Have They Found the Tomb and Treasure?

The Onon River, Mongolia, from the Wikimedia Commons-

This is where Genghis Khan grew up.

This is why I’m cautioning about premature celebration over the enthusiasm of the current search team and their statements about the possible discovery of the tomb.Although the reasoning of today’s team seems solid and their evidence is encouraging, below are the news reports from 2004 about another group. That joint team of Japanese and Mongolian archaeologists was mistaken.              

From China.org.cn (2004)-                 

                      Was Genghis' Tomb Been Found?

“After four years' work, a joint team of Japanese and Mongolian archaeologists announced on October 4 that they had found what they believe to be the true mausoleum of Genghis Khan (1162-1227). 

The ruins, dated to between the 13th and 15th century, were found at Avraga, around 250 kilometers east of Ulan Bator, the capital of the People's Republic of Mongolia. Team members said that they expect the discovery to provide clues to the whereabouts of the khan's actual burial site, which they believe may be within 12 kilometers of the mausoleum.

There is a preexisting mausoleum in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, rebuilt by the government in 1954. Most historians agree that Genghis Khan died in 1227 when going out to battle in the Liupan Mountains in today's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, but they do not agree on where he was buried.

The Chinese mausoleum is located on the vast Ordos Plateau, 30 kilometers south of Ejin Horo Banner. It comprises four palaces covering an area of over 50,000 square meters. Two huge flagpoles decorated with nine galloping steeds stand aloft before the 26-meter-high main palace, symbolizing the Mongol's prosperity and happiness. There is a tomb here, but it only contains the khan's personal effects and not his actual remains.

From the associated press-updated 10/6/2004 10:35:37 AM ET

“TOKYO — Archaeologists have unearthed the site of Genghis Khan's palace and believe the long-sought grave of the 13th century Mongolian warrior is somewhere nearby, the head of the excavation team said Wednesday.

A Japanese and Mongolian research team found the complex on a grassy steppe 150 miles east of the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator, said Shinpei Kato, professor emeritus at Tokyo's Kokugakuin University.

Genghis Khan built the palace in the simple shape of a square tent attached to wooden columns on the site at around 1200, Kato said.

The researchers found porcelain buried among the ruins dated to the warrior's era, helping identify the grounds, Kato said.  A description of the scenery around the palace by a messenger from China's Southern Tang Dynasty in 1232 also matched the area, he added.”

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To read the December 2012 Newsweek article concerning the present search in its entirety go  to  http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/12/02/the-hidden-grave-of-history-s-greatest-warrior.html