CONQUEROR’S TOMB

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 March 1928, Page 12

CONQUEROR’S TOMB

A CENSORED DESCRIPTION

Professor Kozloff, the Russian explorer, has thrown further light on his discovery of the tomb of Ghenghiz Khan, the great twelfth century Tartar conqueror. There is an element of mystery attached to the professor’s further report, which is typical of the methods of the Moscow Soviet. Its publication has been delayed, and it has been heavily censored. Professor Kozloff’s new description was written early in November, but it was not published in the Moscow “Isvestya” until December 25. He says that his account is in reply to letters from Europe and America asking him to describe the manner in which he discovered “the hitherto lost locality of the burial place, which stands at an altitude of nearly 10,000 ft., on one of the highest peaks of the Altai mountains in Mongolia, around the sanctified ground Ikhe bogdo. (Bog is generic Asiatic and Slavonic term for deity). He writes: — We ascended the high terrace on the left bank of the River Chelten-gol by a glittering path which gradually turned eastward away from the river. After climbing on all-fours along rocks, doing my utmost to save my barometer and thermometer, and after fighting all kinds of obstacles, I reached the peak and was struck by the unexpected view. Near me ascended a high stone mound with cylindrical towers at the top, and many “obo” (prayer stands) at the bottom. On the north and south of the sepulchral mound stood a number of images. This ancient, artistic, as well as grandiose, structure: was completed from the east by a further row of praying stands, about thirteen in number. The middle stand was crowned with an obelisk in the shape of a deer jumping from the mountain top and was covered with writings. The remainder were much smaller. 1 What struck me most was the dominating position of this historic tomb. North and south the' open distances covered hundreds of kilometres (a kilometre is five-eighths of a mile). On the one side we could see the blue Khanhai Mountains and on the other the desert. East and west we saw the consecrated masses of Baga-bog-do and Ikhe-bogdo. At the southwestern foot of the mountain with the tomb there spread a large meadowlike area on which were seen many hundreds of praying stands. At these in the summer many Lamas gather for prayers. It is said that they pray for the great dead buried on the top of the mountain.

Mystery attaches first of all to Professor Kozloff’s report, because it was held back by the Soviet authorities for nearly two months. Then it was censored in five places. While a great deal of “meditative” matter is printed, actual facte are withheld. The name or geographical locality of the mountain containing the tomb is not given, and the communication is cut short with the discovery, giving no details of the actual find. The suggestion is made that the Soviet fears complications in Mongolia and among Buddhists all over Asia if the desecration of an admittedly sanctified places becomes known. Al- ' ready there is a great deal of friction between the Soviet and Mongolia, on religious questions, and much of its failure in China is ascribed to the same cause. The mystery is further increased by repeated reports denying or casting doubts upon, the discovery .attributed to Professor Kozloff. Ghenghiz Khan (the name means “Perfect warrior Emperor”) was born in 1162, the son of a petty chieftain. By 1215 all China north of the Yellow River was in his hands and later his armies penetrated to Georgia (Caucasus) and across the Indus.