Khenti aimak

BURKHAN-KHALDUN

Burkhan-Khaldun mountain range in the upper reaches of the Onon, Kerulen, Tola and Tungelik rivers in Northeastern Khentei (Mongolia). The name is believed to translate as “willow god” or “willow hill.” Although the location of Burkhan-Khaldun is still controversial, Mongolian scientists talk about two mountains with the same name, located not far from each other: among the Uriankhai tribe - Erdeni uul (2303 m) and the Khamug Mongols - Khentei Khan uul (2362 m).

Burkhan-Khaldun is closely associated with the name of Genghis Khan. The first monument of medieval Mongolian historiography, “The Secret History of the Mongols,” says that the ancestors of Genghis Khan, Borte-Chino and Goa-Maral, migrated to Burkhan-Khaldun. These places were famous for good trappers and beautiful lands.

On Burkhan-Khaldun, young Temujin (that was the name of Genghis Khan before he was proclaimed khan) was hiding from his Merkit enemies. When the Merkits came to Temujin’s nomadic camp to take revenge for the fact that his father Yesugai took the girl from them and took him as his wife, he climbed this forest-covered peak. The enemies followed his trail through thickets and swamps, where “a well-fed snake cannot crawl,” but did not find him, went down, captured Temujin’s beloved wife Borte-uchin and galloped away. According to legend, Temujin then said: “Regretting only my life, on a single horse, wandering through elk fords, resting in a hut made of branches, I climbed Khaldun. Burkhan-Khaldun protected my life, like a swallow. I experienced great horror. Let us worship it [that is, the mountain] every morning and offer prayers every day. May the descendants of my descendants understand!” Then he turned his face to the sun, tied his belt around his neck, took off his hat, exposed his chest, bowed to the sun nine times and performed sprinkling and prayer. Subsequently, Genghis Khan severely punished his offenders, and there is reason to think that they could have been sacrificed to Burkhan-Khaldun.

The episode of the flight of the future great conqueror to Burkhan-Khaldun gave rise to numerous legends and interpretations. In particular, the fact that he took refuge in a hut made of willow branches is sometimes understood as a special initiation rite, after which Temujin acquired sacredness. Several centuries later, the Mongols believed that Temujin was hiding from the Merkits on Mount Bogoo-ula, south of modern Ulaanbaatar.

Apparently, Burkhan-Khaldun became the resting place of the Mongol khans, starting with Genghis Khan himself. As the famous Persian historian and statesman of the 13th - 14th centuries Rashid ad-Ain reports, “Genghis Khan [himself] chose this place for his burial and commanded: “Our burial place... will be here!” ... The situation was like this: one day Genghis Khan was hunting; in one of these places a lone tree grew. He dismounted under it and there found some consolation. He said: “This area is suitable for my burial! Let it be marked!” The princes and emirs, according to the command, chose that place for his grave. They say that in the same year in which he was buried, the number of willow trees in that steppe increased. Now the forest is so dense that it is impossible to get through it, and this first tree and burial place are not identified. Even the old forest guards who guard this place cannot find a way to it.” Genghis Khan's body was transported for burial in Burkhan-Khamun almost 1600 km away, since he died during the Gutami war. When Khan Mongke died, his body was also brought to Burkhan-Khaldun from afar - from Southern China. Access to the khan's graves was strictly prohibited. They were guarded by Uriankhai warriors, who were never sent on military campaigns.

The personality of Genghis Khan was sacralized not only during his lifetime; his remains continue to perform important cosmogonic functions, ordering the life of the peoples under his control. Since the khan's burials had the status of shrines, it was necessary to carefully protect them from desecration by enemies, since the desecration of other people's graves had been widely practiced in Central Asia since ancient times. It was believed that it was not enough to simply deal with the enemy - even after death he was dangerous, as a warlike spirit and patron of his people. Therefore, the nomads looked for the graves of the rulers of the hostile side, removed the remains from there and destroyed them. The Mongols did exactly the same. In addition, there were always people who wanted to dig up graves in search of treasures.

According to some reports, the khan’s grave was buried at night and horses were driven over it so that no trace of it remained. There is a belief among the Mongols that after driving a herd through the grave of Genghis Khan, they buried her baby camel next to the camel’s eyes, and by her cry they found that place. It is believed that the forest there was planted artificially. Attempts to find the khan's burials on Burkhan-Khaldun have so far been unsuccessful. Among the Mongols, protest against excavations, which are regarded as desecration of sacred sites, is growing stronger.

Over time, the necropolis on Burkhan-Khaldun turned into a sanctuary where idols stood and incense was burned. However, after the fall of the Mongol Empire and the strife that began among the Mongols, Burkhan-Khaldun lost his consolidating role in Mongolian society, the places of the khan’s graves were forgotten, and they were no longer protected. Rumors arose that Genghis Khan was buried in the town of Ejen Khoro (now located in the territory of the Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia, China), where the reliquary of Genghis Khan and his son Tulu, called “Eight White Yurts,” was created, and where applicants for the khanate received the blessing of the spirit unifier of Mongolia. In Ejen-Khoro, solemn ceremonies are still held in honor of the deified Genghis Khan, attracting not only his spiritual followers, but also tourists. Nevertheless, Burkhan-Khaldun was firmly included in the shamanic lists of sacred objects in Mongolia, and sprinklings and prayers were performed to him according to the will of Genghis Khan.

Currently, the Khan-Khenteisky Nature Reserve and the Terelzh National Park adjoin Burkhan-Khaldun from the west. Thus, a vast complex specially protected natural and historical territory is being formed, suitable for the development of tourism.

One of the main tasks of our expedition was to study the traditional cult practices associated with the veneration of Mount Burkhan-Khaldun. In the mythology of the Mongolian peoples, this sacred peak is well known. Her veneration is associated with the image of Genghis Khan, who is traditionally perceived not just as the creator of the Mongol Empire, but as a cultural and epic hero, a messenger of the Eternal Blue Sky. The burial of Genghis Khan in the Burkhan-Khaldun area is reported in the “Collection of Chronicles” of Rashid ad-din, the official historiographer of the Mongol Empire. He narrates that in the same area Genghis Khan’s son Tului and his other descendants were buried: khans Menke, Kublai, Arig-Buga and other Genghisids. Rashid ad-din reports the existence of special sanctuaries on Burkhan-Khaldun, in which images of sacred ancestors were installed, “incense and incense are constantly burned there.”

But not only the Genghisids were susceptible to the sacred power of Burkhan-Khaldun. This mountain acts as a geographical and sacred focus of the entire medieval (and possibly more ancient) history of the Mongolian people. According to the “Secret Legend”, recorded in 1240, here, on Burkhan-Khaldun, at the source of the Onon River, the first ancestors of the Mongols - Borte-Chino (Grey Wolf) and Goa-Maral (Kauray Doe) - roamed. Their twelfth-generation descendant Dobun-Mergan meets his future wife, Alan-goa, at this peak. The descendants of Alan-goa's fifth son, Bodonchar, became the leaders of the Mongolian people. And this couple itself unites in the sacred tract of Shinchi-Bayan-Uriankhai, “on which the deities, the rulers of Burkhan-Khaldun, were placed” - so that the spirits of Burkhan-Khaldun blessed this union. Most likely, the “spiritual vision” of the elder brother Dobun-Mergan is also connected with the sacred power of the mountain, who sees the distant (and, in fact, the future, giving impetus to the union of this pair) precisely from the top of Burkhan-Khaldun (Secret Legend § 4- 6).

