Set in Asia, the movie was shot in Yugoslavia.
Omar Sharif was furious when he learned that Eli Wallach was paid $25,000 per week, more than Sharif was paid for the entire film. Wallach had taken his role after a London play he was scheduled to appear in collapsed, and he was in urgent need of a quick payday.
Genghis Khan (1965) was a favorite guilty pleasure for Stanley Kubrick, and is thought to be directly responsible for Michael Hordern being chosen to narrate Barry Lyndon (1975).
Eli Wallach has less than five minutes of screen-time, quite late in the film, though his character is mentioned much earlier, in such a way as to suggest an earlier appearance. Telly Savalas also has little screen time, although he is billed ahead of Robert Morley and Michael Hordern,who have far more prominent roles.