Genghis Khan (1167-1227) based his sixth expeditionary force to the Western Xia regime in 1226 in Otog Qi (county) in Ordos, a city of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a Chinese expert has claimed.

"Genghis Khan's main force was located in Arjai Grotto of Otog Qi where he recovered from injuries," said Batujirghal, director of the Otog cultural relics protection center.

The claim is the latest in a long-running debate over whether Genghis Khan's troops passed through Ordos.

More than 80 deep wells each 10 meters apart are located 20 km to the east of Arjai. They were believed to be the so-called "100 wells" that provided water for the Khan's tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, said Batujirghal.

The modern name of Unsun-Talan-Suduk (100 Wells) was mentioned many times in the book titled The Untold History of Mongolia written in Mongolian, covering Mongolian history from 700 to 1240, said Batujirghal.

The Untold History of Mongolia was said to be completed 766 years ago by an unknown author, and is listed as a world classic book by UNESCO in 1989 as a valuable document.

Evidence also lay in the name of the place where Genghis Khan fell from his horse and was injured while hunting, experts said.

The hunt took place in Arbuqa, which was described in the book as having a similar landscape to the Arbus Mountains, where Arjai Grotto was located, said Batujirghal.

The Untold History of Mongolia detailed how Genghis Khan gathered his generals in the grotto to work out strategies in the successful campaign against the Western Xia regime in Helan Mountain, stretching 180 km between Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, he said.

In the 31st cave of the Grotto, a good-sized fresco was believed to picture the memorial ceremony for Genghis Khan and his family.

Genghis Khan, whose grandson Kublai Khan founded the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), unified the Mongol tribes and conquered most of Eurasia. He received the titel "Genghis Khan", meaning "universal ruler", in 1205.

"The events that happened 780 years ago made the grotto a place of pilgrimage for Mongolians," Batujirghal said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 26, 2006)