Chinese plans to turn Genghis Khan's mausoleum into a tourist site have upset the Mongolian warrior tribe protecting it.

Darhads tribesmen are scattered throughout both Inner Mongolia and independent Outer Mongolia to the north.

Some are still employed to guard the relics at Khan's tomb, which include Genghis's saddle and black wooden bow.

They are furious that a new mausoleum developed by the ethnic Chinese Han to boost tourism revenue will rob them of their heritage, the London Telegraph said.

The mausoleum is contained within a three-domed building on Inner Mongolia's Ordos plateau. Although the building is recent, tradition has it Genghis Khan chose the spot himself as he passed through on the way to his final war in 1227.

The Darhads keep Genghis's ceremonial butter lamp lit and every year perform the ritual filling of his wooden bucket with mare's milk. The bucket, it is said, leaks in the direction that will bring the Mongols prosperity.