The exhibition, which is currently showing in Istanbul under the title "Genghis Khan and his Heirs - The Great Mongolian Empire", includes more than 500 objects made as early as the 12th century, said museum director Tibor Kovács. The paintings, gold treasures, Buddhist statutes and writings come from the collections of twenty museums in Europe and Mongolia.
In addition to Istanbul, the exhibition has already been travelled to Bonn, Munich and the Austrian city of Schallaburg. The exhibition in Budapest will be expanded with objects from the time of the Tatars.
Kovács said the exhibition is expected to attract more than a hundred thousand visitors.
Genghis Khan (1162-1227), born Temüjin, united the Mongol tribes and formed the Mongol Empire in 1206. He and his successors went on to conquer many of the Mongolians' neighbours, including Persia, Korea and parts of Russia, Indonesia, India and China. In 1241, Genghis Khan's heirs invaded Poland and Hungary too. At its height, the Mongolian Empire stretched from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean.
Today Genghis Khan is regarded as a national hero by Mongolians, who celebrated the 800th anniversary of the founding of their state in 2006.
On an official visit to Budapest in 2005, Mongolian president Natsagiyn Bagadbandi said he would take steps to see the exhibition travelled to Hungary at the request of Hungarian president Ferenc Mádl.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