On Burkhan-Khaldun, young Temujin escapes during a Merkit raid, later proclaimed Genghis Khan at a tribal kurultai. Having escaped death, he turns with gratitude to this peak and bequeaths its veneration to his descendants. It was here, near Burkhan-Khaldun, that he later chose his resting place.

In the Mongolian tradition, which represented the mountain as the abode of the master spirit of the area, in many cases this became the ruler of the surrounding territory after his death. It was traditional to bury these rulers - noyons - on the tops of the mountains. And the spirit of the founder of the empire, Genghis Khan, was thought of in medieval Mongolia as the patron of the entire country. There are legends about an unknown force that stopped people who came too close to the place of his burial, and about the death of those who tried to disturb the peace of his tomb.

The sacred significance of Mount Burkhan-Khaldun was also associated with the veneration of the sources of the rivers - after all, it is from its slopes that Onon and Kerulen, the main arteries of the sacred Motherland of the Mongolian people, originate. The sacred power of the sacred mountain was embodied in the purity and vitality of these rivers.

The name Burkhan-Khaldun itself can be translated as “sacred peak” or “rock of the gods” - from the common Mongolian “burkhan” (spirit, god) and the ancient Mongolian “khaldun”, in the dictionary of S.A. Kozina “peak, rock”.

A study of topographical descriptions of medieval Mongolian sources allows us to conclude that the “Burkhan-Khaldun area” of Rashid ad-din’s “Collection of Chronicles” meant the entire Khentei mountain range in northeastern Mongolia, and the “peak of Burkhan-Khaldun” “ Secret Legend” is Mount Khentei-Khan (2452 m) or the peaks closest to it.

We carried out work on the Khentei massif and in the Kerulen valley together with the Mongolian archaeologist Z. Batsaikhan. The expedition climbed the Kerulen from Baganuur past the Mongonmorit somon through the Bosgot Tengeriin Davaa pass to the confluence of the Bogd River into the Kerulen, and further along the Bogd valley to the Khentei-Khan mountain massif. A permanent camp was set up here, from which they climbed to the peak, perceived in modern Mongolian culture as Burkhan-Khaldun, and explored its surroundings.

On modern Mongolian maps and in historical and cultural works, a peak with a height of 2361 m appears under the name “Burkhan-Khaldun”, located in the central part of Khentei, 12 km west-southwest of the peak of Khentei-Khan (Lord of Khentei). Perhaps her choice is not entirely related to the ancient tradition and is explained by the relative accessibility of this mountain. With a good car, a very experienced driver and a lot of luck, you can get to its foot along very bad field roads, and then climb on foot. No passage to the foot of Khentei Khan itself is possible, and the assault on its steep slopes is an even simpler task than the walking route to reach this mountain - through the remote taiga, cut by the tributaries of the Onon and Kerulen, kurumniks and screes, without any hiking trails. Unfortunately, we simply did not have enough time for this undertaking and we limited ourselves to examining the southwestern peak, revered as Burkhan-Khaldun in the modern Mongolian tradition at least since the 17th century.

The first cult monument associated with the veneration of this peak is located southeast of the Mongonmorit (Silver Horse) sum. This is a ritual gate in front of the sacred site of Ikh-Khorig (Forbidden Place). In their central part there are three wooden pillars installed near the field road. The central pillar is crowned with an image of Genghis Khan, the western one - with a silver horse, and the eastern one - with a brown bear.

Upstream, the valley of the Kerulen River narrows between rocky hills. This area has the traditional name Uud-Mod (Tree Door). The image of the “door” is associated with approaching Burkhan-Khaldun. The revered tree in this territory is now known on the left bank of the Kerulen - this is an old larch with two parallel trunks, growing from the very middle of the khereksur - a cult complex of the era of the early nomads, which is a ring-shaped stone fence with a central embankment, on which a low wall was erected around the larch trunks. The lower branches of the larch are hung with blue hadags.

The only way to Burkhan Khaldun leads from the Kerulen Valley to the Bogd River Valley through the Bosgot Tengeriin Davaa Pass (Threshold of Heaven Pass). This road is very difficult, little traveled, and often goes through wetlands. Not long before us, a detachment of a Russian-Mongolian biological expedition in a GAZ-66 was unable to cross it. Our Niva-Fora, however, mastered the road.

The Khentei mountains are covered with dense cedar-larch taiga. The rivers are shallow, very clean and fast, the water in them rushes rapidly along the rock bed. There are no permanent settlements in the Khentei mountains, and herds do not graze. Occasionally you can meet fishermen and hunters. According to their testimonies, pilgrims arrive at Burkhan Khaldun, as a rule, once a year - around July 11 (Nadom holiday). At other times of the year, foreign pilgrims rarely come here - usually Buryats.

The Threshold of Heaven pass is not high, but it is very difficult for a car; the slightest mistake can lead to irreparable consequences. There is no heavy equipment capable of pulling a car closer than Mongonmorit soum - and this is more than 70 km of very bad road; but even a powerful tractor could not drag the disabled car over the steep, yet swampy slopes of the pass, cut by ruts, washed out and spread to incredible sizes. On the southern slope there is a blue body from an abandoned minibus. From the pass point there is a beautiful view of the Khentei-Khan mountain massif, the Kerulen valley and the Bogd (Sacred) river flowing into it. There is a large stone embankment with a two-meter diameter, on which a wooden hut with an entrance facing south is located. The branches of the hut are decorated with blue hadags, and numerous offerings lie on the stones - money, empty vodka bottles, packs of tea and tobacco. Then the road crosses the Kerulen ford and moves north along the valley of the Bogd River, repeatedly crossing the river itself. The road is practically untrodden; you have to travel it to the limit of the capabilities of the car and its driver.

A number of Mongolian historians are inclined to identify the Bogd with the Tengelik River of the “Secret Legend” - along which the Alan-Goa tribe roamed, and along which Borte and Khoakhchin escaped from their pursuers after the Merkit attack on the nomadic camp of the Temujin family. This assumption is consistent with the topographic descriptions of the sources. In this case, Temujin’s nomadic camp in the area of ​​Burgi-ergi should have been located directly at the mouth of the Bogd (Tengelik) River, where the somewhat widened Kerulen valley allows grazing a small number of livestock.

Climbing along the right bank of the Kerulen, we explored the area at the mouth of the Baudlag River, between the Baganuur and Mongonmorit soums, which in modern Mongolian culture is considered the area of ​​Burgi-ergi “The Hidden Legend”. According to Batsaikhan, fragments of ceramics were found on the hillside above the high, steep bank. Studying the site made it possible to establish that there was probably an ancient cult place here. We collected: Xiongnu ceramics, fragments of Chinese porcelain of the 15th-17th centuries, a knife-shaped plate and fragments of animal bones. The location of the finds on a steep hillside directly above a high cliff practically excludes their domestic origin.

