On the Trail of Ghengis Khan
A 10,000km odyssey by horse, camel and foot in search of the nomad spirit from Mongolia to Hungary
The dream
In June 2004 young Australian adventurer Tim Cope stepped into the saddle on a historical quest to travel by horse, foot and camel,10,000km in the hoof prints of Mongols and the legendary Ghengis Khan from Mongolia to Europe. Setting forth from the one time capital of the Mongolian Empire, Karakorum, with three horses, his aim was to traverse the Eurasian steppe to the far reaches of the former empire in distant Hungary, and in doing so come to know the heart and soul of the steppe nomad. No one in living memory had carried out such a journey and probably not for several centuries.... and this was to be no mean task for someone who had barely ridden a horse in his life.
Who is Tim?
Tim Cope is a 28-year old from Australia who has previously spent two and a half years travelling Russia, Siberia and Mongolia by bicycle, rowboat, and many other means. He speaks fluent Russian, has worked as a guide in Antarctica, and most of all enjoys coming to know people in their home environments by traveling in traditional and local ways. Sharing his experiences through writing and film is his passion-turned career, and to date he is the author of ‘Off the Rails: Moscow to Beijing by Bike’ (Penguin 2003), and maker of two documentary films for ABC Australia and National Geographic. Tim was awarded Australian Adventurer of the Year 2006, and is a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society.
Inspiration
In 2000 during the latter stages of a cycling epic from Moscow to Beijing with his mate Chris, Tim found himself in the Gobi desert pushing his bike through sand and increasingly frustrated with being limited to tracks in such an open landscape. Every now and then horsemen would suddenly appear from over the horizon, rush towards them, and then gallop off in an equally random direction. Tim was struck not only by these people who seemed to live in a forgotten world of mounted warriors but by the incredible freedom that these horsemen traveled with. Although Mongolia today is considered unique as a land where the nomad lifestyle has survived intact, it fascinated Tim to think that these horsemen with their collapsible felt tents once lived a nomadic existence right across the breadth of the Eurasian steppe from Mongolia to Hungary. Further intriguing was that it was from this largely empty landscape that came one of the greatest world leaders of all time: Ghengis Khan.
Although on the back end of a journey and looking forward to some of the comforts of home, a question was nagging; if the steppe used to be connected as one, then did the many people scattered in todays modern world from here to Europe still have a common culture and connections? Were there still traces of the Mongols and Ghengis Khan to be found in the minds of steppe dwellers in Europe? Who were the nomads and what was their lifestlye like? What would it have been like as a Mongol to leave his home and arrive in Europe? There was only one way to find out.
During the unfolding journey, that would only begin four years later, he dreamed to write a book, and make a film, bringing to life the characters, culture, and history of the steppe for others.
On a personal note, Tim was inspired by a sense of adventure and wish to come to know the intricate human face of this expansive part of the world that often falls into a 'bermuda triangle' type hole in knowledge of geography in the west.
The era of exploring unknown continents and great untrodden mountains may be in the past, but Tim believes that learning about the world around us can be just as revealing, adventurous, and valuable now in the 21st century as it has always been.
Discovering the nomad rulers of the greatest empire in History
The Mongol Empire at its height stretched from China to Iraq, Poland to Indonesia, and to this day remains as the largest empire in history. In today's world it may surprise some that three Billion people (half the worlds population) live in lands conquered by Ghengis Khan and the Mongols. What made this empire stand out to Tim even more than its incredible proportions or notorious legends of barbary, is that its rulers in our eyes were fundamentally different: they were nomads.
The steppe and nomadism has always remained alien and on the very edge of the European consciousness. Perhaps it is due to this that the average European today knows little more about the people of Eurasia and the Mongol Empire now than his ancestors did 800 years ago when mounted hordes were threatening to take over the entire known world. So who were these nomads and where did they come from?
