Getting to Know Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan rose from nomadic obscurity in outback Mongolia to build, with his descendants, the biggest contiguous empire the world has ever seen.

He did it on horseback, with swords and arrows. In conquered lands from Eastern Europe to the Middle East to Beijing, his name became synonymous with hordes and plunder.

A new film, "Mongol," in Mongolian and out of Russia, paints the youth of Genghis Khan, his softer side and the trials that made the conqueror. It's stunning.

This hour, On Point: Mongol Genghis Khan, the first great globalizer, and the story of his rise.Guests:

Morris Rossabi, professor of Mongolian and inner Asian history at Columbia University

John Man, historian and author of "Genghis Khan: Life, Death, and Resurrection"

Sergei Bodrov, award-winning director of "Mongol"

Learn more about the new movie "Mongol"