Probably, the cult place above the river cliff near the mouth of the Baudlag River was revered long before Temujin, and cultural tradition simply connected its veneration with the image of Genghis Khan’s nomads. The nomad camp itself, judging by the topographical indications of the “Secret Legend,” should have been located much further north, probably right at the confluence of the Bogd and Kerulen.

The view of Burkhan Khaldun opens from the Bogd valley north of its mouth. The sacred mountain rises above the surrounding peaks and has the shape of a truncated cone, above the upper, flat platform of which the peak itself rises.

The road accessible by car ends at the southeastern foot of the mountain, on a low ledge overlooking the valley; Further through the taiga there are only horse and hiking trails. Along the edge of the ledge, among sparse trees, there are many fire pits at pilgrim sites. In the southern part of the site there is an unusual cult monument - a two-meter high wooden structure in the shape of an arrow with feathers embedded in a small stone wall. The “plumage” is painted green, and the “arrow” itself is entwined with blue hadags. In the northern part of the site, away from the fire pits, there is a large wall with a wooden “hut”. A relatively well-trodden path leads to the top of the mountain to the northwest.

Climbing to the top of Burkhan-Khaldun from the southeastern slope of the mountain is possible only along this path. It immediately begins a steep climb through the dense cedar-larch taiga and after a kilometer leads to a small clearing with a large religious complex. The central part of the complex is a very tall hut-like structure, built around a huge cedar tree. To the south of it there is a ritual table, and behind it there are two cauldrons - one dug into the ground for airag (kumys), and the second, on a tripod, for cooking meat.

From here the trail goes northwest again. For a long time there is a very difficult climb along the scree of the kurumniks, then the high-mountain belt of the taiga begins. These are the most pleasant and beautiful places on Burkhan-Khaldun. There is a lot of forest, mainly cedar, but it is very light because the forest is low, even mature trees are as tall as a person. These low cedars grow real cones that can be torn directly from the ground, slightly bending the top. The protruding stones are covered with mosses of various colors and shades; between them lie entire fields of lingonberries and blueberries, and there are russulas. Even higher, the path rises to the upper plateau, covered with kurumniks and overgrown with sparse grass between them. The peak of Burkhan-Khaldun rises above the plateau - an almost regular truncated cone, composed of large stone fragments. From the plateau there is a magnificent view of the valley of the Bogd River, actively meandering between the mountains, the alpine lake Khentei-Nuur and the surrounding peaks of the Khentei massif. No traces of human activity are visible from this mountain, one of the highest in northeastern Mongolia. Here you really feel alone with the great mountains and the Eternal Sky.

The path ascends to the peak from the south, goes around it from the western side and then descends to the south from the eastern side: thus, the pilgrim circles the peak in a clockwise direction. The entire upper platform is covered with hundreds of low stone pyramids, which are built by every pilgrim who climbs here. In the southern part of the site there is a large cult complex dedicated to Genghis Khan. This is a huge quadrangular stone wallpaper, in the center of which there is a high wooden pillar with a copy of Genghis Khan’s bunchug (standard) mounted on it - a metal cylinder with a pommel, decorated with images of predatory animals, to which a mane of horse hair is attached. To the south of it there is a stone pole in the shape of a spear with a tip. At all four corners of the obo there are wooden poles with metal knobs, and multi-colored hadags are hung between them. On the mound of this obo, dedicated to Genghis Khan, there are many wooden swords and sabers as offerings.

In our time, the cult practice on Burkhan-Khaldun is included in the system of Buddhist ritual activity, however, its roots go back to the ancient Tengri tradition. By honoring Burkhan-Khaldun, the Mongols are fulfilling the behest of Temujin, who exclaimed after his salvation on this mountain: “Let us worship (crawling up) it every morning and offer prayers every day. May the descendants of my descendants understand!” And having said this, he turned his face to the sun, hung his belt around his neck like a rosary, hung his cap on his chest by the braid and, unbuttoning (exposing) his chest, bowed to the sun nine times (towards the sun) and performed (gave) sprinkling and prayer ”(Secret Legend, § 103).

Publication in the book:

Petrov F.N. Arkaim - Altai - Mongolia: essays on expeditionary research into traditional beliefs. Chelyabinsk: Krokus Publishing House, 2006.

A story from the series “Travel notes of the Mongolian expedition”

Previous story: Funeral rites –

Mount Burkhan-Khaldun is located in the northeastern part of Mongolia, in the Khentii province, on the territory of the Khan-Khentei Nature Reserve. Burkhan Khaldun has the shape of a crescent, its peak is located at an altitude of 2362 meters above sea level, and the Onon and Kherlen rivers originate on the slopes of the mountain. The mountain is considered sacred by the Mongols - at its foot was the ancestral nomad of Genghis Khan, on the slopes of the mountain the young Temujin hid from the mortal enemies of his family - the Merkits and, according to one of the many versions, his grave is also located here. During his lifetime, Genghis Khan declared Mount Burkhan Khaldun sacred and bequeathed to his descendants to honor and worship the mountain: “Let us worship it every morning and offer prayers every day. May the descendants of my descendants understand!” There are many versions about the location of Genghis Khan's grave; many seekers of his burial believe that the first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire was buried on the sacred mountain Burkhan Khaldun. In the book "Collection of Chronicles", dedicated to the history of the Mongol Empire, the Persian historian and statesman Rashid ad-Din, who lived in the second half of the 13th - early 14th centuries, writes that Mount Burkhan-Khaldun was chosen by Genghis Khan himself as the place for his burial. One day, while hunting, he dismounted near a lonely willow tree and said: “This area is suitable for my burial! Let it be marked!” In fact, the burial place of Genghis Khan is unknown and his grave has not yet been found. The chronicle “The Secret History of the Mongols” says that Genghis Khan died in 1227, during a military campaign against the Tangut kingdom, immediately after the fall of the capital Zhongxing. His body was transported to Burkhan-Khaldun for more than 1,500 kilometers, so that the grave would not be found and desecrated, a herd of horses was driven through it several times, and then planted with trees. The grave of the Great Khan was guarded by a thousand Uriankhai warriors, who did not leave the mountain for a minute. Chronicles say that Genghis Khan's son Tolui and his grandchildren - the great Khan Mongke and the khans of Arig Bug and Kublai - are also buried on the slopes of Mount Burkhan-Khaldun. The burial place, called the Great Reserve, eventually became overgrown with dense forest, and soon the guards themselves could no longer find the burial place of Genghis Khan. There are many shrines (ovu) installed on the top, slopes and at the foot of the mountain; the mountain is worshiped, given gifts and revered. In 2015, the sacred Mount Burkhan Khaldun was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Mount Burkhan-Khaldun Burkhan Khaldun Uul Address: Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area, Khentii Province, Mongolia Tel: +976 11-322111 Fax: +976 11-314208 Email: [email protected] Web: kkpa.mn/index.php?cid=50	How to get there: Chinggis Khan International Airport - 300 km Ulaanbaatar - 290 km The nearest populated area is the village of Mengenmort, located at a distance of 90 km From Ulaanbaatar you should go in the direction of Nailakh - Erdene - Bayandelger - Baganuur - Mengenmort The most optimal way to visit Mount Burkhan-Khaldun is an organized group or individual tour	Validity: constantly Price: 3000 MNT / 1 person Fee for visiting the Khan-Khentei Nature Reserve - 3000 MNT

Etymology

• “Sacred willow”, literally “the rightness of God-willow”: from Mong. Burkhan- “the rightness of God” and daur. Khaldun- "willow"
• "Willow Hill": from Middle Mong. burgan- “willow”, “grove”.

