days after death, or buried in the sky, or buried in the soil, or cremated, so as to avoid the decay of the body and prevent the soul from going to heaven. So Genghis Khan is likely to be buried on the spot after his death.
American Archaeological Failure Maicheng
A Mongolian expert predicted that Genghis Khan's mausoleum may contain a large number of rare treasures, and the handicrafts in it are even more spectacular than the toilets unearthed from Qin Shihuang's mausoleum. This is not an alarmist. The mausoleum of Genghis Khan may contain priceless treasures from more than 20 kingdoms, which is why the archaeological community has been looking for them for many years.
According to many media reports at home and abroad, in August 2000, Murray Kravitz, an American explorer and billionaire, led his special archaeological expedition composed of scientists, archaeology professors and translators, and went to Ulaanbaatar with confidence to look for the mausoleum of Genghis Khan. Kravitz's plan was initially resisted by the Mongolian government. Later, he spent almost all his savings and lived in Mongolia for six years before persuading the Mongolian government and attracting two famous local history professors to join the expedition.
On 2001August 16, the archaeological team of kravitz discovered a cemetery surrounded by walls in the forest more than 300 kilometers northeast of Ulaanbaatar, including dozens of unopened graves. The expedition declared that it had "discovered the tomb of Genghis Khan", but it was later proved to be the tomb of Xiongnu.
In April, 2002, this archaeological team found a cemetery surrounded by city walls in Bashi Park Jung Su Town, Kent Province, 322km northeast of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, which contained at least 30 unopened graves. This ancient tomb is called "most likely the tomb of Genghis Khan". However, four months later, the archaeological team suddenly gave up the excavation and withdrew from Mongolia. It is said that during the investigation, some staff members of the American archaeological team were bitten by many poisonous snakes that suddenly gushed from the tomb wall. Their vehicles parked on the hillside slipped down the hillside for no reason, and the archaeological team decided to give up the excavation.
So there are rumors that Genghis Khan appeared. However, the fact is that the archaeological team is said to have been stopped by the Mongolian government and people. Because according to the traditional concept of Mongolia, digging the ground will bring bad luck, and touching the grave of an ancestor will destroy his soul. Therefore, when the Mongolian people learned the news, they strongly opposed the excavation, and the Mongolian government also ordered the archaeological team to stop the excavation and withdraw from that area. Therefore, kravitz, the main investor, had to suspend the inspection activities.
The Japanese-Mongolian joint archaeological team is amazing. On June 6th, 2004, 10, The Times reported suddenly that a joint Japanese and Mongolian archaeological team had recently announced that they had found the "key" that might solve the mystery of Genghis Khan's mausoleum-Genghis Khan's mausoleum. If Miao Ling's identity is confirmed, the Genghis Khan Mausoleum will be locked within the range of Fiona Fang12km in Miao Ling.
According to the report, on June 4th, 10, a Japanese-Mongolian joint archaeological team discovered a site of a spiritual temple built on a quadrilateral pedestal from 13 to 15 centuries near Gadaergenhan village in Abla, about 150 miles from Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Below the Miao Ling Temple is a stone platform that is almost in ruins. There are many potholes hidden under the stone platform, and there are many ashes and bones of war horses buried inside. Judging from the number of war horse remains, the owner of this mausoleum obviously has an unusual position. On the 25-square-meter foundation altar, caves with pillars and cornerstones, which are the remains of Miao Ling Temple, were also found. Because no tiles and bricks were found, it is speculated that the soil surface should be used to build tents.
Archaeologists believe that this stone platform should be the original foundation of the mausoleum. In Miao Ling Temple, a "convex" stone wall about 40 cm high was also found, with traces of fire on it. Pits where ashes and horse bones were buried were found around the altar, which was considered as evidence of "cooking" ceremonies, such as burning horses to offer sacrifices to Genghis Khan, which was consistent with the records in China history books. In addition, in the south of Miao Ling, an incense burner engraved with a dragon as the symbol of the emperor was unearthed, which is consistent with the records in the Persian history books of14th century.
