To print this page, select "Print" from the File menu of your browser salon.com > Travel Feb. 28, 2000 URL: http://www.salon.com/travel/planet/2000/02/28/genghis Digging up Genghis Khan Chicago lawyer heads quest for the Mongolian warlord. - - - - - - - - - - - - By J.A. Getzlaff Somewhere in Mongolia is the tomb of legendary 13th-century warlord Genghis Khan, creator of the largest contiguous empire in history. The exact location of his resting place is unknown because, rumor has it, the 800 troops who buried their leader were immediately killed upon returning from his funeral so its location would be kept secret. Now, nearly 800 years later, a Chicago lawyer with a penchant for history is leading an expedition to Mongolia in order to retrace Khan's footsteps and locate his secret tomb. According to the Associated Press, attorney Maury Kravitz, 67, has spent years researching Khan's life. But even if he does locate Khan's tomb, which is reputed to contain quite a booty (and I don't mean Genghis'), the Mongolian government has said it won't allow excavation. Disturbing the remains of the deceased is taboo in Mongolia, where many believe souls of the dead might be destroyed if their bodies are unearthed. Kravitz, however, is not deterred. He says he will carry out his $1.2 million quest to find Khan's birthplace and burial site, plus the site at which the leader was proclaimed "Genghis Khan the Khan of Khans." If he is allowed, he admitted that he'd like to do a little digging, too. Will the Lawyer of Lawyers destroy the Khan of Khan's soul? Only time will tell. salon.com | Feb. 28, 2000   - - - - - - - - - - - - About the writer J.A. Getzlaff's Daily Planet appears every weekday. Do you have a tip or tale for J.A.? Send it to DailyPlanet@salon.com.