Genghis Khan: The Exhibition

I took my kids to see Genghis Khan: the Exhibition at the Irving Arts Center a couple of weeks ago. The three of us enjoyed it immensely--I don't have that many chances to take my family to see Histry Stuff, and when I do it's almost always something based in American history. So it was a lot of fun to take them to see something entirely new to them.

The exhibit was beautifully done, with just the right mix of cultural and military artifacts and exhibits. There were plenty of beautiful examples of Mongolian (and some Chinese) art, jewelry and clothing, a full-size replica of a felt tent or ger, and two whole rooms filled with thirteenth-century Mongol weapons and armor--both the real things and modern replicas to show what they would have looked like new. One exhibit even contained the mummified remains of a Mongolian noblewoman from the period (my daughter did not like that part).

Unfortunately, the exhibition has moved on now; we caught it on its next-to-last weekend in the U.S. But we enjoyed going, and each of us learned something we hadn't known before. I studied a little bit on the Mongols years ago, but never delved too deeply. Still, I knew more about Genghis than the average American, who knows more or less that he lived a long time ago, and that he killed a lot of people. But at this exhibition, I learned that:

- He and his descendants conquered an empire larger than any that came before it, and they did it on tough little ponies not much taller than donkeys.
- His greatest general, Subotai, won more battles than any other general in history.
- He practiced a remarkable degree of religious tolerance in the areas he conquered, allowing all religions freedom to worship and even exempting religious figures from taxation.
- He instituted a mail-carrying system very similar to the Pony Express.
- He was one of the most--ahem--prolific men in history, fathering an unknown number of children by more than three hundred wives and concubines. Today, approximately 8% of the population of Asia carries his genes.

My favorite part of the entire exhibition was getting to draw a half-strength (about 80 pounds) Mongolian composite bow, and watching my kids shoot ping-pong balls from a scaled-down catapult.

Have any cool Histry Stuff stories you want to share? Tell us about them!

And go get your nerd on!
HN