Meaning

In the picture of the world of the medieval Mongols, Burkhan-Khaldun is one of the sacred centers. According to the "Secret Legend", the first ancestors of Genghis Khan Borte-Chino and Goa-Maral wandered to Burkhan-Khaldun, at the source of the Onon. At the foot of Burkhan-Khaldun there was the ancestral nomad of Genghis Khan; on the slopes he escaped from persecution by the Merkits. It is mentioned that the captive Merkit Haatay-Darmal was “dedicated to Burkhan-Khaldun” by putting a block around his neck, although it is unclear whether he was left alive or killed.

According to Rashid ad-Din, Genghis Khan, his son Tolui and the latter’s descendants, in particular Munke, Arig-Buga and Kublai, were buried on the slope of Burkhan Khaldun. Their burial place, called their horig(“great reserve”), was guarded by a special thousand warriors from the Uryankat tribe (Uriankhians). These warriors, led by the thousand-man Luck and his descendants, did not go on military campaigns, constantly guarding the “great reserve”. It is reported that after the burial of Genghis Khan, his place was overgrown with many trees and grass, and later the guards themselves could not find the burial.

Location

Currently, most researchers identify Burkhan-khaldun with the Khentei mountain range located in the Khenti aimak of Mongolia with the central peak Khan-Khentei ( 48°58′45″ n. w. 108°42′47″ E. d.) with a height of about 2362 m.

Sources and literature

• Mongolian everyday collection // Secret legend. Mongolian chronicle 1240 YUAN CHAO BI SHI. / Translation by S. A. Kozin. - M.-L.: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1941. - T. I.
• Rashid ad-Din. Collection of chronicles / Translation from Persian by L. A. Khetagurov, editing and notes by Professor A. A. Semenov. - M., Leningrad: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1952. - T. 1, book. 1.
• Rashid ad-Din. Collection of chronicles / Translation from Persian by O. I. Smirnova, edited by Professor A. A. Semenov. - M., Leningrad: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1952. - T. 1, book. 2.
• Zhukovskaya N. L. Burkhan-khaldun // Myths of the peoples of the world: Encyclopedia. - M.: Russian Encyclopedia, 1994. - T. 1. - P. 196. - ISBN 5-85270-016-9.
• Skrynnikova T. D. Charisma and power in the era of Genghis Khan. - M.: Publishing company "Oriental Literature" RAS, 1997. - 216 p. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 5-02-017987-6.

Links

• Kotov P. Mischief of Mongolian archaeologists. Telegraph "Around the World" (19.02.2009). Retrieved October 9, 2010. Archived April 29, 2012.
• Mongolia Sacred Mountains: Bogd Khan, Burkhan Khaldun, Otgon Tenger(English) . UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved October 9, 2010. Archived April 29, 2012.
• Croner D. Burkhan Khaldun - Chingis Khan's Sacred Mountain. Don Croner's World Wide Wanders. Retrieved October 13, 2010. Archived April 29, 2012.

Alan-goa

Alan-goa is the legendary ancestor of the Nirun-Mongols, the dominant phratry of the Khamag Mongols (Mongols before the creation of the Mongol Empire). According to legend, she was the daughter of Khorilartai-Mergan, the leader of the Khori-Tumats, and Bargudzhin-Goa, the daughter of the ruler of the Barguts.

Due to the fact that in the Khori-Tumat lands there were disputes over hunting grounds, the father of Alan-goa, noyon Khorilartai-Mergan, decided to separate himself into a separate clan (obok) - Khorilar, and together with his nomads moved to the lands near the mountain Burkhan-Khaldun. Here they were noticed by the brothers Dobun-Mergan and Duva-Sokhor. Alan-goa, being unmarried, was married to Dobun-Mergan.

From Dobun-Mergan, Alan-goa had two sons - Belgunotai and Bugunotai; three more - Bugu-Khadagi, Bukhatu-Salzhi and Bodonchar - were born after the death of her husband. This aroused suspicion among her two eldest sons: they believed that these three children could be from Maalich, a servant in the house of Alan-goa.

Having learned about this, Alan-goa gathered her sons and gave each a twig (according to another version, Alan-goa gave her sons an arrow), asking them to break it, which they easily did. Then Alan-goa gave her sons a bunch of five tied twigs and again asked them to break them, but this time none of them succeeded. Then Alan-goa told her sons that if they separated from each other, then any of them would be defeated as easily as one twig; but if they stick together like a bunch of five twigs, it will be much more difficult to defeat them. Alan-goa also revealed the secret of the birth of her three youngest sons: according to her, every night a light-blond (or red-haired) man appeared to Alan-goa, the light from whom penetrated into her womb. Similar legends are found among a number of peoples, for example, among the Khitan, related to the Mongols. Despite this, some researchers, such as P. Rachnevsky, adhere to the version of the origin of the Borjigins from Maalich; E.I. Kychanov also considers this version acceptable. The sons of Alan-goa Belgunotai, Bugunotai, Bugu-Khatagi and Buhutu-Salzhi became the founders of the clans Belgunot, Bugunot, Khatagin and Saldzhiut; the youngest son, Bodonchar, became the founder of the Borjigins. Genghis Khan came from this family.

Artakana

Artakans, Hartakans, Arikans (Mongolian: Artakhan, Hartakhan) - one of the tribes of the Nirun branch of the Mongols. They are a branch of the Borjigin genus.

Bogd-Khan-Uul

Bogd-Khan-Uul (Mongol. Bogd Khan-Uul; old. Bogdo-Khan-Ula, Bogdo-Ula, Choibalsan-Ula) - a mountain in Mongolia, located in the south of the territory administratively related to Ulaanbaatar, adjacent to the south city. The height of the mountain is 2256.3 m.

Borte-Chino

Borte-Chino (Burte-Chine; Mong. Borte Chino - “gray wolf”) is the legendary ancestor of the Mongols, as well as the ancestor of Genghis Khan. According to the “Secret History of the Mongols”, he was born “by the will of the Higher Heaven”; together with his wife Goa-Maral, he crossed the Tengis Sea and settled on the banks of the Onon River, on Mount Burkhan-Khaldun. According to E.N. Kychanov, this event occurred approximately in the middle of the 8th century, according to A.S. Gatapov - at the turn of the 6th-7th centuries. He was one of the Mongols who took refuge and later left the area of ​​Ergune-kun.

