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In 1227, heading back to Mongolia after a victorious campaign
against the Central Asians, Chinggis Khan died.
One legend has it that a funeral cortege conveyed Chinggis's
body to northeastern Mongolia and buried 40 virgins and 40
horses with him. According to this legend, the grave was stamped
down by the horses' hooves as a means of hiding the location
of his
tomb.
There is a second possibility, however, that Chinggis's body
was simply allowed to lie were it fell. At this time in their
history, the Mongols had not yet developed a tomb culture;
in fact, they would only develop a tomb culture after they'd
had greater contact with the Chinese and the Persians. Thus,
Chinggis's body may have been left to be consumed by the animals.
The
Mongol Empire at the Death of Genghis Khan in 1227 [NationalGeographic.com]
This map shows the location of Chinggis Khan's death, as well
Khara Khorum, the Mongol capital at the time, and the Jin
and Xia [Xi Xia] empires, both conquered by Chinggis before
his death.
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