Genghis Khan's Mausoleum
Location: Hohhot, Inner Mongolia
Transportation: Bus service
Culture/History Rating: 3/5
Scenery Rating: 3/5
Hotels: N/A
Summary:
Description:
| Genghis Khan, "Khan of Khans", was the great leader of Mongolians. At the end of 12th century, he united Mongolian tribes and challenged other powers to expand his huge Mongolian empire, which extended from South China to the Caspian Sea. In 1277, Khan attacked the West Xia Kingdom (presently Ningxia) and encountered strong resistance. He died of disease and age. The great emperor was later buried secretly according to Mongolian custom. It says that after the burial 2,000 men were slaughtered by some 800 soldiers who were in turn executed so that the location of the real tomb remains a secret. |  |
 | Genghis Khan's Mausoleum, rebuilt in 1954, 185 kilometers south of Baotou, is a mausoleum, in which only his clothing is buried in memory of the great leader. The 5.5 hectares mausoleum includes three giant yurt halls which house coffins of the Khan, his wife, his son and his generals.There are four sacrifice ceremonies held annually to commemorate the great hero and leader of the Mongolian people. The ceremony, held on March 21st on lunar calendar, is the grandest. After the ceremony, horse racing, archery and wrestling are held as entertainment. |
| The halls are all connected and the central hall houses a 5 meter (52ft) statue of Khan against the backdrop of a map of his 13th century empire. The chances that the actual remains of Genghis Khan are housed in this so-called mausoleum are slim to none. But those tourists who got tired of Chairman Mao's cult may be interested to see the almost god-like status to which Genghis Khan has been elevated. After his death, a tribe of Khan's followers dedicated themselves to guarding his remains and hosting memorial services in his honor. They were effective until WWII, when many relics of the great Khan were commandeered by a Japanese government intent on establishing a Mongolian puppet state. The Chinese retrieved them and in 1955 took them out of safekeeping to build this gigantic shrine, thus celebrating the creation of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. |  |
 | The Chinese government heralds the mausoleum as one of the "Forty Best Famous Tourism Scenic Spots," and that's just what it is, a tourist attraction. Ghenghis Khan's remains (or lack thereof) do not illicit much visual excitement. The entrance is marked by a large bronze statue of the great man himself surrounded not by galloping horses or waving grasslands, but by rows of remarkably identical souvenir shops. In the front of the main hall sits yet another massive statue of Genghis Khan (this one is marble); behind him a map shows the extent of his once-great empire. The back room contains an altar, Ghenghis Khan's "remains," and offerings of fiery Mongolian spirits. Two side halls contain remains of relatives as well as some recovered pottery and metalwork. The walls of all the halls are covered with colorful murals depicting the life and exploits of the Khan. |