Mausoleum of Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan's actual burial place has never been found and by tradition was deliberately concealed, so this complex is a cenotaph and shrine rather than a tomb. It holds objects associated with him and continues a ceremonial tradition maintained for centuries by the Darkhad, hereditary guardians who conduct rituals here through the year. The present buildings, three linked halls under blue-tiled domes, were completed in 1956, replacing a mobile shrine of felt tents that had moved with the relics; the objects themselves were once moved away for safekeeping and later brought back. Ceremonies take place on set dates in the Mongolian calendar, and the site is significant to Mongols on both sides of the border.

History

After Genghis Khan died in 1227 he was buried in secret, in an unmarked grave, and the Mongols honoured him through his personal belongings; Kublai Khan built temples to his grandfather in Daidu and Shangdu, and after the fall of the Yuan in 1368 the shrine became the "eight white yurts", portable halls tended by the Darkhad. The Darkhad moved with them from the Kherlen River to the Ordos, which takes its name, meaning palaces, from the shrine; under the Qing 500 Darkhad were freed from tax and military service to keep its rituals, a permanent mausoleum was built in 1864, and the present halls in the traditional Mongol style went up between 1954 and 1956 (Wikipedia, Mausoleum of Genghis Khan).

Highlights

• The three domed halls - the 1956 complex housing the shrine.
• The Darkhad ceremonies - rituals conducted by hereditary guardians.
• The relics - objects associated with the khan rather than remains.
• The grassland setting - the Ordos plateau around the mausoleum.

When to go

May to October for comfortable weather; the main ceremonies fall on set dates in the lunar calendar, most importantly in spring, and draw large gatherings. Winter on the Ordos plateau is very cold.

Things to know

This is not a burial site and no remains are here, which disappoints visitors expecting a tomb. The complex is a 1950s construction. Interpretation is limited in English, and the site's ceremonial life is not always visible to casual visitors.

Nearby

Ordos city lies north; the Kubuqi desert and Xiangshawan are northwest.

Key facts