Professor Shiraishi Desuke of Niigata University, Japan, one of the leaders of the archaeological excavation team, said that within 7 miles of this tomb, there are tombs of Mongolian leaders of past dynasties. There are indications that this should be the legendary Genghis Khan Mausoleum.
Two experts questioned
Pan Zhaodong, a researcher at the Inner Mongolia Academy of Social Sciences, and Zhu, a screenwriter of the TV series Genghis Khan, both questioned the amazing discovery of the Japanese-Mongolian joint archaeological team in Mongolia.
Pan Zhaodong believes that the discovery of Genghis Khan's tomb must meet several conditions. First, there must be a coffin; Secondly, there must be physical evidence, like Genghis Khan used before his death; Third, there must be accurate written records, such as stone carvings and stone tablets. Otherwise, it can't be proved that it is the tomb of Genghis Khan.
Pan Zhaodong said that the vicinity of the Alzhai Grottoes discovered in Otog Banner of Ordos Plateau may be the real cemetery of Genghis Khan. It is less than 200 kilometers away from Genghis Khan Mausoleum in Erdos City, and its landform and place name are very consistent with the description of Genghis Khan's burial place in historical materials such as Secret History of Mongolia, Collection of Mongolian Historical Books and Historical Records. There is a mural in Cave 28 of Aerzhai Mountain, which is closely related to the burial of Genghis Khan. Pan Zhaodong thinks that this mural should be a picture of Genghis Khan's burial. It used to be the rear area of Genghis Khan, with heavy troops stationed, and it can be reached within three days from Liupanshan.
Zhu believes that according to the findings of the Japanese-Mongolian joint archaeological team, it is not enough to show that this is the tomb of Genghis Khan. According to historical records, the wooden coffin at that time was cut open in the middle of oak, and then put on three or four gold hoops to prevent the wood from rotting and disintegrating. If you find Genghis Khan's graveyard, you must find these three gold hoops. Because gold will never rot. There should be a lot of funerary objects. According to records, besides weapons and bows and arrows, Genghis Khan's funerary objects should also include war horses and maids. As for gold and silver treasures, many people have different opinions, but at least there should be something buried with him.
Ordos came up with the theory of tuning.
As we all know, there is a magnificent mausoleum of Genghis Khan in Yijinhuoluo Banner, Erdos City, Inner Mongolia. In the Mongolian yellow silk tent in the back hall of the mausoleum, there are real coffins dedicated to Genghis Khan and his wife Boer Wu Tie. In the yellow silk account on both sides of it, there are the coffins of Genghis Khan's wife Hulun and his third wife Xu Yi, and the coffins of Genghis Khan's two younger brothers Belijitai and Hasal. In the East Hall are the coffins of Genghis Khan's fourth son, Torre, and his wife. The West Hall is dedicated to nine Sulidins symbolizing the nine generals of Genghis Khan, and also displays the combat knives and whips used by Genghis Khan during his campaign. Every year on March 1 day, May 15, September 12 and 10/3 of the lunar calendar, the descendants of Genghis Khan, the Darhuth Mongols, will hold grand commemorative activities here. The scene is grand and spectacular. However, for this mausoleum of Genghis Khan, many experts and scholars always think that it is just Genghis Khan's dressing table.
On September 17, 2004, at the "Ordos Academic Seminar" held in Dongsheng District, Ordos City, experts and scholars from inside and outside the area and Daur Mongolians who have been guarding the mausoleum for generations pointed out that although the burial place of Genghis Khan has not been accurately confirmed by underground archaeology, the "Eight White Rooms" of Genghis Khan (also known as "Eight White Rooms"), as a national will and national public sacrifice, is located in Yijinhuoluo Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. As the only hereditary grave keeper in the world whose duty is to protect Genghis Khan's tomb, the Daur nationality has been practicing the most complete, authoritative and Mongolian sacrificial system.
