Genghis Khan’s grave has remained undiscovered for nearly 800 years — Live Science

In Mongolia, the burial site of Genghis Khan, who died in 1227, has still not been established. The most compelling version links his grave to Mount Burkhan Khaldun in the country’s northeast, near the place where he was born and hunted.

As Live Science reports, few contemporary accounts of the death of the founder of the Mongol Empire have survived. This has given rise to numerous versions: according to one, he died after falling from a horse; according to others, from lightning or an arrow during a battle.

Legends of a secret burial

According to tradition, the ruler’s wife Yesui wrapped his body in a white felt covering and fastened it with golden straps. Then, a thousand warriors allegedly set out to bury Genghis Khan in the mountains, killing people they encountered along the way to conceal the route.

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Legends also claim that the grave may have been dug at considerable depth, with valuables, horses, concubines and slaves placed inside, while traces of the burial were concealed by changing a river’s course or trampling the ground with a thousand horses. The reliability of these accounts has not been established.

Versions of the burial site

Claims have been made in Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan and Russia that Genghis Khan’s remains may be located on their territory. At the same time, Burkhan Khaldun in Mongolia is the most compelling of the versions named by the source. According to tradition, later Mongol rulers declared the area around the mountain a forbidden zone and entrusted its protection to the Darkhad clan.

Genghis Khan, born Temujin, was proclaimed universal ruler in 1206. His possessions stretched from Korea to the Caspian Sea, and under his successors the empire expanded further.