By traveling on horseback through the very conditions that shaped these once nomadic world leaders Tim’s aim was to learn about the nomad way of life from a human story point of view and imagine what it might have been like for a Mongol leaving his home on the steppe and arriving in Europe. Furthermore, Tim was inspired to understand in what ways the Mongols and nomads in general had contributed to the development of the modern world. Although we usually only hear of the destruction and cruelty of Ghengis and the Mongols, any empire as large and long lasting as theirs must have also had some very constructive and ingenious achievements to its name.
Why and how by Horse?
Travelling specifically by horse was the logical decision since nomads of the steppe were the first people in history to tame and ride horses, and it was this great advancement that brought them into Europe and conflict with the sedentary world. Incidentally, the horse, and horsemanship, which initially gave nomads the military edge over Europe, may be considered in the end the greatest contribution by nomads to the modern world.
The horse still plays a central role in the life, and culture of all steppe societies and so arriving with his caravan of three mounts would allow Tim to know the heart mind and soul of the steppe nomad. In addition, horses would allow Tim to experience a craved for sense of freedom and adventure, and importantly offer an opportunity to be a participant in the communities he passed through, rather than just an observer.
Although Tim had almost no experience with horses, he was able to research the art of travelling by horse largely through an organisation called the 'Long Riders Guild.' Tim would have three horses: two pack horses (one for carrying grain, the other for carrying equipment) and the third would be a riding mount. In some areas of rough terrain walking by foot or incorporating camels would also be essential.
The Experience at a glance
Three years, four summers, and three winters on in the saddle, Tim has travelled across a kaleidoscope of countries and conditions- including Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Southern Russia, Ukraine and Hungary- in what has become an odyssey reminiscent of a bygone era of exploration and true adventure. At many times, such as when he was invited to meet the deputy prime minister of the republic of Kalmikia and in Crimea welcomed into the Khan's palace with his horses, he was compared to a modern day Marco Polo.
Nomads live in particularly extreme and dramatic landscapes, and these have been a feature, and inspiration throughout Tim's journey. Often navigating with just compass and GPS, Tim and his horses have traversed high ice capped Altai mountains, snowy arctic-like wilderness on the 'Starving Steppe' of Kazakhstan, Camel country in the burning heat of Kazakhstan deserts, the spectacular black sea coast on Crimea, the forested craggy peaks of the Carpathians and finally the plains of Hungary where the Eurasian Steppe gives way to the temperate climate of Europe.
Experiences among nomads, and sometimes in extreme isolation, have ranged from horse stealing on three occasions, temperatures ranging from -50 to +54 celsius, bungled bureaucracy and delicate diplomacy on national borders, more than 160 families who have invited him into their homes, and a constant struggle to find grass and water for his caravan.
In the searing summer he traveled only at night with the addition of a camel, while in winter he struggled to travel in the few daylight hours when the temperature rose marginally. At one stage he was stuck in no mans land between Kazakhstan and Russia in a bureaucratic battle that eventually lasted almost six weeks. A mix of diplomacy and perseverance allowed him to get through this struggle and many others, and as a result Tim's caravan still includes two horses that have struggled and pulled Tim through from the distant Altai.
Memory and traces of the Mongols in Europe have been many and intriguing. Among the hutsuls- a mountain people of the Carpathians- he came across herds of horses that are renowned as the mounts left behind after the Mongols returned to their homeland.
Although you could fly the distance from Mongolia to Hungary in a matter of hours -and with the border problems that Tim experienced it would have been admittedly faster to walk- it is not time or distance that is a measure of Tim's journey, but the rich experiences, hundreds of special people, and rare insights that would not have been possible by travelling in any other way. Incidentally, one Kazakh, upon learning on how long Tim had been travelling remarked: 'Well thank god then that Ghengis Khan didn't travel by turtle!'
The journey and not the destination has never been more important.