Experts attending the meeting believed that during Kublai Khan's rule in Yuan Shizu, Ordos was classified as a province directly under the central government, and the place name of Yijinhuoluo, which was allowed to be translated into Chinese, was not set on Mount Kent, but the place where eight white houses were placed in Ordos was definitely not arbitrary, nor was it allowed to be arbitrary. In addition, Chagan Surik Festival, the largest of Kublai Khan's four legal festivals, was held in Genghis Khan Mausoleum in Ejinhoro Banner. For more than 700 years, Mongolians have been adhering to this traditional commemorative activity.
At this seminar, experts also showed the witness record of the person who put the silver box in Genghis Khan's "celestial burial": "The coffin of Genghis Khan and the coffin of the Great Khan Queen are both equipped with rectangular silver coffins, which are locked with copper locks." "1956 after the completion of the new Genghis Khan cemetery, Khan's silver coffin was opened once ... all seven coffins were opened, and the seventh coffin contained a portrait of Genghis Khan's family wrapped in a fragrant cowhide pillow. What is in the leather pillow is still a mystery because it has not been opened. "
According to the local person in charge in Dahut, "it has been said for many years (in the leather pillow) that Khan's clothes are wrapped in a bone of Khan."
Yun Zhaoguang, the former chairman of Inner Mongolia Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the screenwriter of "Ordos Storm" and a famous scholar of modern Mongolian history, said that Genghis Khan died in midsummer, so to protect his body, it will not take three months or half a year for long-distance transportation, and it will only be buried in Ordos, which is close to Liupanshan and the Yellow River.
It is now in the Center for Asian Studies in the United States, and it is written in 1939. It omits the little-known content in the postscript of the Yuan Dynasty general Dou, which actually proves Mr. Yun's point of view. The incomplete paper book stored in the iron cabinet was translated into Chinese, saying, "Khan went out to fight and died suddenly, and proposed celestial burial because of Khan." "Prime minister with sweat sword, Dong Mu seven treasure chest (i.e., silver coffin), make god camel to be buried. 47 days in the desert ... and in the days in the flat desert depression, the camel can't stand up and the subjects don't move. The ministers prayed silently, the sword flew away, and the clothes shone brilliantly. The subjects rejoiced in the Lord and were buried in the lowland plateau (that is, Ejinhoro). They set up guards ... They went out to look for swords, found them on the grass hundreds of miles away, and enjoyed the sacrifice at four o'clock as a treasure house (now Su Le Dinghuo). "
The custom of dense burial of Mongolian nobles
Legend has it that when Genghis Khan was buried, in order to keep secret, more than 10 thousand war horses were planted in the burial place, and an independent tree was used as the tombstone. In order to find the cemetery in the future, Genghis Khan killed his baby camel in front of a female camel and spilled blood on the cemetery. By the time the green grass sprouted the next spring, the cemetery was no different from other places. In this case, when the descendants sacrificed to Genghis Khan, they took the female camel with them. When the mother camel comes to the cemetery, she will cry because she thinks of the killed baby camel. The sacrificial ceremony was held in the mother camel's funeral home. However, when the camel died, no one could find Genghis Khan's tomb.
According to the Secret History of Mongolia, after the Mongolian royal family was buried, hundreds of war horses were used to flatten the tomb surface, then flowers and trees were planted on it, and then people were sent to guard the tomb for a long time until there was no trace on the surface, and the insiders would be killed. This shows that this legend is obviously not groundless. Pan Zhaodong pointed out that there is a long distance from Liupanshan to the location where the Japanese-Mongolian joint archaeological team found the cemetery. In midsummer, it is necessary to travel thousands of miles to ensure that the body does not rot, and at the same time, it is necessary to climb mountains and cross deserts. These problems are difficult to solve in three days.