In the chronicle of the 17th century, “Altan Tobchi” Borte-Chino is called the third son of Dalai Subin Altan Sandalitu Khan, who was a descendant of the first Tibetan Khudzugun Sandalitu Khan. Thus, later Mongolian sources, obeying the Buddhist historiographical tradition, derived Borte-Chino from India and Tibet, from the country from which their new Buddhist faith came to the Mongols. P. B. Konovalov, in his interpretation of Borte-Chino as the son of a Tibetan ruler, sees ancient genetic connections between the ancestors of the Mongols and the Rong tribes, some of whom were also the ancestors of the Tibetan tribes.

The son of Borte-Chino and Goa-Maral was Bata-Chagan.

Historical monuments contain lines that say that Genghis Khan, while hunting in the Khangai Mountains, commanded: “Borte-Chino and Goa-Maral will be raided. Don't go at them." Borte-Chino and Goa-Maral, the distant ancestors of the Mongols, were also their ongons (spirits of the ancestors of the clan). Scientists, considering this event, came to the conclusion that the wolf and the deer were totems of the ancient Mongols, so it was forbidden to hunt them.

Burhan

Burkhan is a polysemantic word that may have Turkic-Mongolian and Arabic etymology.

In Turkic and Mongolian languages, Burkhan is translated as “Khan (title), “Buddha”, “Buddha Khan”, “god”.

The Arabic name “Burkhan” (Burkhanuddin, Burhanullah) is translated as “the rightness of the Faith”, “the rightness of God”, and comes from the verb “barkhana” - “to prove”.

Can be used in the following meanings:

Burkhan is the title of the sovereign, ruler and their direct descendants in the Turkic-Mongolian version.

Burkhan (Burkan) is a deity in the mythology of the Altai and some other peoples of Siberia and Central Asia.

Burkhan is the supreme deity in Burkhanism.

Burkhan-bakshi (“Buddha the teacher”) is a common epithet of Gautama Buddha among Mongolian Buddhists.

Burkhan is a sculptural image of a Buddha, bodhisattva or other Buddhist character in the Mongolian tradition.

Burkhan - this word was used by the Uyghur Buddhists to call the Buddhas, and by the Manichaeans - the heads of the Manichaean church.

Burkhan-Khaldun is a sacred mountain in the mythological beliefs of the Mongolian peoples. Toponym Burkhanie

Burhanpur

Burkhan-Bulak is a waterfall on the Kora River in Kazakhstan.

Burhan Buddha is a mountain range in China.

Burkhan is an alternative name for Cape Skala Shamanka on Olkhon Island (Lake Baikal).

Goa-Maral

Goa-Maral (Ho-Maral, Hoai-Maral, Koay-Maral; Mong. Gua Maral - “beautiful doe” (the variant “kauraya doe” is also found) - the legendary ancestor of the Mongols and the ancestor of Genghis Khan, the eldest wife of Borte-Chino and the mother of Bata -Chagan. According to the legends given in the “Secret History of the Mongols” and the “Collection of Chronicles” by Rashid ad-Din, Goa-Maral and her husband swam across the Tengis Sea and settled on Mount Burkhan-Khaldun near the banks of the Onon River. If you believe the calculations of Rashid ad- Dina, this happened around the middle of the 8th century.

Historical monuments contain lines that say that Genghis Khan, while hunting in the Khangai Mountains, commanded: “Borte-Chino and Goa-Maral will be raided. Don't go at them." Borte-Chino and Goa-Maral, the distant ancestors of the Mongols, were also their ongons (spirits of the ancestors of the clan). Scientists, considering this event, came to the conclusion that the wolf and the deer were totems of the ancient Mongols, therefore it was forbidden to hunt them. The 18th century chronicler Mergen Gegen Goa-Maral is indicated as “Lady Maral from the Khova clan”; who remained pregnant after the death of her husband, the leader of the tribe who lived near Mount Burkhan-Khaldun. She becomes the wife of Borte-Chino, who, in turn, by marrying her, takes the position of leader.

Dobun-Mergen

Dobun-Mergen, Dobun-Mergan (Mongolian Dobu mergen, Mongolian mergen - “sharp”, “skillful”; c. 945 - ?) - ancestor of Genghis Khan in the twelfth generation, son of Torokoljin-Bayan and Borokhchin-goa, grandson of Borjigidai- Mergena.

He was married to Alan-goa, the daughter of the leader of the Khori-Tumats. Because of the bickering in the Tumat lands, Alan-goa’s father decided to separate himself into a separate clan (Mongolian obok) Khorilar and, together with his nomads, moved to the lands near Mount Burkhan-Khaldun. Dobun-Mergan, together with his older brother Duva-Sokhor, noticed the migrating people (including Alan-goa), and, on the latter’s advice, went to woo them.

Dobun-Mergen and Alan-goa had two sons - Belgunotai and Bugunotai; however, after the death of her husband, Alan-goa gave birth to three more: Bugu-Khadagi, Buhutu-Salzhi and Bodonchar. Although, according to Alan-goa herself, her sons were born from a fair-haired man who came to her at night through the chimney of the yurt, some researchers (P. Rachnevsky, E.I. Kychanov) suggest that the real father of these children could be Maalich-Bayaudaets, a servant in Alan Goa house. Belgunotai, Bugunotai, Bugu-Khadagi and Buhutu-Salzhchi later founded the Belgunot, Bugunot, Khatagin and Saljiut clans, respectively; Bodonchar laid the foundation for the Borjigin family, where Genghis Khan came from.

Their horig

Their Khorig or Great Ban is a 240 km² area in the Khenti province of Mongolia, difficult to access due to densely forested mountains, and the supposed site of the tomb of Genghis Khan. It was considered a sacred place, visiting which was prohibited. Staying there was allowed only for the burial of the descendants of Genghis Khan. In the late 1980s it became open to archaeologists.

Kingiyat

Kingiyat, Kungiyat (Mong. Khingiyat) - one of the tribes of the medieval indigenous Mongols. They are an offshoot of the Niruns.

Tomb of Genghis Khan

The location of the tomb of Genghis Khan (died 1227) has been the subject of much research and speculation until the present day.

List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Mongolia

There are 4 items on the UNESCO World Heritage List in Mongolia (as of 2011), this is 0.4% of the total (1121 as of 2019). 3 objects are included in the list according to cultural criteria and 1 object is included according to natural criteria. In addition, as of 2017, 13 sites in Mongolia are among the candidates for inclusion in the World Heritage List. Mongolia ratified the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage on February 2, 1990. The first site located on the territory of Mongolia was included in the list in 2003 at the 27th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

Sukanuts

Sukanuts (Mongolian Sukhainuud, Sukhanuud) are one of the tribes of the medieval indigenous Mongols. They are an offshoot of the Baarin clan.

Sukans

Sukans (Mongolian Sukan, Suhan) are one of the tribes of the medieval indigenous Mongols. They are an offshoot of the Niruns.

Uriankhians

Uriankhians, Uriankhans (Mong. Uriankhai) are one of the most ancient tribes that were part of the Darlekin group of Mongols. The descendants of this ancient family are currently known among many Mongolian peoples.

