2.  Genghis Khan was born close to the border of modern Mongolia and Siberia around 1162.  He was the son of Yesukhei, a chief of a minor Borjigin tribe, who kidnapped her mother Hoelun and was forced to a marriage.  Also known as “Temujin”, he experienced a rough childhood amidst the violence and continuous battle among tribes.  According to the “Secret History of the Mongols” (an oldest account of Mongol History), he was born with a blood-clot in his hand which symbolized a great leader and a warrior.

3.  When he was 9, Genghis’ father was poisoned to death by a rival Tatar tribe.  He regained his position as a tribe leader when he killed his older half-brother Bekhter.  In 1178, at the age of 16, Temujin married Borte with whom he had four sons and thus cementing the alliance between Konkirat tribe and his own.

5.  After rescuing his wife Borte from her captivity to the Merkit tribe, Temujin began his slow ascent to power by building competent allies.  He build his own well-trained army and used a special military tactics to defeat his enemy tribes.  By 1205, Temujin vanquished his rivals and he managed to subdue the Merkits, Naimans, Mongols, Tatars, Keraits, Uyghursa and other nomadic tribes under his rule.  He was acknowledged as “Chinggis Khan” (Genghis Khan) by Mongol leaders which means “Universal Ruler”.

6.  Mongol soldier typically maintained 3 to 4 horses for travelling.  Every soldier was fully equipped with bow, arrows, shield, dagger, and lasso.

7.  They cornered their enemies by skillfully surrounding and eliminating them.

8.  After establishing the Mongol empire, he started the Mongol invasion and raids of the Kara-Khitan Khanate, Caucasus, Khwarezmid Empire, Western Xia and Jin dynasties which eventually occupied a substantial portion of Central Asia.  When Genghis Khan returned to Mongolia in 1225, he reign a large territory from the Sea of Japan to Caspian Sea.  In 1227, Genghis conquered the XiaXia Kingdom which had refused to contribute troops to the Khwarezm invasion.

9.  He died on August 18, 1227 after the submission of Xi Xia.  Historians didn’t know specifically how he died but some believed he fell of a horse to the ground while he was on his campaign which caused internal injuries and his health never recovered from it.  His burial site was never found.

11.  The present tomb of Genghis Khan is just a symbol of his burial place.

12.  Before Genghis Khan’s death, assigned Ogedei Khan as his supreme succesor and split his empire into khanates among his sons and grandsons.  His descendants continue to stretch the Mongol Empire and lasted in 1920.  Genghis’ youngest son, Kublai Khan, was made the Great Khan and emperor of Yuan Dynasty of China.