Pan Zhaodong said that according to records, when Genghis Khan died, he took the top mane of the white camel and put it on Genghis Khan's nose and mouth. If he stops breathing, it means that his soul has attached to this white camel hair. At this time, the body can be disposed of, and this camel hair is placed in the cloakroom. According to Pan Zhaodong, when Chengling was completed in the 1950s, the silver coffin was opened and this camel hair was found.
Digging graves is against tradition.
Zhu said that according to Mongolian tradition, Genghis Khan was buried in secret. He didn't want future generations to find out that ancestors should be respected for future generations, and Mongolian descendants didn't want Genghis Khan's tomb to be excavated. Pan Zhaodong was even more surprised: "We may not find a definite burial place in the future. Maybe Genghis Khan left nothing behind. Our thinking has always been wrong. " At that time, the Mongols had no tradition of body worship, and thought that the human body came from nature and should return to nature after death. Early burial can lift the soul to heaven. Therefore, in the silver coffin shaft dedicated to Genghis Khan's mausoleum, what is preserved is the soul adsorption of Genghis Khan when he died-the top mane of the white camel, not the remains of Genghis Khan.
"Maybe our latecomers have always had problems thinking and always want to dig something, but in fact there is nothing." Pan Zhaodong disapproves of mass grave robbery. According to Mongolian tradition, disturbing the soul of the dead is disrespectful to the dead. The body has no value, the key is the immortality of the soul. Large-scale archaeology violates the culture of grassland sacrifice and has always been opposed. It has been proved that nothing has been done.
Not long ago, Mongolian President bagabandy said in an interview with CCTV reporter Shui Junyi: "According to a will handed down by Genghis Khan, that is, a passage he said when he died, he said that his mausoleum should never be known to the world. Therefore, we obey the will of Genghis Khan ... The question of which direction and what state Genghis Khan mausoleum is in should be as you asked, so that it will always be a riddle-like question, so that those who are willing to guess the bottom of the riddle can continue to guess this riddle! "
Excerpt from: Northern News, June 65438+1October 65438+May 2004.
Genghis Khan Mausoleum is a national key cultural relic protection unit. It is small in scale, covering an area of about 5.5 hectares, but it is quite distinctive and is a major tourist attraction in Inner Mongolia.
Genghis Khan Mausoleum is located in Gandeli Grassland, Ejinhoro Banner, Erdos City, Inner Mongolia, 70 kilometers away from Dongsheng District. Mongols are popular with "dense burial", so where the real Genghis Khan mausoleum is has always been a mystery. Today's Genghis Khan Mausoleum is a monument. After many migrations, it was not until 1954 that Ta 'er Temple in Huangzhong County, which is 0/85km away from Baotou City, moved back to its hometown in Yijinhuoluo Banner. Here, there are dense grasslands and magnificent scenery unique to grasslands. Genghis Khan is an outstanding militarist and politician in Mongolia. After the unification of Mongolian ministries, it was promoted to Khan in 1206, and the Mongolian khanate was established. After he ascended the throne, he launched a large-scale military activity, and his territory expanded to Central Asia and South Russia. 1226 led the troops south to attack Xixia and died in Xixia the following year. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, Genghis Khan was honored as Yuan Taizu.
Genghis Khan is a fantastic historical figure, so his mausoleum is also very attractive to tourists.
Mongolian palace
The cemetery covers an area of more than 55,000 square meters. The main building consists of three Mongolian-style halls and corridors connected with them. The building is magnificent and has a strong Mongolian national style. The building is divided into six parts: main hall, bedroom, east hall, west hall, east corridor and west corridor.
The main body of Genghis Khan Mausoleum consists of three Mongolian-style palaces lined up. There are corridors between the three temples, on the domes of three Mongolian palaces. The golden glazed tiles sparkled in the rotten sun. The upper part of the dome is made of blue glazed tile, which is the color and pattern advocated by Mongolians.
The main hall in the middle is 26 meters high, with an octagonal plane, a double-eaves yurt roof, covered with yellow glazed tiles and blue glazed tiles; The East Hall and the West Hall are the roofs of an octagonal single-eave yurt with unequal sides, which are also covered with yellow glazed tiles and 23 meters high. The shape of the whole cemetery is like an eagle spreading its wings, showing the unique artistic style of the Mongolian nation.
