Unlike King Tut and Ulysses S. Grant, Genghis Khan hasn’t had his coming out party yet. And by that, we mean his tomb hasn’t been discovered. For seven centuries, adventurers, grave-robbers, archaeologists, and amateur treasure-hunters have been on the case, but all have come up short.
Now, one 86-year-old American, Alan Nichols, believes he’s found it. “I could tell you where Genghis Khan is buried,” Nichols told Post magazine. “But then I’d have to shoot you.”
Per The Secret History of the Mongols, the oldest known Mongolian historical work, Burkhan Khaldun mountain in northeastern Mongolia is more than just the usual suspect. Khan himself is quoted in the book as saying, “Bury me here when I pass away.”
But Nichols, who’s a lawyer, author, Asia expert, and held the coveted role of president at New York City’s “secret” society The Explorers Club, has other ideas. He told Post‘s Tessa Chan:
“I’m very careful about not telling people where it is….I have agreements with all the technical people—I’m a lawyer, as you know—and I’ve already thought how to make sure that nobody lets it out[.]”
He invited the Post author along with him on a recent expedition, and as far as we can tell, they didn’t find the tomb. But then again, that might be because Nichols didn’t want to tell the journalist where it was. Or because the author of the piece now knows where it is and signed a non-disclosure agreement.
In any event, to read the lengthy story about Nichols’ quest, click here. Below, watch a video from when Nichols was still president of the Explorers Club about said quest.
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