Habturkhasy

Habturkhasy (Mongolian habturkhas, havturkhad) is one of the tribes of the Nirun branch of the Mongols. They are a branch of the Borjigin genus.

Khaldun

Khaldun (Arabic: خلدون‎) is an Arabic name. The spelling is close to the name Khalid.

Taner, Khaldun

Ibn Khaldun

Khan-Khenteisky Reserve

The Khan-Khenteisky Reserve or the Khan-Khentiy Nature Reserve is a strictly protected natural area with an area of ​​12,270 square meters. km. The reserve was organized thanks to a decree of the Mongolian government in 1992 in the Khentei aimak. On the territory of the Khan-Khenteisky Nature Reserve there are the upper reaches of the river. Onon. Before receiving the status of a national park in 1993, the reserve included the protected area of ​​Gorkhi-Terelzh, with which the reserve borders in the south. Onon-Baldzhinsky National Park was also a branch of the Khan-Khentei Nature Reserve and gained independence in 2007. The Khalun-Usny-Arshan hot spring is located on the territory of the reserve.

“Our final home should be here!”

The story of this article began 31 years ago. The idea of ​​getting acquainted with the data of written sources, which contain information about the life and death of the Great Khan, forced the author, a student at NSU, to spend his first winter holidays in the library. The first version of the article was published in the wall newspaper of the Faculty of Humanities. For more than a week, crowds of students, from physicists to lyricists, gathered around her... Subsequent attempts to publish the article in Mongolia and Japan were unsuccessful. To date, the author has not tried to publish his article again, although its topic remains relevant to this day - the mystery of the burial of Genghis Khan has remained unsolved

This article has a long backstory. Thirty-one years ago the author passed his first session at the Faculty of Humanities of Novosibirsk State University. The idea of ​​getting acquainted with written sources, which could contain information about the life and death of the Great Khan, forced him to spend the winter holidays in the library. The article “Where is the grave of Genghis Khan?” in the spring of that year it was published in Logos, the faculty wall newspaper. Crowds of students gathered around her for more than a week... This was the first and last “publication” of the article. Over the next sixteen years, versions of it, sent on occasion to Mongolia and Japan, disappeared without a trace, and the article came back from the Ural Pathfinder magazine. Since then, the author no longer tried to publish it, although he constantly monitored publications on the topic. And judging by the latest data, the secret of Genghis Khan’s burial has not yet been revealed...

According to the “Collection of Chronicles” of the medieval Arab historian Rashid ad-din, Genghis Khan died “on the fifteenth day of the middle month of autumn in the Year of the Pig, corresponding to the month of Ramadan 624 AH.” (1952, p. 233), i.e. August 29, 1227, after an eight-day illness, at the age of 72 years. His death and burial are still shrouded in mystery, giving rise to numerous legends about the last days of the Great Khan's life and how and where he was buried. Let us cite some of them, told to the historian V. E. Larichev by the American anthropologist O. Lattimore, an expert on the history and culture of Mongolian cattle breeders (Larichev, 1968, p. 128).

Thus, one legend says that Genghis Khan was buried sitting on a golden throne in a deep tomb, which was built in the open steppe at the foot of one of the revered sacred mountains of Mongolia. The grave was filled up, and the surface of the earth was carefully leveled. After the burial, a herd of twenty thousand horses was driven over the grave of Genghis Khan, after which it was no longer possible to find its traces. But first, a little camel was slaughtered at this place in the presence of its mother. When the time came the next year to hold a wake for the Great Khan, none of the people who were at the burial could find his burial place. He was unmistakably found only by a camel, who immediately went to the place where her baby was killed a year ago and began to roar. After the funeral feast, the story with the camel and the herd of horses repeated itself. And this continued until the Mongols finally forgot the burial place of the Great Khan.

According to another legend, Genghis Khan's grave is located at the bottom of the river. For its construction, the river was temporarily diverted to the side, and then again flowed along the old bed, forever hiding the rich tomb under the waves.

According to information from European travelers who visited Mongolia in the 13th century. - Plano Carpini, Guillaume de Rubrucka, Marco Polo - the burial of the deceased noble Mongols was carried out secretly and the place of the grave was not marked on the surface with anything. Carpini wrote that when constructing a grave, “in the field they remove grass with roots and make a large hole and on the side of this hole they make a hole underground (a lining or a catacomb. - Author’s note)... The dead are placed in a hole that is made on the side, together with things, then they bury the hole that is located in front of his hole, and put grass on top (turf - author's note), as it was before..." (Travel to the Eastern Countries..., 1957, p. 32- 33). Together with the deceased, his horses, tables with food and drinks, as well as “a lot of gold and silver” were buried, so burial places, especially the burials of khans, were carefully guarded by special detachments of guards (Book of Marco Polo, 1955, p. 88; Travel to the Eastern Countries ..., 1957, pp. 33, 102).

The place where Genghis Khan and his descendants were buried was called “Alhai” by Marco Polo. In his opinion, this is a mountain that is located north of Karakorum, the capital of the Mongol Empire. He further explained that beyond Alkhai lie the Bargu steppes (Book of Marco Polo, 1955, p. 88), i.e. we are talking about modern Transbaikalia.

Historians are looking, archaeologists are looking...

In the first half of the 19th century. historian A.K. d'Osson wrote that “the Mongol princes from the family of Genghis Khan said that the mountain on which this sovereign was buried was called Khan,” and gave its coordinates: “49°54” s. w. and 9°3" to the west from the meridian of Beijing" (1937, vol. 1). Under these coordinates is Khentei Khan, where the rivers Onon, Kerulen, Tola and others originate.

In 1925, academician V. Ya. Vladimirtsov saw a Mongolian map in Urga (modern Ulaanbaatar), which showed a mountain east of Little Khentey with the promising name “Great Land” or “Great Place”. But none of the locals had heard of a mountain with that name - “ancient geographical names of various kinds”, known from ancient chronicles, have not been preserved, with the exception of the names of the large rivers Tola, Onon and Kerulen.

Professor M.I. Rizhsky, discussing the legends according to which the tomb of Genghis Khan is located in Transbaikalia, came to the conclusion that “although the exact place of his burial is unknown, there is still no doubt that it must be located somewhere at the origins of the Onon and Kerulen rivers, that is, on the territory of Mongolia, but not in the Chita region and not in Buryatia” (Rizhsky, 1965, p. 155). The assumption that the tomb of Genghis Khan should be sought in the Khentei mountains was also expressed by the historian E.I. Kychanov (1973, p. 131). However, undertaken in Mongolia in the early 1960s. the search for the tomb of Genghis Khan by a complex expedition of German archaeologists led by Schubert did not produce results (Larichev, 1968, pp. 127-128).

In 2000, information appeared that Chinese archaeologists had discovered the tomb of Chinggis Khan in the north of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, near the city of Chingil ( Lenta.ru).