There is a statue of Genghis Khan in the center of the main hall, 5 meters high, dressed in armor and holding a sword, sitting in the center of the main hall. The arc-shaped background behind the statue is the map of "Four Great Khan Countries", which indicates the outstanding achievements of Genghis Khan who led the army to the Central Plains in the south and Central Asia and Europe in the west more than 700 years ago. The back hall is the bedroom, and there are four spiritual capsules covered with yellow satin, which are dedicated to the spiritual pivot of Genghis Khan and his three wives respectively. There is a big altar in front of the spirit bag, with incense burners and butter lamps on it. There are also precious cultural relics such as saddles used by Genghis Khan before his death.
Tuo Lei, the fourth son of Genghis Khan (father of Kublai Khan in Yuan Shizu) and his wife's coffin were placed in the East Hall. Because Wokuotai and his eldest son, the Mongolian emperor, are descendants of Tuo Lei, their status is extremely prominent.
The West Hall is dedicated to nine flags symbolizing nine generals and the "Su Le Ding". Suluddin is the iron spearhead on the flag. Genghis Khan used it to command thousands of troops in the wars of conquering the south and marching to the north. It is said that Genghis Khan's soul was attached to it after his death. Therefore, in the eyes of Mongolian people, Suledin is very sacred.
There are large murals in the East-West Corridor of the main hall. It mainly describes the birth and death of Genghis Khan, the Western Expedition, the Eastern Expedition, the unification of Mongolian ministries and other major events. The mural also shows the grand occasion that Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai Khan unified China with Beijing as the capital, and officially changed his country name to Yuan on 127 1, and established Genghis Khan as the leader.
The most lively and grand day here is March 17 of the lunar calendar every year. This day is the day when Genghis Khan established immortal feats, and a grand memorial meeting will be held for "Suleydin".
Murals depict important events in Genghis Khan's life.
In the corridor connecting the east and west halls, murals are painted. The West Corridor depicts the major events of Genghis Khan's life, and the East Corridor depicts the deeds of Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai Khan.
In the southeast corner of Genghis Khan Mausoleum, there are facilities such as jinding tent, side hall, Khan election platform, grassland market, cultural relics exhibition hall, shooting range, racetrack and wrestling field. Jinding tent is a Mongolian palace, with a height of 13m and a diameter of 18m. Let's look at 1206 when Genghis Khan ascended the throne. There is a throne and portrait of Genghis Khan in the hall, and there are eight chariots outside the hall, with wheels 2 meters high, which visitors can see. The Khan Tower is 8 meters high, which is an antique building when herders chose Khan in history.
Murals depict important events in Genghis Khan's life.
The mausoleum of Genghis Khan is the best of the ten worlds.
1. The tourist area of Genghis Khan Mausoleum is the largest Mongolian historical and cultural tourist attraction in the world.
2. Tianjiaoying "the first bag in the world" is the largest Mongolian yurt in the world.
3. The majestic mountains and rivers are the "mountain" doorways with the most Mongolian characteristics in the world.
4. The Iron Horse Golden Account is the only large-scale military array in the world that reproduces Genghis Khan's fighters.
5. The Asia-Europe map is the largest map in the world, showing the territory of the Mongolian Empire across Asia and Europe.
6. The Mongolian Museum of History and Culture is the only museum in the world that collects, displays and studies Mongolian history and culture.
The 7.206-meter-long oil painting Long Scroll of Mongolian History is the longest oil painting in the world.
8. The Mongolian Museum of History and Culture is the only building in the world with Mongolian characters (Khan) as its shape.
9. Darhutes are the only grave keepers who have sacrificed Genghis Khan for generations in the world for 800 years.
10, Genghis Khan Mausoleum is the only place in the world where the most complete sacrificial culture is preserved.