Day 6: The Secret History of Mike and Bone?
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Waking up, Mike and Bone met Sinhee and Baatar in the dining room (now open from the prior evening's festivities!) for their daily morning dose of boiled beef and onion's! After their last belch of the morning, the fearsome foursome headed to a the local provincial museum of the Khenti district. The Khenti district is named after the Khenti Mountains. It is best known as the birthplace, and likely final resting place, of Chinggis.
Musing at the Chinggis Town Museum !
Ironically, the museum was focused on the whole Mongolian nomadic experience, not just the Town’s namesake, Chinggis!
Having the stones to tell their story!
The Museum had a number of obelisks or stone pillars built by early Mongolian nomad’s. These stones were carded to provide a story of an event in Mongolian history, from a simple battle, to a major cultural event, and a found throughout eastern Mongolia. After an hour touring through the interesting Museum, Sinhee led the boys out to confront the Mongolian Soviet past!
Checking out a Soviet Tank outside the Museum!
Nothing like walking outside and seeing a tank turret pointing in your direction! The tank above is a reminder of the communist authoritarian government the Soviets inflicted on Mongolia for over 60 years. With that "pleasant" reminder, Baatar, pointed the SUV west towards Khenti, the site of Chinggis's Winter Camp, and the home of unknown author of the "Secret History of the Mongols."
A Mongolian Lake District!
From ancient times to the present, the Khenti lake district has been popular for its fresh and salt water lakes. In the very brief Mongolian summers, tourists from Ulaanbaatar come out to take advantage of the "healing properties" of the waters that also attracted Chinggis and his band of merry men!
A Proper Mongolian Welcome to Mike and Bone!!!
Being a resort area, Mike and Bone were going to stay the evening into a nice cabin vs. a smelly Ger! Pulling up to the camp, Mike and Bone were greeted by a traditionally dressed teenager and little girls that brought the boys milk-tea and cookies as along with a very cool picture of the lake they were in front of from back in the day!
The Camp was quaint and fun, but the Boys were on a mission! So they dropped their bags and back in the SUV for another 45 minutes with one of the Camp Directors in tow to first find the "Secret History of the Mongols" site!
The Site of the Secret History of the Mongols
The Secret History of the Mongols is the oldest surviving literary work in the Mongolic languages. Written for the Mongol royal family sometime after the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, it recounts his life and conquests, and partially the reign of his son and successor Goodie Khan.
The author is unknown and wrote in the Middle Mongol language using Mongolian script, somehow the Mongolians "know" that it was written at this site around 1228 on the banks of the Heerlen River right in front of the pillar Mike and Bone are hanging on below!
The Mike and Bone getting Stoned at the site of the Secret History of the Mongols
The Secret History is regarded as the single most significant native Mongolian account of Genghis Khan. It begins with a semi-mythical genealogy of Genghis Khan, born Temüjin. According to legend, a blue-grey wolf and a fallow doe begat the first Mongol (as seen in the Wolf Statue on the first day on the Mountain), named Batachiqan.
Eleven generations after Batachiqan, a widow named Alan Gua was abandoned by her in-laws and left with her two boys Bügünütei and Belgünütei. She then bore three more sons with a supernatural glowing man who came in through the smoke-hole at the top of the ger. The youngest of Alan Gua's three divinely-born children was Bodonchar, founder of the Borjigin. The description of Temüjin's life begins with the kidnapping of his mother, Hoelun, by his father Yesügei. It then covers Temüjin's early life following his birth around 1160; the difficult times after the murder of his father; and the many conflicts against him, wars, and plots before he gains the title of Chinggis Khan in 1206. The latter parts of the work deal with the campaigns of conquest of Chinggis and his third son Ögedei throughout Eurasia; the text ends with Ögedei's reflections on what he did well and what he did wrong.
Scholars of Mongolian history consider the text hugely important for the wealth of information it contains on the ethnography, language, literature and varied aspects of the Mongol culture. It is considered unique among the Mongol texts as an example free from the influence of Buddhism prevalent in later texts. It is especially valued for its vivid and realistic depictions of daily tribal life and organization of Mongol civilization in the 12th century.
The Mike and Bone getting Stoned at the site of the Secret History of the Mongols
The description of Temüjin's life begins with the kidnapping of his mother, Hoelun, by his father Yesügei. It then covers Temüjin's early life following his birth around 1160; the difficult times after the murder of his father; and the many conflicts against him, wars, and plots before he gains the title of Chinggis Khan in 1206. The latter parts of the work deal with the campaigns of conquest of Chinggis and his third son Ögedei throughout Eurasia; the text ends with Ögedei's reflections on what he did well and what he did wrong.
The Yet-To-Be Opened Secret History of the Mongols Museum!
After checking a very amazing shell of a museum where the Mongolian's will store artifacts for the Secret History (in the middle of no where) The local Guide directed the SUV to a very cool spot, the Winter Quarters of Chinggis Khan!!
Chinggis Khan's Winter Quarters!
A mile away was maybe one of the coolest parts of the trip, Chinggis Khan's winter quarters! Archeologist in 2020, confirmed that this site of on the Avraga river was the winter base camp, or ordū, of Chingghis. This location was the command post from where the Mongol leader staged his many invasions across the globe. Chinggis chose these site for many reasons, one was familiarity - he was from the area!
Putting a Spring in Mike and Bones Step!
Second - water! You needed a lot of water for an army of 20,000 - 30,000 soldiers. This site had access to the fresh and salt water lakes for healing soldiers, rivers for washing, but a VERY cool mineral water spring that is still running to this day!.
Mike and Bone were able to drink out of the same spring water that Chinggis Khan did! It was naturally carbonated and very refreshing! After wetting their whistle, the Boys walked on the little hill to observe the surrounding steppe and learned about the third reason.
A Defensible Position!
"Mike and Bone, Mongol Warriors!!!"
The view from the little hill was so cool, Mike and Bone could see for hundreds miles in every direction and "saw" what Chinggis "saw". First, there is still nothing on the horizon, no shopping centers, strip malls, or gas stations. Second, you could see a army coming hours before it could get there! Chinggis, the strategist was very wise in his choice for his winter camp!
After "channeling Chinggis" for a few more minutes, everyone headed back to the camp for cocktails!
Afternoon Cocktails!
After a good morning, Mike and Bone needed to celebrate! Getting a bottle of red wine and a bevy of Altan Gobi brews, the Boys spent a better part of the afternoon sitting in a warm afternoon sun, enjoying not sitting in the bucking Bataar's SUV, the Boys mellowed into an early evening buzz.
The very cool Camp!
Around sunset, Mike and Bone joined Bataar and Sinhee for a better version of the now monotonous boiled beef and onions! Either the Camp cooks were good, or the brews made the food better!! After dinner the Boys had one or two more that called it a night and crawled into a warm bed, vs a wet ger!