The following year, the Mongolian-American archaeological expedition “Genghis Khan”, led by Professor D. Woods, discovered a burial ground in the Khentei aimag near the Russian-Mongolian border (338 km northeast of Ulaanbaatar). Among local residents, this burial ground of four dozen graves, surrounded by a high wall, is also known as the “Genghis Castle”. Fifty kilometers away, another grave was found in which about a hundred soldiers were buried. According to Woods, these are the same soldiers who, according to legend, were killed so that they would not reveal the secret of the burial place of Genghis Khan ( NEWSru.com; Morning.ru). These are the most fruitful results in the search for the tomb of Genghis Khan, although the question remains open: further archaeological excavations require the consent of the Mongolian government.

Finally, members of the joint Japanese-Mongolian expedition, which since 2001 had been excavating an ancient mausoleum in the Avragi region (250 km from the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar), also announced in 2004 that they would soon find the legendary grave. Archaeologists discovered the foundation of the building and altars on which horses were burned. Judging by the scale of the sacrifices, the mausoleum was dedicated to a noble person. Chinese incense burners with images of dragons were also found here. The Persian chronicles mention that not far from the grave of Genghis Khan, incense burners of exactly this shape are constantly burning. According to members of the expedition, now, in order to find the grave, it is necessary to dig up a space within a radius of 12 km from the mausoleum, which should take about three years ( Centrasia.ru).

And a forest grew over the grave of the Great Khan

Information about the death of Genghis Khan can be found in medieval written sources “Altan Depter” (“Golden Book”) and in “Yuan Chao Bi Shi” (“The Secret History of the Mongols,” which, translated by S. A. Kozin, is called “The Hidden legend. Chronicle of 1240" (1941)). Although the Mongolian text of the official “Altan Depter” has not been preserved, it formed the basis of the above-mentioned “Collection of Chronicles” by Rashid ad-din (Gumilyov, 1977, p. 485). Only from the latter can we find information about the burial place of Genghis Khan (Rashid ad-din, 1952, pp. 158-159; 233-235).

According to Rashid ad-din, the Great Khan died during the siege of the Tangut capital of Zhongxing (in modern China) by Mongol troops. Genghis Khan was seriously ill and considered his death inevitable. He bequeathed to his entourage not to announce his death, but when the sovereign and the inhabitants of Tangut left the city at the appointed time, they were all immediately destroyed. Just on the eve of the death of Genghis Khan, the population of the capital of the Tangut state, exhausted by a long siege, agreed to surrender to the mercy of the winner. The military leaders carried out his order: so Genghis Khan, being dead, won his next - last victory!

After this, his body was placed on a chariot and secretly sent to Mongolia, accompanied by a large escort. There are many legends, songs and stories about this last journey of the Great Khan. The memory is preserved that the guards killed everyone who met them on the way, so that the news of the death of the Lord of the Mongols would not spread prematurely. And only three months later, after long funeral ceremonies, Genghis Khan, together with “forty beautiful girls” (Kychanov, 1973), was buried in the ancestral lands of the Borjigins near the large Burkhan-Khaldun mountain in a place that he had once chosen himself.

This happened when the Great Khan once, while hunting, stopped to rest under a large, lonely tree standing in the steppe (considering that the grave was near a mountain, by “steppe” and “plain” Rashid ad-din obviously meant its gentle slopes) . Turning to his entourage, he said: “The place of our last home should be here!” We cannot guarantee the exact rendering of these words. The source clearly states that this wish was not written down anywhere, but was fulfilled from the words of those who “heard these words from him then.” In addition, Rashid ad-din has another record about the “reserved place”: “This area is suitable for my burial. Let her be celebrated!”

Subsequently, the youngest son of Genghis Khan, Tului Khan, the sons of the latter (including Kublai Khan in 1294, i.e. already at the end of the 13th century!) and other descendants were buried in this place. But by this time the appearance of the “reserved place” had changed beyond recognition: from a “steppe” with a single tree it turned into a dense forest. And this happened “in the same year” when Genghis Khan was buried. Perhaps Rashid ad-din cited in his book just another legend, but it is possible that we are talking about artificial forest plantations that were supposed to hide the burial place of Genghis Khan from enemies and robbers. The Mongols really knew how to replant trees, judging by the reports of Plano Carpini and Rubruk (Journey to the Eastern Countries..., 1957, p. 32).

Considering that Genghis Khan was buried around the end of November 1227, the probability of the appearance of a “forest” in the same year is quite high. The forest in the “reserved place” was an additional protection for the “peace” of the buried Great Khan: the Mongols had a cult of both individual trees and entire groves, which one could not even enter (ibid., p. 201). For the same purpose, the forest uryankhats - “a thousand emir of the left wing of Luck” and his descendants - were tasked with guarding this place.

“The story about the death of Genghis Khan, about the murder of the Tangut sovereign and the beating of the entire population of this city, about the secret return of the emirs with his coffin, about delivery to the hordes, about the announcement of this sad event and about mourning and burial” (Rashid ad-din, 1952 , pp. 233-235):

“Genghis Khan considered his death from this disease inevitable. He bequeathed to his entourage: “You do not announce my death and do not sob or cry at all, so that the enemy does not find out about it. When the sovereign and the inhabitants of Tangut leave the city at the appointed time, you will destroy them all at once!”<…>Those close to him, according to his orders, hid his death until those people left the city. Then they killed everyone. Then, having taken his coffin, they set off on their way back. Along the way, they killed every living thing they came across until they delivered the coffin to the hordes of Genghis Khan and his children. All the princes, wives and associates who were nearby gathered and mourned the deceased.
There is a large mountain in Mongolia called Burkan-Kaldun. Many rivers flow from one slope of this mountain. Along those rivers there are countless trees and a lot of forest. In those forests live the Taijiut tribes. Genghis Khan himself chose a place there for his burial and commanded: “Our burial place<…>will be here! Genghis Khan's summer and winter nomads were within the same limits, and he was born in the area of ​​Bulun-Buldak, in the lower reaches of the Onon River, from there it would be a 6-day journey to Mount Burkan-Kaldun. One thousand from the Ukay-Karaju clan live there and guard that land...
<…>Each of the four great hordes of Genghis Khan mourned the deceased for one day. When the news of his death reached distant and nearby regions and localities (the Mongols had a courier service. Marco Polo wrote that there were foot messengers every 4.8 km. - Author's note), from all sides for several days spouses and princes arrived there and mourned the deceased. Since some tribes were very far away, after about three months they continued to arrive after each other and mourned the deceased: “We are all perishing, except his nature! The power belongs to him, and to him we will return...”

The protection of the “reserved place” still existed at the beginning of the 14th century, which allowed Rashid ad-din to note: “Now the forest is so dense that it is impossible to get through it, and this first tree and the burial place of Genghis Khan are completely unidentified. Even the old forest guards guarding that place do not find the way to it” ((Rashid ad-din, 1952, p. 234).

Where is Burkhan-Khaldun?

So, only one Rashid ad-din, in the chronicles that he created between 1300-1310/11, named the burial place of Genghis Khan - Burkhan-Khaldun.

