5.5. What are the points of sightseeing, museums etc.?
Description
This article is from the Mongolia FAQ, by Oliver Corff with numerous contributions by others.
5.5. What are the points of sightseeing, museums etc.?
Mongolia is a country rich in natural beauty which includes a wide
range of different types of landscape on her vast territory. From the
Gobi desert in the south to the pristine waters of Lake Xöwsgöl in the
north, from the grasslands of the east to the Altai mountain range in
the west there is something for every traveller who loves nature.
For those interested in culture and religion, there are numerous
museums in Ulaanbaatar:
* Natural history museum,
* geological museum,
* hunting museum,
* historical museum: the former revolutionary museum - it now hosts
an extensive exhibition focussing on the years of reform, 1989-1991
and a beautiful collection of Mongolian garments,
* fine arts museum: with some fine pieces of religious silk painting
--- thankas,
* Choijil Monastery: located in the centre of Ulaanbaatar, this
former monastery is now the home of the priceless sculptures
crafted by the famous monk, politian, sculptor and philologist
Zanabazar;
* Bogd Khan Museum: the palace of the last dynastic ruler of
Mongolia; and
* municipial museum: the first seat of the Revolutionary Party in
Ulaanbaatar, now sporting a collection of exhibits related to the
history of Ulaanbaatar as well as a display of diplomatic gifts
from former socialist brother states.
The universities have some permanent faculty exhibitions which are
often worth visiting. Most Aimag capitals have their own local natural
history museum. Xar Xorin has a temple museum about Chingis Khan and
the buddhist oriented spiritual history of Mongolia. This list does
not claim to be complete.
Main points of interest outside Ulaanbaatar include the former Capital
Xar Xorin (Kara Korum, or ``Black Fortress'', derived from the word
``xäräm'') and Manjshiriïn Xiïd in Zuun Mod, Central Aimag.
Only two or so of the over 700 monasteries survived the Stalinist
purges of 1937/1938. One of them is the Gandan monastery in
Ulaanbaatar which recently underwent major reconstruction, and the
other one is situated within the walls of the Xar Xorin compound.
Manjshiriïn Xiïd is the monastery dedicated to the protector goddess
of Mongolia, Manjushri. The ruins of the monastery, situated in a
valley at the south slope of Bogd Uul mountain, are a silent witness
of the atrocities which took place in 1937/38. Recently, money has
been donated to reconstruct the monastery, and first steps towards
that direction are the erection of a small museum on its site with
many photographs of the 1920s showing the former dimensions of the
monastery complex.
Another famous monastery worth visiting is Amarbayasgalang, and en
route between Xujirt and Xar Xorin you can find the somewhat smaller
Baruun Xuree (Western Monastery).
The travel literature on Mongolia offers more in-depth information.
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