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One of the most important and least celebrated figures of the Mongolian epic. Without Jamuqa’s contribution, we would probably never have known Genghis Khan.
The life
Jamuqa was born, on an unspecified date, in the Jadaran tribe, always allied by the Borjin clan, or that of the future Genghis Khan. From the beginning he will establish a very deep relationship with the next Conqueror of the worlds, so much so that he soon became his way, or “brother of blood”. This bond will come back more alive than ever with the kidnapping of Börte by the Merkit clan; Temüjin will go to Jamuqa and Wang Khan to search perhaps, soon managing to involve 50,000 Mongolian warriors against his wife’s kidnappers.
After this event and the subsequent wars against the Tatars, the relationship with Jadaran became even stronger, so much so that the two swore their absolute loyalty, but taking very different paths. In 1201, in fact, Senggüm, the son of Wang Khan, envious of Genghis Khan, will be directed by Jamuqa to conduct a real war against the former ally, placing Jadaran at the head of the army. The latter, however, shortly before the battle, will provide Temüjin with central information for the victory, allowing the future Khan of the world to defeat his army. Jamuqa later escaped from the Naiman, with whom he repeated the same script, bringing thousands of new subjects to Genghis Khan. After that clash he will be captured and, although he was offered life-saving, he will be punished with strangulation.
Angel dressed as a devil
The figure of Jamuqa is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most fascinating ever in the Mongol universe, showing us how complex the human mentality can be, even in extreme places such as Mongolia. The character merges aspects of angel and devil together, resulting in a figure that, from whichever side is taken, can only hit the mind of the viewer, leading him to ask himself the reason for his actions.
In fact, he often betrays, but every time he does it, he is denied by the suggestions that leads to his going; as if he were acting as a spy rather than as a general. Jamuqa in fact will stir up from time to time all the “stronger but up to par” clan leaders of Genghis Khan, leading, as a final result, to an organic and balanced growth of the leader, who, not surprisingly, will become Khan of the Khan with his death. An extraordinary man who was the real architect of Temüjin’s greatness.
The information from this Mongolian week is mostly taken from “Secret History of the Mongols“.Do you want to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Ibn Battuta? Find out how to do it here; starting from March 1st. Follow us on our facebook page, Spotify, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, or on our Telegram channel. Any like, sharing or support is welcome and helps us to devote ourselves more and more to our passion: telling the Middle East.
