The emperors of all Chinese dynasties generally had mausoleums after their deaths, but none of the tombs of the emperors of the Yuan Dynasty have been found so far, but this does not mean that there were no imperial tombs in the Yuan Dynasty. According to historical records, the Yuan Dynasty had its mysterious anti-theft measures, making it impossible to find the emperor's tomb, even by satellite search.
If you look at the 5,000-year-old history of imperial tombs in China, you will find that the emperors of various dynasties tried various methods to prevent their tombs from being stolen after death, such as setting up bows and crossbows inside the tombs, pouring mercury on the inside of the tombs, and writing incantations on the tombstones.
However, from the existing data records, we can find the fact that although the ancient emperors tried all kinds of methods to prevent theft, there were still emperors' tombs destroyed by tomb robbers. There is only one exception for the imperial mausoleum of one dynasty, which is the imperial mausoleum of the Yuan Dynasty.
Until now, archaeologists have not found a tomb of an emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, but this does not mean that the emperors of the Yuan Dynasty did not have a tomb, on the contrary, the specifications of the tomb may not be inferior to that of other imperial tombs, but because of its mysterious anti-theft measures, it is impossible for future generations to find it. So, what special anti-theft measures did the mausoleums of the Yuan Dynasty take?
There is a record of the tomb customs of the Yuan Dynasty in Ye Ziqi's "Cao Muzi" of the Ming Dynasty: the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty died, "two pieces of wood were used, hollowed out of them, and the human-like size was combined into a coffin, and the body was placed in it...... Add lacquer, finish, then take gold as the circle, three circles (two ends of the hoop, the middle)". Then, dig a deep ditch and bury them together, "Peacefully with ten thousand horses." Kill the camels on them, and guard them with a thousand horses. In the coming year, when the grass is born, the tent will be moved and dispersed, and the hope will be peaceful, and people will not know it."
The first anti-theft measure in the tombs of the emperors of the Yuan Dynasty was the "Ten Thousand Horses Taping", which is a traditional Mongolian custom of imperial tombs. There are records in history about the tomb customs of the Yuan Dynasty, which do not show the slightest trace, and outsiders cannot find it at all, so the anti-theft function is the highest.
Through this burial custom, if the tomb mark ceases to exist, or if the person who knows the place of the cemetery dies, it will be more difficult for future generations to discover nature than to ascend to heaven because the tomb is level with the ground and is covered by grass. A large part of the reason why the real tomb of Genghis Khan has not been discovered today is related to this.
The historical books compiled by the relevant literati of the Southern Song Dynasty recorded the whole process of Genghis Khan's burial: "After Genghis Khan died of illness in Ningxia, his body was transported to a place at the foot of Kent Mountain in Mobei and buried in a deep pit on the surface. His body was stored in a wooden coffin hollowed out of the middle of a large tree.
After the coffin is buried, the soil is backfilled, and then ten thousand horses are flattened. In order to prevent outsiders from discovering the address of the mausoleum, after leveling the tomb of Genghis Khan with horses, his soldiers had to use tents to enclose the surrounding area, and wait until the grass on the tomb ground grows, which is no different from the surrounding grass, and then remove the tent, so that the location of the tomb will not be revealed.
When all this work was done, the Mongols killed a baby camel on the surface of the burial ground, and the mother camel who accompanied the baby camel would cry out in grief and remember the place. In the second year, at the time of the sacrifice, the she-camel was brought in, and at the place where the baby camel was killed, the she-camel wept with grief. In this way, those who came to worship could find the exact location of the tomb. In this way, after the death of the camel, it is difficult for future generations to find the exact burial place of Genghis Khan, which is why the location of Genghis Khan's real tomb is still a mystery to this day.
Genghis Khan was a great emperor, and there are many historical records and legends about his death, burial place, and the relocation of his coffin. In the southeastern part of today's Ordos Plateau, in the grassland of Yijin Horo, where green grass is thick, streams are lingering, and cattle and sheep are everywhere, a beautiful and unique palace stands high. This is the holy place in the hearts of the Mongols and the resting place of Genghis Khan, a generation of Tianjiao Genghis Khan - Genghis Khan's Mausoleum.
Although due to secret burial reasons, today's Genghis Khan's mausoleum does not really contain his real body. But for hundreds of years, the Mongols still regarded it as the resting place of their holy lord, and they had infinite reverence and yearning for the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan.
Before the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols had their own unique funeral Xi, which was characterized by thin burials and simple funerals. The Mongols are nomadic people living in the steppe, they do not have a fixed residence, and their lifestyle is relatively simple and practical. Especially during the war years, when the Mongols were expanding greatly, the funeral rites were especially simple.
At the time of burial, the deceased was seated in the center of a tabernacle that had been used for life, and prayers were held around the sacrificer, accompanied by horses, bows and arrows, and tables with meat and milk, and finally placed in the earth. The purpose is that when the deceased goes to live in another world, he will have a tabernacle to live in, a horse to ride, and meat and milk to eat.
After Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty, he implemented Han law, and gradually became influenced by the funeral Xi of the Han people, and began to use coffins for burial, but the coffins used were different from those of the Han people. After the burial of the deceased, the two coffins were put together to form a log, which was then "nailed together with iron bars." Despite entering the Central Plains, the Mongols were still as frugal as ever, and most of the shrouds were the clothes they usually wore, and the burial utensils would be relatively few, most of them were the weapons that the deceased liked during his lifetime, such as bows and arrows, swords and other things.
After the death of the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, it is slightly different from the general royal family and nobles, after the death of the emperor, there must first be a burial ceremony, and there should be more burial goods, but there are no Han officials to participate in the emperor's burial, and there will be no traces of buildings on the ground, so that no one in later generations can find the tomb of the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty.