The Secret of Jochi. Steppe Detective

The mausoleum of Jochi Khan is located in the hilly area of ​​Ulytau. A large number of other mausoleums (Dombaul, Alash Khan, etc.), cemeteries, ancient ruins and settlements, as well as religious monuments - tours are concentrated in this area. According to one version, it was here that the political center of the emerging Ulus of Jochi (Golden Horde) was located. And therefore it is not surprising that the founder of this powerful state, the eldest son of Genghis Khan, is buried here.
Seriously speaking, early historical sources do not mention the burial place of Jochi. The fact that this particular mausoleum belongs to him is just a legend, which, by the way, dates the construction of the mazar to 1227 - the time of Jochi’s death. But Jochi professed paganism, and it’s somehow not logical to build a mausoleum on a Muslim model a hundred years before the official adoption of Islam in the state. Nevertheless, in one of the chronicles of the 16th century. mention is made of a certain grave of Jochi located in this area. As far as I know, there are no “alternative” graves of this historical figure. And the local rumor could not have arisen out of nowhere...
The type of layout of the mausoleum, as well as the building material, allow its construction to be attributed to the 14th century. That is, even if the remains of Genghis Khan’s son rest here, the structure over his grave was built only after a long time. The results of archaeological work are interesting - fragmented parts of the skeleton were found in the grave, which indicates that the buried person was reburied. Although this may also indicate the robbery of the mazar.
There is a cemetery next to the mausoleum. Here you can find various grave structures: another (modern) mausoleum, stone fences and just small mounds. A little north of the main mazar you can see the foundations of ancient buildings.
Thus, today it is impossible to say for sure that the mausoleum belongs to Jochi Khan, much less attribute it to the 13th century. However, for lovers of all sorts of antiquities, you can take a tour of Ulytau. Hilly steppes, visible mausoleums like beacons and the spirit of that time in the air leave an indelible impression...

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• Address:

  Kazakhstan, Karaganda, 50 km. northeast of the city of Dzhezkazgan, the left bank of the Kara-Kengir River.

• Additional Information:

  Public transport does not go here. The only option is by car. The nearest large settlement is the city of Dzhezkazgan. From here you can get to the mausoleum either along the right bank of the river. Kara-Kengir, and on the left. The road along the left bank is shorter, but it is only a track in the steppe, which, according to rumors, is impassable in the spring.
  Along the right bank of the river there is an asphalt road to Malshybay. From it you should turn right at point 48.221092 SSH 67.640010 VD and drive 10-15 kilometers along the track in the steppe to the east. This road will lead to the Kara-Kengir River, the ford through which is located at point 48.168437 N 67.822397 E. Further along the track to the south for 2 km. In high water, a car may not be able to cross the ford, but it is quite possible to cross it on foot.
  If you don't have your own car, you can take a taxi. Taxi drivers are located at the railway and bus stations. In April 2013, for two people from Dzhezkazgan to the mausoleum and back cost 11,000 tenge.

Here you can clearly see a pile of stones - the ruins of the “main” mound, and two stone ridges 30-50 meters long running away from it:

Kenzhal Balkenovich explained everything to me practically “on the fingers”: after all, paganism was a deeply practical religion, one might even say applied. And all his rituals were in one way or another connected with the annual agricultural cycle, and therefore were strictly tied to dates. The pagan temple doubled as an observatory that tracked these dates. That is, the “mustache” could be something like a calendar. And considering that the “mustachioed graves” were built even before the Turkic Kaganate, one can judge how ancient a place Dombaul stands.
Kenzhal Balkenovich walks along the “mustache”:

On the neighboring hill you can see something else - however, it’s worth saying that along the way we came across dozens of such structures. Both of these are the heritage of the ancient, ancient steppe tradition, still alive among the Buryats and Mongols. Obo (oboo, ovaa) are altars to lower spirits living at passes, crossroads, and watersheds. For a long time, when passing by, a nomad would leave them a symbolic gift - a stone, a piece of paper, a handful of grains.

The first of the sons of Genghis Khan, a fearless warrior, strategist and commander - Jochi, or, as the Kazakhs call him, Zhoshy Khan. Mystery surrounds his birth and death. What did he want to prove to himself, his father and the world? Why do experts have so many questions about his grave? "Steppe Detective" and Esquire became interested in one of the most controversial figures in the great Mongol Empire.

The very first mystery is connected with the birth of Jochi. In the early 1180s, Genghis Khan's first, beloved wife Borte gave birth to a boy. Before that, she was held captive by the Merkit tribe for several months and returned from there while pregnant. Suspicion of illegitimacy could have ruined Jochi's life and career, but the father never reproached his son and his mother, and subsequently even gave his first-born his own ulus. Only once did the younger brother, Chagatai’s eternal rival, accuse Jochi of dubious origins. Russian researcher Roman Pochekaev notes one striking detail: no matter what rumors about the origin of Jochi were spread, they did not have a negative impact on the fate of his heir Khan Batu (Batu) and other Jochids. No one showed any doubt about the legal origin of Jochi’s descendants: they not only bore khan’s titles in their domains, but were also often invited to the thrones of states that belonged to other branches of the Chingizids.

From the work of the 14th century scientist Rashid ad-Din “Collection of Chronicles” (“Jami at-tawarikh”) : « In the very first years of the actions of Genghis Khan... his wife, mentioned Borte-fujin, became pregnant with Jochi Khan. At such a time, the Merkit clan plundered the home of Genghis Khan and took away his wife, who was pregnant..."

The Persian scholar Rashid ad-Din wrote an essay that was the most important source on the history of the Mongol Empire.

The next thing experts are thinking about is why the boy was named Jochi, what did it mean? According to one version, Genghis Khan, seeing his son, said: “A new guest has arrived to us safely!” The Mongols used the word “zochin” or “juchi” to call a person who came to visit for the first time. But the scientist Zardykhan Kinayatuly put forward another hypothesis: “jochi” can be interpreted as “broad-chested”, “giant”, or this name was given in honor of one of the older relatives. By the way, many believe that Jochi was the eldest of the children of the Great Kagan. But is it? In the essay of the same Rashid ad-Din there is a phrase that refutes a well-known fact. It turns out that even before Jochi, Genghis Khan had a daughter. Even her name is reported - Fujin-begi. This is the real first-born in the family of the future Great Kagan! The sons were considered to continue the dynasty, so the girl fell out of everyone's attention. Did she live to adulthood? Who was she married to? Nothing is known about the fate of Genghis Khan's first daughter. About the sons, the chronicles report that Jochi always argued with the middle brothers Chagatai and Ogedei, and, on the contrary, got along with the youngest (Tului). And what about the Great Kagan himself? What kind of heir did he dream of? And why are suspicions about Jochi’s violent death so persistent?

Jochi set out on his first military campaign at the age of 25, and at 32 he had already received part of the conquered lands from his father.

As the orientalist Timur Beisembiev said in “Secrets of the Great Steppe”: “The eldest son of Genghis Khan participated in the most important campaigns of Genghis Khan, but remained in the shadow of his father. Judging by the way the father distributed the conquered lands among his sons, Jochi did not enjoy priority, although he had the right of primacy among the heirs. For example, when the Great Kagan conquered Transoxiana, that is, Central Asia, he transferred Otrar and other cities to his middle son Chagatai. And for Jochi, conquests were allocated in the Great Steppe - to the west of Mongolia, this is Desht-i-Kipchak, but there were no rich cities or oases there, this is an unpromising territory.” Jochi did not inherit the empire; his father appointed his youngest son Tului as the keeper of the ancestral lands. And he sent his eldest son to settle in a region inhabited by warlike Turks. This is probably why it seems to researchers that in recent years Jochi quietly feuded with his father and sought to get rid of him. “He understood that it was impossible to govern this huge country without taking into account cultural, religious and other characteristics, and it would not be possible to force them to obey Mongolian laws. These lands should, in modern terms, have autonomy from the large ulus. This is how he could really anger Genghis Khan. And perhaps Jochi’s death was not accidental,” the architect and historian of material culture Almas Ordabaev explained to me.

The Ulus of Jochi is known to many as the Golden Horde.

Despite the assumption of difficulties between father and son, it must be admitted that personal qualities, military successes and primogeniture made Jochi one of the significant figures in the Mongol Empire. His death became the next mystery of history. Did this happen out of malice, during a hunt, or because of illness? You will not find answers in the Mongolian “officialdom”, but we have reached the legend of the nomads that Jochi died hunting kulans. This is described in the famous Kazakh kui “Aksak kulan” (“Lame kulan”). It also says that the grief-stricken father ordered hot lead to be poured into the throat of the black messenger, and that is how a round hole appeared in the Kazakh dombra. It is noteworthy that academician Alkey Margulan was guided by the epic during his excavations near Dzhezkazgan in the 40s of the last century. He explored the mysterious mausoleum, which is dedicated to Jochi, or, as the Kazakhs call him, Zhoshi Khan. Soviet scientists discovered the remains of a man and a woman in the grave. Judging by the details of the funeral rite, they were representatives of high rank, Jochids.

This is how the mausoleum of Zhoshi Khan appeared before the first researchers Kanysh Satpayev and Alkey Margulan.

The main mysteries of the mausoleum are: who lies in it and why is it made in the Islamic tradition, but dedicated to the pagan Genghisid? I talked with archaeologist Zhuman Smailov, who explored the mausoleum at the end of the 20th century, and he noticed that researchers are still at a loss as to where exactly Jochi is buried. Arab-Persian sources indicated that his headquarters were located on the Irtysh, and folk legends claim that he also had a headquarters on Ulytau. Near the mausoleum of Zhoshi Khan, archaeologists discovered the remains of a settlement, which can serve as confirmation in favor of Kazakh legends. Jochi was a shamanist, but why does his supposed grave look like a Muslim burial? Architect Elena Khoroho, who restored the mausoleum of Zhoshi Khan, quoted to me the famous orientalist Vasily Bartold, who assumed that “subsequently Muslim khans built Muslim-type mausoleums over the graves of their pagan ancestors.” This was done in order to note the contribution and significance of the great predecessor, in order to emphasize his holiness.

A detective story happened with the remains discovered in the Jochi mausoleum. Here is what archaeologist Zhuman Smailov said: “The bones of Jochi were taken out back in 1946. We searched for them for a long time, reached Leningrad and after St. Petersburg. They followed a false trail several times, but in the end they found it... in Almaty, in the basement of a museum among boxes with unidentified skulls. It’s good that a detailed description of the find, made by Soviet anthropologists, has been preserved. Now the bones rest where they belong, in the mausoleum of Zhoshi Khan.”

Near the restored Jochi mausoleum, the remains of a medieval settlement are visible.

The Genealogy of the Turks reports that Jochi “died in Desht-i-Kipchak six months before the death of Genghis Khan,” who died in August 1227. Jochi Khan had about forty children, but only a few of them have accurate information. Another remarkable thing: for some reason history wanted to leave the grave of Genghis Khan a secret, and it decided to connect the name of his eldest son Jochi with a land far from Mongolia and with a mausoleum standing in the Kazakh steppe.