Genghiz Khan and the treasure of the Mongols - 2008

The second of the four major biennial exhibitions "The Silk Road and Chinese Civilisation" curated by the sinologist, Adriano Màdaro. Four hundred exhibits documenting the development of Chinese civilisation from the 10th century to the 14th century, taking the story forward from the end of the Tang (907 A.D.) to the fall of the Yuan (1368). The period of the Mongol dynasties is one of the least known in the history of China, and the archaeological finds in the exhibition were displayed for the first time in the West. The highlights of the exhibition included the saddle believed to have belonged to Genghis Khan, the rich and refined treasures from the burial chamber of a Liao princess who died at the age of eighteen in the year 1,000 and the will of Marco Polo, the indisputable proof of his journey to the empire of the Great Khan: the precious document tells us that before his death the famous traveller freed the Tartar slave that he had brought back with him from distant Cathay.

Virtual Tour

Photogallery