The end of a modern day odyssey
On September 22 when Tim finishes this epic journey in Hungary he will have made it to the edge of the Mongol Empire, where in 1241 the Mongols were on the verge of conquering Western Europe. It was in this same year however that the great Khan (Ogodai) died and the Mongols returned home to elect a new leader never to return with aspirations of conquering Europe again.
For Tim, just as significant is that Hungary is where the great Eurasian steppe gives way to the temperate climes and landscape of Europe. Here at the very fringe of the steppe, and therefore the end of the nomad's world, Tim can rest in the knowledge that he, like the common Mongol soldier, can pack up and go home, mission complete!
To add to a sense of History Tim arrived in geographical Europe in the 800th year celebrations of the founding of the Mongolian empire. Ghengis would surely have approved!
The heroic equines to join celebrations
With Tim at the end will be the animals in which he has trusted, and who are the real heroes of this epic trek.
Taskonir (which means Brown stone in Kazakh) is a 14 year old Gelding. and has been Tims main reliable mount since Tim bought him in the Altai region of Kazakhstan in October 2004.
Ogonyok, a tough pack horse up to the task of carrying heavy loads, is a seven year old gelding who is also from the Altai of Kazakhstan.
Kok (which means 'green' in Kazakh) is a young five year old gelding, and a relative necomer to the team.
Together these horses have weathered all of the extremes that Tim has encountered an more. They are all tough steppe breeds, who unlike sedentary animals can survive in any temperature without cover.
Historically it was these kinds of horses that allowed Ghengis khan and the Mongols to travel so far and fast. The steppe breeds can survive without hay and grain, and in Winter are accustomed to digging through the ice and snow to find pasture.
Tigon the honourable travelling dog
Although Tim has travelled solo for most of the journey, he has not been entirely alone. In late in 2004 he was given a black Kazakh hunting dog as a gift called 'Tigon'- his name is the Kazakh word for hawk or fast wind. It was owned by a young disabled Kazakh boy, whose father 'Aset' accompanied Tim by horse for ten days. Upon departing Aset said 'Tim, take Tigon. You need a friend, heater, and protection on your long winter nights.' The very next day Tim phoned home via satelite to Australia to discover that the family pet dog had died. Tim took this as an omen, and ever since Tigon has become an invaluable companion with whom Tim could not do without.
Tigon has grown up on the road and parallel adventures include being stolen, resuscitated in a sauna with raw eggs and vodka, being hit by a car, but most importantly accepted as an honoured guest right across Eurasia leaving many friends and memories in his past. Like a true reincarnation of Ghengis Khan he has been marking his territory across the globe and now probably has the largest territory of any dog on earth.
Usually Tigon can be seen running ahead, leading the way, or protecting Tim from dangerous sheep and cows!
Tim plans to eventually take Tigon to Australia and write a children's book about this young fearless canine traveller.
Researching the condition of the Nomad and the Eurasian steppe.
Along the journey, Tim -who speaks fluent Russian and can therefore communicate well with most on the Eurasian steppe- has lived among Mongols (including various tribes), Kazakhs, Kalmiks, Cossacks, Crimean Tatars, Russians, Hutsuls, Ukrainians, and Hungarians. All of these people are still culturally linked due to an ancient common history of nomadism, and in the case of Slavs constant co-existence and conflict with nomads.
Integral to Tim's journey is researching the past and present condition of these nomad cultures which has involved meeting with everyone from herders, government officials, historians, musicians, and religious leaders. High in the ice capped peaks of the Altai, and in the sandy camel country of Western Kazakhstan he has been lifted by a strong sense of pride in a nomadic existence, but in other regions, where society was crushed by the soviet era, he has come into contact with former nomads seeking strength and identity from their past. In Kalmikia for example, -a little known buddhist republic of ethnic Mongols in Europe that was severely repressed in Stalin years- Tim was embraced by the head lama of a newly constructed temple. Tim's journey exemplified the strength and culture his Kalmik ancestors who had themselves ridden from Mongolia to Europe.