More recent scholarship suggests that the burial place of Genghis Khan lies somewhere in the vicinity of the Mongol sacred mountain Burkhan Khaldun (roughly 48°30′N 108°42′E﻿ / ﻿48.5°N 108.7°E﻿ / 48.5; 108.7). It was here that Genghis Khan went to pray before embarking on his life of conquest, and, after the rise of the Mongol Empire, only the Mongol royal family, or golden family, was permitted entry to the surrounding area, which became known as Ikh Khorig, or Great Taboo. In all, a 240 square-kilometre area was sealed off by the Mongols, with trespassing being punishable by death.