The Tomb and treasury of Hülegü Khan

Abstract

The Il-Khan ruler Hülegü (1215–1265 CE) was a grandson of Genghis Khan (the founder of the Mongol Empire), a son of Tolui, and a brother of both Möngke Khan and Kublai Khan. He died on February 8, 1265, CE, at an estimated age of 48 years. Unlike our knowledge about the death and burial of Genghis Khan (d. 1227 CE), which is recorded in one of the oldest of the autochthonous chronicles, The Secret History of the Mongols, with no reference to time or place, the approximate location of Hülegü’s final resting place is referenced in several documents. Contemporary Persian resources unanimously suggest that the treasury and royal tomb of Hülegü Khan lie somewhere in Lake Urmia on Shahi Island (Jazīreh-ye-Shāhī), Northwest Iran. Rashīd al-Dīn posited that the Hülegü’s treasury is filled with pillow-size gold ingots and treasures gathered from across the Ilkhanid Empire. The exact location and discovery of this hidden treasure and the burial place of Hülegü remain one of the most persistent unsolved mysteries and none of the later archaeological studies challenged this attribution. This paper will discuss the idea that Shahi Island contains the fabled tomb of the legendary ruler of Ilkhanid Iran (1256–1335 CE) Hülegü, his sons Abaqa Khan (1234–1282 CE), as well as Mongol queens, high priests, and other elites. The findings of this research are important because they could launch a new era for Mongol studies and the archaeology of hidden treasures.