I’ve been reading the book “Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World” by Jack Weatherford which was a 2004 New York Times best seller. Through extensive research, Weatherford makes a convincing argument that Genghis Khan was an excellent and noble king contrary to the traditional Western image of him as a bloodthirsty pagan.

Pursuing the notion that Genghis Khan was the noblest of kings, this great movie from 2007, spoken in Mongolian with English subtitles brings the beauty and brutality of ancient Mongolia to life. The epic film recounts the story of a young Genghis Khan and how events in his early life lead him to become a legendary conqueror. The 9-year-old Temüjin is taken on a trip by his father to select a girl as his future wife. He meets Börte, who says she would like to be chosen, which he does. He promises to return after five years to marry her. Temüjin’s father is poisoned on the trip, and dies. As a boy Temüjin passes through starvation, humiliations and even slavery, but later with the help of Börte he overcomes all of his childhood hardships to become one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever known.