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Genghis' palace excavated

The foundation of a mausoleum of Genghis Khan is shown in this September 2001 photo released by the Japan-Mongolia Joint Research Team. PHOTO: AP/THE JAPAN-MONGOLIA JOINT RESEARCH TEAM, HO

The ruins of Genghis Khan's palace have been excavated in eastern Mongolia, a Japanese archaeologist said yesterday, estimating the conqueror's grave is near the site.

A joint Japanese and Mongolian research team has unearthed some 600,000m2 of the remains of the palace complex some 250km south-east of Ulan Bator.

Cornerstones and holes for pillars were found in what is thought to be a mausoleum near the centre of the remains believed built in the 13th century, when the savage warrior unified local tribes and founded the Mongol Empire.

Other unearthed articles include earrings and bronze accessories as well as incense burners with dragon designs often considered the symbol of an emperor.

The research team, which began their project in 2001, has also found the ashes and bones of horses and cows believed to have been used for a memorial service for the Mongol leader.

"We concluded it was his mausoleum because historical documents are saying such a memorial service was held to mark his death," said Noriyuki Shiraishi, assistant professor at Niigata University and head of the Japanese side of the 30-member team.

"According to various documents related to Genghis Khan, his grave is supposed to be located within a radius of 12 kilometers from the mausoleum," he said.

"We believe that with this finding, we have taken a step closer to locating his grave," he added.

The burial site of Genghis Khan remains unknown. He was believed to have been buried in an unmarked spot in the Mongolian Plateau.

While the team will continue their dig in the second phase of the project that will end in 2007, it will wait for permission from the Mongolian government to expand the project to find the grave.

Most historians agree that Genghis Khan died in 1227 while fighting in the region of Xixia, on the edge of the autonomous Chinese regions of Ningxia and Inner Mongolia.
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