Ask most people in Europe, the Middle East, or the Americas about Genghis Khan, and they probably will describe a blood-thirsty mass murderer who delighted in razing entire cities just for fun.

In Mongolia and throughout Central Asia, however, he is seen as a hero, a home-town boy who made good. When I worked as a teacher in Turkmenistan, I taught boys named both "Chinguz" and "Timur," after Genghis Khan and Tamerlane.


Why this great disparity? In part, it's the Khan's fault. He did make a habit of razing cities if they resisted him, as a lesson to other towns down the road. Usually, he would spare the scribes and scholars, who would write horrific (and often wildly exaggerated) accounts of the destruction. This made tactical sense, as it encouraged other nearby cities to surrender without a fight. However, many of these writings have survived, coloring perceptions of the Mongol conquest to this day.

In fact, modern-day scholars have tallied the number of people "slaughtered" in those fanciful accounts, and compared it with the census data and archaeological evidence. Astonishingly, according to the ancient scribes, Genghis Khan killed ten times more people than existed in the conquered lands! It's an incredible feat, even for such a great warrior.

If you would like to read more about the great Mongol leader, I highly recommend the 2004 book "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World" by anthropologist Jack Weatherford.

This account is based in large part on the "Secret History of the Mongols," an ancient manuscript that was rediscovered and translated only after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Photo of Genghis Khan statue in front of memorial in Ulaanbator, Mongolia, by Steve Burt on Flickr.com.