Mongolia Travelogue: A Journey Through the Greatest Horseman’s Empire and the Radical Turning Point of History
On the steppe outside Ulaanbaatar, a 40-meter steel Genghis Khan rises astride a silver horse—the largest equestrian statue in the world. I climbed through its chest to stand on the horse’s head, where the wind and endless horizon made history feel alive. (Image Felix Abt)
Arrival in the Land of the Khan
Mongolia, at last. A travelogue of discovery across its majestic land, resilient people, and echoes of empire.
As you step into Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar, one of the first sights is a vivid map of Mongolia displayed on a sleek signboard—an invitation to explore the land once ruled by the world’s greatest horseman. (Photo Felix Abt)
Here in Mongolia, Genghis Khan isn’t just a historical figure—he’s a national icon. His face is everywhere—on statues, in museums, even printed on currency. He’s celebrated as the founder of the Mongol Empire, a symbol of unity, strength, and national pride.
Life on the Steppe
His legacy runs deep: from the towering equestrian monument outside the city, to school textbooks, to political speeches. I’ve even seen wedding parties visit Genghis Khan statues—paying their respects and seeking good fortune. Here, he’s not just history. He’s living memory.
On the windswept Mongolian steppe, I was welcomed into a family’s yurt—a low, circular shelter wrapped in layers of felt and history. The wind howled outside, but inside, warmth gathered around a crackling stove. My hosts offered a bowl of what I took to be suutei tsai, the salty milk tea that anchors many Mongolian hearths, alongside golden pieces of fried dough—perhaps boortsog—crisp at the edges and soft within. The hospitality was quiet, unassuming, and deeply generous. In that moment, surrounded by the rhythms of nomadic life, I felt less like a visitor and more like a guest of the steppe itself. (Photo Felix Abt)
A Child Is Born—Destined to Shake the World
In the vast, endless grasslands of Mongolia… a child is born.
It is around the year 1162, near the icy waters of Lake Baikal.
His name… is Temüjin.
This boy will grow into the man the world knows as Genghis Khan—the “universal ruler”—and the architect of the largest contiguous empire in human history.
The Rise of the Universal Ruler
Temüjin’s father, Yesügei, is a powerful chieftain. But when he’s poisoned by rivals, Temüjin—still a boy—is left vulnerable.
His family is abandoned. Stripped of status. Left to starve.
But in the barren steppe, hardship is a forge. Temüjin learns to survive… and to lead.
Through cunning alliances, decisive victories, and unshakable will, he unites the warring Mongol tribes.
By 1206, he takes a new name: Genghis Khan—the universal ruler.
The Storm Breaks
Genghis Khan unleashes a wave of conquest the world has never seen:
- The Western Xia and Jin dynasties of China
- The Khwarazmian Empire of Central Asia
- Persia, Afghanistan, and deep into Russia
His armies move with terrifying speed—hundreds of miles in days. They strike where least expected, luring enemies into traps, crushing them without mercy.
The author learned that Mongol warriors traveled with three horses—rotating between them so two could rest while one carried the rider. This ingenious strategy enabled them to traverse vast distances with astonishing speed. (Pictured: the author alongside Mongolian herders on horseback)
He becomes a master of fear itself—psychological warfare, deception, and the ruthless destruction of those who resist.
The Visionary Ruler
But Genghis Khan is more than a warlord:
- He gives his people a written script.
- Establishes the first Mongol law code.
- Opens the Silk Road to unprecedented trade.
- Enforces religious freedom.
Under his rule comes the Pax Mongolica—a fragile yet remarkable peace spanning continents, connecting East and West through commerce, culture, and exchange.
Death and Legacy
In 1227, during a campaign against the Tangut kingdom, Genghis Khan dies—aged around 65. His empire is divided among his sons, with Ögedei Khan as the new Great Khan.
But the systems he built—and the fear his name inspires—will shape the world for centuries.
His empire is not just the story of conquests—it’s the story of transformation:
- A merit-based system where talent outranks birthright.
- Economic innovation—standardized measures, currencies, even paper money.
- A flow of ideas, goods, and technologies that sets the stage for globalization—centuries before the term exists.
He began as an orphan in exile… and became the ruler of the known world.
This… is the legacy of Genghis Khan.
A dramatic turn in history
But history isn’t done with the Mongols just yet.
The year is 1260.
For decades, the Mongols have swept across continents like a storm—cities burned, empires shattered. No army has stopped them.
Until now.
The Unlikely Opponent
At the helm of Egypt’s Mamluk army stands not a native Egyptian, nor even a free-born man. His name is Seyfeddin Qutuz—reportedly a prince of the Khwarazmian royal line, born in a region steeped in Persian influence but shaped by the chaos of Mongol conquest.
Like the young Temüjin, Qutuz’s early life is marked by loss and betrayal. Both are torn from their birthright—one abandoned after his father’s murder, the other captured when Mongol armies destroyed his homeland. Both endure years of hardship, shaped by the harshest of trials. And both emerge as leaders of men.
Qutuz is captured. Sold into slavery. Trained as a soldier in a foreign land.
The Mamluks are no ordinary army—they’re forged from the chains of bondage, enslaved warriors turned elite fighters. And Qutuz? He rises through their ranks until, against all odds, he becomes Sultan of Egypt.
The decisive battle of Ain Jalut
The Mongols have already taken Baghdad. Syria has fallen. Egypt is next.
Qutuz marches his forces to Ain Jalut—in present-day northern Israel—to face an enemy no one has ever beaten in open battle.
The Mongols are led by Kitbuqa, a fearsome general serving Hulagu Khan, grandson of Genghis. Confident. Relentless. Undefeated—until today.
In a sudden counterattack, the Mamluks smash into the Mongol lines. Steel clashes. War cries echo. And by day’s end, the impossible has happened: the Mongols are in retreat.
Aftermath
This is more than a victory—it’s a fracture in the myth of Mongol invincibility.
The tide of conquest is stopped at Egypt’s doorstep.
Islamic civilization in North Africa is preserved.
Seyfeddin Qutuz will be assassinated just weeks later, but his triumph at Ain Jalut changes history forever.
It was during my younger years living and working in Egypt that I first encountered Qutuz’s story—not in textbooks, but in conversations, museum plaques, and the quiet pride of locals who spoke of the man who defied the Mongols. The name lingered, a symbol of resilience and reversal.
This bust of Qutuz in Cairo commemorates his role as a national and Islamic hero.
And Genghis Khan?
The great Khan has been dead for over thirty years, but his shadow still looms. Born Temüjin in 1162 near Lake Baikal, he built the largest contiguous empire in history. Yet here, at Ain Jalut, that legacy meets its first great stumbling block—at the hands of a man whose own life began with the same scars: loss, exile, and the will to fight back.
In a twist worthy of history’s irony, the boy once broken by the Mongols becomes the man who breaks them.