Researchers find Great Wall section in Mongolia
An international expedition to Mongolia says an ancient wall made from earth and wood in the Gobi desert is part of China's Great Wall.
Researchers say the structure, known as 'The Wall of Genghis Khan', wasn't built to keep in gazelles, as has been written in some history books.
The journey was led by a British researcher and Great Wall enthusiast, William Lindesay.
He's told Radio Australia's Connect Asia the two walls appear to be linked.
"If I look at the map of china showing the Han Dynasty Great Wall approaching the Mongolian border, and then if we link up the Mongolian map, showing the wall of Genghis Khan, the two seem to match up, just like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle," he said.
Mr Lindesay led the team of seven, gaining rare access to the restricted borderlands of southern Mongolia.
He says he found similarities in construction with the wall built during the Han dynasty.
"When most tourists come to China, they stand on the wall close to Beijing," he said.
"That's China's most recent Great Wall, built in the Ming Dynasty, just 500 years ago.
"But actually, before that, there were at least 14 other Great Walls. And the second thing is that ancient empires of China were not necessarily the same size as today's China, so there's the prospect of fragments of these ancient walls existing in neighbouring states."
Mr Lindesay is releasing news of his findings in this month's National Geographic Magazine, published in Chinese.
He says he hopes the research will reveal more about the histories of people in both China and Mongolia.
"The Chinese people are very proud of [the Great Wall]," he said.
"But Mongolians are equally proud, they say. It takes a great people to have a Great Wall built for them."
Researchers say the structure, known as 'The Wall of Genghis Khan', wasn't built to keep in gazelles, as has been written in some history books.
The journey was led by a British researcher and Great Wall enthusiast, William Lindesay.
He's told Radio Australia's Connect Asia the two walls appear to be linked.
"If I look at the map of china showing the Han Dynasty Great Wall approaching the Mongolian border, and then if we link up the Mongolian map, showing the wall of Genghis Khan, the two seem to match up, just like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle," he said.
Mr Lindesay led the team of seven, gaining rare access to the restricted borderlands of southern Mongolia.
He says he found similarities in construction with the wall built during the Han dynasty.
"When most tourists come to China, they stand on the wall close to Beijing," he said.
"That's China's most recent Great Wall, built in the Ming Dynasty, just 500 years ago.
"But actually, before that, there were at least 14 other Great Walls. And the second thing is that ancient empires of China were not necessarily the same size as today's China, so there's the prospect of fragments of these ancient walls existing in neighbouring states."
Mr Lindesay is releasing news of his findings in this month's National Geographic Magazine, published in Chinese.
He says he hopes the research will reveal more about the histories of people in both China and Mongolia.
"The Chinese people are very proud of [the Great Wall]," he said.
"But Mongolians are equally proud, they say. It takes a great people to have a Great Wall built for them."
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