A structure in the heart of Mongolia’s Gobi Desert – lost for a thousand years and marked on maps as ‘The Wall of Genghis Khan’ – has been revealed as still standing and part of the Great Wall.
British researcher William Lindesay, aided by Google Earth, GPS and several other experts, found the new section last Autumn in Ömnögovi Province, a sensitive region 25 miles north of the China-Mongolian border.
The Great Wall of China is in fact many different structures built over hundreds of years along different routes by various dynasties - this find is the first time a section has been discovered outside China.
Remarkable: This part of the newly discovered Wall was constructed from earth and branches and built in 115 B.C
High life: Here the Wall is routed up and over an ancient volcanic cone and is composed of black blocks of basalt
‘We followed the Wall there for about 100 kilometres (60 miles), parallel to Mongolia’s southern border with China and made some unexpected discoveries in terms of both the Wall’s condition and its probable age,’ said Lindesay, who was joined on the expedition by China-Mongolia border region expert Dr.Tjalling Halbertsma and Mongolian geographer and desert specialist Professor Baasan Tudevin.
‘In one location we found the Wall preserved to a height of around 2.5 metres (eight feet) and made up of earth and branches of a desert shrub called saksaul.’
In another location about 15 miles away the team discovered that the same Wall detoured off its flat and straight course and went up and over an ancient volcanic cone.
‘Going over the mountain it was constructed from black blocks of basalt and stands around 1.5 metres (five feet) high as a prominent landscape feature,’ said Lindesay, who is one of the world’s leading authorities on the Wall, having spent 25 years studying it.
He believes that of all the examples of the Wall of Genghis Khan in Mongolia, these are in the best condition.
He said: ‘Previously, researchers have seen parts of the so-called Wall of Genghis Khan in different regions of Mongolia where it was found only to exist as a mere mound, barely higher than its surroundings,’ he explained. ‘We found a real Wall here, thanks to Google Earth and Professor Baasan’s navigation of our vehicles across 150 km (93 miles) of desert devoid of human activity right to our target.
Wild life: Gazelle tracks beside the Wall of Genghis Khan
‘We “followed” the Wall as a faint line on Google Earth across our computer screens for vast distances and were encouraged by a few stretches that showed dark shadows, which indicated the possibility of the Wall standing higher.’
Despite the name assigned to this part of the Wall, Lindesay doesn’t believe that Genghis Khan was actually responsible for building it.
He said: ‘Genghis Khan was a conquerer, not a defender, and it seems his name is given as a “brand name” to various things in Mongolia - so we believe it’s just an honorific name on the Wall.’
Its history, is not straightforward.
He said: ‘The Wall of Genghis Khan in Ömnogovi appears to be a missing piece of the Han Dynasty Great Wall which was routed through the heart of the Gobi around 115 B.C. If we look at maps and Google Earth, it’s pretty clear that the Wall on either side of the border was in fact the same structure - the Han Great Wall - in ancient times.
‘Now it’s a remnant of the Great Wall marooned outside China.’
Radiocarbon dating, however, revealed that some of the wall must have been rebuilt at various times.
‘Sample testing on three pieces carried out in the U.S. proved that the saksaul branches from the Wall were cut during the 12th century - a fact that suggests it was reconstructed at that time - by a later dynasty,’ saidLindesay.
Full results of Lindesay's find appears in China's March issue of National Geographic Magazine.
New section of Great Wall of China discovered by British researcher | Mail Online