CHINGIS KHAAN'S SPIRIT DISTURBED

01-24-2003, 07:54 AM

CHINGIS KHAAN'S
SPIRIT DISTURBED
One of stone monuments to the rulers of steppe empires.

The worlsd media erupted last August with sensational
headlines "Chinggis Khaan Thomb found!" "Digging up Genghis Khan"

At a press conference held in Chicago on August 17th the research
team led by Prof. John E. Woods, director of the Middle East Studies
department and Mr. Maury Cravitz, a Chicago based commodity trader
and lawyer, announced that they found a burial site some 200 miles
northeast from the Mongolian capital that may contain the remains of
the Mongolian khans and nobles, including Chinggis Khaan.

"It is an exciting discovery because it's located near where some
other important events occurred in Khan's life," says University of
Chicago history professor John Woods.

The walled burial ground is known locally by a variety of names such
as "the Almsgivers Castle," and believed to serve as a fortification
built during the Hun time or 3rd century before B.C.

Some 3.2 km long and nine feet high stone wall fences out an area of
about 100 hectares of sparsely forested rugged mountains in
Batshireet locality in Khentii province. In that area the expedition
spotted about 60 graveyards believed to belong to the Mongolian
khans, princes and other nobles.

The area was guarded for generations by a small tribe of royal
guards, but nowadays only one remained. "I do not know the reason,
but my father told me guard the place against intruders," says the
last of loyal guards, now an ordinary herder.

A defensive wall circling the Great Taboo area in Khentii province

"We do hope that the government will pay due attention and take the
site under protection," says Dr. Bazargur of the Mongolian Institute
of Geography.

"It will be even better if it allows us to continue exploration and
digging given the special significance of the possible finding."

When the expedition began in July 2000, many experts doubted whether
it could really find the tomb.

The Japanese expedition searched Mongolia during 1991-1993 using
satellite data and the most advanced technologies. They found more
than 1,400 graveyards from different periods but failed to identify
one that may belong to Chinggis Khaan.

Not the least reason was the strong public sentiment against
disturbing the graveyards, and the government refused the Japanese
expedition any digging.

"Keeping the location of Khan's tomb secret may have been an attempt
to deter grave robbers from plundering a possible treasure trove
buried with him, and may also be related to the shamanistic belief
that disturbing the remains of the dead would destroy the soul of the
interred," Woods said. "

Mongolian cavalry crossing a river.

According to chronicles Chinggis Khaan died on July 12 of 1227 while
leading an offensive against the Tanguts state, presently in Ningxia
autonomous region of China.

Legends say that his body was taken on a cart back home, to the
Mountain of Burkhan Khaldun where he once ordered to bury him after
the death. Special precautions were taken to conceal the burial
place.

All the people on the road were killed, and even the envoy was
decimated. To assure that nobody can find the place a herd of horses
was pastured over the place for months. In addition, after few years
a young camel was buried on the tomb site and the she camel brought
in to check whether it can find the place.

Moreover, khaan's personal bodyguards from the tribe of Darkhats were
assigned to protect the Great Taboo area and they dutifully served
for more than six hundred years, until being dispatched to northern
borders by the Manchu emperors in 19th century.

The expedition claims that the burial site of the escort men or
around 100 soldiers have been found as well at some 30 miles form the
nobles graveyards. Through the expedition members do not divulge
openly their expectations, apparently hopes are high.

Maury Cravitz, continues his 30 years long quest for the Tomb.

"There are tantalizing references in oral epics to maidens being
sacrificed and booty. We don't know what to expect," Prof. Woods says.

While Mr. Cravitz is more confident that the tomb may contain vast
treasures. "Nothing out of the booty collected from all over the vast
empire emerged."

Though the expedition has not secured yet official permission to do
archeological digging at the site, the team has petitioned the prime
minister through the Mongolian counterparts.

Meantime, the latest news is that Hollywood martial art star Steven
Sigal plans to direct an action movie about Chinggis Khaan, playing
the latter role himself.

He was expected to arrive to Mongolia on September 20 and to travel
to the Khentii Mountains to familiarize with the local flavor, but he
had to postpone his visit due to the terrorist attacks on Twin Towers
in New York.