Mongolia is a country located to the west of China and is dominated by the Gobi Dessert. It has been known traditionally as a land of fierce nomadic tribes that were considered excellent horsemen and exceptional archers. Around 1160 it became renowned as the birthplace of a young man known as Temujin; better known as Genghis Khan (Universal or Supreme Ruler/Leader). While he was born to a small poor tribe and mistreated at a young age, instead of resenting and hating people he learned what the needed and wanted. Thus when he became an adult heunified the warring tribes and went on to set up the largest single empire the world has ever known, controlling most of Asia and over half of Europe.

His heritage included operating by the principles of a “Yasa”, which is Mongolian for a code of ethics or honour. It was basically the laws and regulations put in place by which people were to live. The laws were considered to be similar to the Hebrew 10 commandments or the laws of Mohammed. One of the main ones that was different at the time was religious tolerance. Though Khan professed no gods or faith of his own, he felt that everyone one had the right to worship whatever they pleased, provided it didn’t attack others or practice living sacrifices; . Fanaticism was wrong. A person found guilty of harming a priest or temple, no matter whom, by rule of the Yasa of Khan was put to death.

The same death penalty applied to most crimes, after a fair trial. He set up equal social practices to help the poor and less fortunate as he grew up poor. He required everybody to share their food after the less fortunate! He also felt women should be free, no scarves and they were allowed to be educated, unheard of in the Middle East. This equality would have certainly increased support of the common person.

Genghis Khan also felt that education was important and scholars were to be treated with dignity and respect. They were allowed free travel and encouraged to teach others whatever they wished (provided it didn’t involve killing them). He encouraged the free exchange of ideas and art. Cities under the rule of Khan were free and multicultural.

Temujin formed the Mongol Hordes into a unified military force of 100,000 horse warriors that could strike with lightning speed and showed no mercy to other soldiers. Ironically enough, this really wasn’t that big of an army compared to the ones he defeated. The Chinese were numbered in the millions and the same applied to the Crusaders, but he was more successful than them all! He did around 60 years of age and requested no great memorials, an unusual leader from an unusual place at an unusual time.