What region of Mongolia did the Mongols know at the beginning of the 14th century? under this name? Describing this mountain, Rashid ad-din gives a detailed list of the rivers that originate on it: from the south - Kerulen, from the east - Onon, from the north and northeast - the right tributaries of the Selenga, from the southwest - Tola and right tributaries of the Orkhon. “A lot of forest grows along these rivers, where the Taijiut tribes live (the Borjigin clan from which Genghis Khan came was from this tribe. - Note auto). The summer and winter nomads of Chinggis Khan were within the same limits” (Rashid ad-din, 1952, p. 233). Rubruk also reports that the land where Genghis Khan’s court was located was called Onankerule,” that is, it was located in the area of ​​the Onon and Kerulena rivers (Travel to the Eastern Countries.., 1957, pp. 116, 229). Two years before the death of Genghis Khan, his headquarters was located in the same area, at the sources of the Tola River (Kychanov, 1973, pp. 124-125).

In modern notes to the “Collection of Chronicles” of Rashid ad-din, it is noted that, judging by the geographical indications of the author, Burkhan-Khaldun may be a modern mountain node of Khentey (Rashid ad-din, 1952, p. 234). The latter is a large mountainous country. However, Rashid ad-din, speaking about the proximity of the Taijiut tribes and the nomadic tribes of Genghis Khan, indirectly points to the exact location of Burkhan-Khaldun - at the sources of Onon and Kerulen.

In addition, he reports that from the area of ​​Delyun-Boldok (Bulun-buldak) in the lower reaches of the river. Onon, where Genghis Khan was born (accidentally or not, Temujin’s birthplace has retained its name to this day. - Author’s note), there are six days’ journey to the place of his burial (ibid.). Rubruk writes that from the city of Karakorum, the capital of the Mongol Empire, to the ancestral lands of Onankerule is ten days’ journey (Travel to the Eastern Countries.., 1957, p. 154). Knowing the distance that can be covered in one day of travel, the general direction of movement (from Onon - to the southwest, and from Karakorum first to the north along the Orkhon, then along Tola to the northeast), at the intersection of the end of the days of travel from the indicated places, you can determine the place where Mount Burkhan-Khaldun is located within the former ancestral nomads of Genghis Khan.

To localize the latter in the Khentei system, let us turn to the “Secret Legend” of the Mongols. Valuable information about Burkhan-Khaldun can be gleaned from the description of the historical period of the late 12th century, when the Mongols were unified, and Genghis Khan was called Temujin from the Borjigin clan.

One of the places where Temujin wandered at this time, the “Secret Legend” calls the Burgi-ergi tract, on the southern slope of Burkhan-Khaldun at the source of Kerulen. This is where a story happened that sheds light on the size of Burkhan-Khaldun - its height and circumference. Once, during a migration near Burgi-ergi, “when the air just begins to turn yellow” (that is, at dusk - author's note), Temujin was attacked by the Taijiuts. Warned in time, Temujin and his brothers set off from their camp site and climbed Burkhan before dawn, that is, in a very short period of time. The pursuers “followed Temujin’s footsteps bypassing Burkhan-Khaldun three times, but could not catch him. They rushed back and forth, followed his trail through such swamps, through such more often...” (Kozin, 1941, pp. 96, 97). In addition, they had to overcome the Tungelik, Tana, Sangur rivers flowing from the southern slopes of Burkhan-Khaldun, and on the northern slope - the Tula Black Forest. It is known that the Sangur River was also part of Temujin’s nomadic area (“Temuzhin arrived home on the Sangur River in three days and three nights”) (Kozin, 1941, p. 95).

Analyzing the text of the “Secret Legend”, one can notice that Burkhan-Khaldun is mentioned only in combination with the origins of Kerulen. Moreover, not far from its northern side, apparently, the Tola (Tuul) river flowed, giving its name to the forest on its slope. Judging by this geographical reference, Mount Burkhan-Khaldun is located between the upper reaches of the Kerulen rivers in the south and Tola in the north.

A story about the forest guards who guarded the burial place of Genghis Khan (Rashid ad-din, “Collection of Chronicles”, 1952, pp. 158-159):

“In the era of Genghis Khan, from the tribe of forest Uriankhats there was a certain military leader of a thousand; one of the commanders of the left wing, his name is Good Luck. After the burial of Genghis Khan, his children with their thousand guard their forbidden, reserved place with the great remains of Genghis Khan in an area called Burkan-Kaldun, they did not join the army, and to this day they have been approved and firmly assigned to the protection of these same remains. Of the children of Genghis Khan, the great bones of Tuluikhan, Mengukhan and the children of Kubilai Kaan and his family were also placed in the mentioned area.
It is said that one day Genghis Khan came to this area; in that plain there grew a very green tree. Genghis Khan spent an hour under
him, and he had a certain inner joy. In this state, he said to the military leaders and those close to him: “The place of our last home should be here!” After he died, because they had once heard these words from him, in that area, under that tree, they built his great protected place. They say that in the same year this plain, due to the large number of trees that had grown, turned into a huge forest, so that it is completely impossible to identify that first tree, and not a single living creature knows which one it is.”

As for the location of the sources of Onon, which were also part of the nomadic camp of Genghis Khan (Onankerule), in the “Secret Legend” it is associated with the Botogan-Boorzhi area. This gives us the right to assume that the latter is the name of some mountainous region. It is known that Onon, Kerulen, and Tola originate in Khentei not far from each other. This means that Burkhan-Khaldun and Botogan-Boorchzhi are the ancient names of individual regions of the Khentei Mountains; names that have not survived to this day, but were in use at the end of the 12th-13th centuries.

During the incident described above, the Taijiut pursuers were able to follow Temujin’s footsteps three times around Burkhan-Khaldun in such a short period of time, unwittingly giving us an indication of its size. But already during the time of Rashid ad-din, the name Burkhan-Khaldun loses the designation of a certain section of the mountainous region, where the upper reaches of Kerulen and Tola are located, and is transferred to a wider territory - the entire mountainous Khentei.

Since the northern slopes of Burkhan-Khaldun in the 13th century. were covered with forest - the Tula black forest, then the southern ones should have been a forest-steppe with swamps and floodplain forests, as follows from the data of Rashid ad-din. Therefore, it is the southern slope of Burkhan-Khaldun that most closely fits the description of a “Reserved Place”.

Thus, the “last dwelling” of Genghis Khan is apparently located in the upper reaches of the right bank of Kerulen, on the southern slope of the mountain, which in the 12th-13th centuries. was called Burkhan-Khaldun. This is an easily accessible mountainous section of the Khentei mountainous country, small in circumference and height, with clear boundaries. It is difficult to say whether the legendary forest that grew overnight has been preserved on its southern slopes. And during further searches, researchers need to remember: the “Reserved Place” is a family cemetery, and the grave of the Great Khan is far from the only one there.

Literature

Gumilyov L.N. “Secret” and “explicit” history of the Mongols of the 12th-13th centuries. Tatar-Mongols in Asia and Europe. M.: Nauka, 1977, p. 484-502.

D "Osson A.K. History of the Mongols. From Genghis Khan to Tamerlane. Irkutsk, 1937, vol. 1.

Kirillov I. I., Rizhsky M. I. Essays on the ancient history of Transbaikalia. Chita, 1973.

Book of Marco Polo. M., 1955.

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