Ulaanbaatar:
Ulan Bator, or Ulaanbaatar (Mongolian: ), is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. The city is an independent municipality not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is just over 1 million.
Located in the north central part of the country, the city lies at an elevation of about 1,310 metres in a valley on the Tuul River. It is the cultural, industrial, and financial heart of the country. It is also the center of Mongolia's road network, and connected by rail to the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Chinese railway network.
Monasteries
Among the notable older monasteries is the Choijin Lama Monastery, a Buddhist monastery that was completed in 1908. It escaped the destruction of Mongolian monasteries when it was turned into a museum in 1942. Another is the Gandan Monastery, which dates to the 19th century. Its most famous attraction is a 26.5-meter-high golden statue of Migjid Janraisig. These monasteries are among the very few in Mongolia to escape the wholesale destruction of Mongolian monasteries under Khorloogiin Choibalsan.
Winter Palace
Old Ikh Khüree, once the city was set up as a permanent capital, had a number of palaces and noble residences in an area called Öndgiin sürgiin nutag. The Jebtsundamba Khutughtu, who was later crowned Bogd Khan, had four main imperial residences, which were located between the Middle (Dund gol) and Tuul rivers. The summer palace was called Erdmiin dalai buyan chuulgan süm or Bogd khaanii serüün ord. Other palaces were the White palace (Tsagaan süm or Gngaa dejidlin), and the Pandelin palace (also called Naro Kha Chod süm), which was situated in the left bank of Tuul River. Some of the palaces were also used for religious purposes. The only palace that remains is the winter palace. The Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan (Bogd khaanii nogoon süm or Bogd khaanii öwliin ordon) remains as a museum of the last monarch. The complex includes six temples, many of the Bogd Khan's and his wife's possessions are on display in the main building.
Museums
Ulaanbaatar has several museums dedicated to Mongolian history and culture. The Natural History Museum features many dinosaur fossils and meteorites found in Mongolia. The National Museum of Mongolian History includes exhibits from prehistoric times through the Mongol Empire to the present day. The Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts contains a large collection of Mongolian art, including works of the 17th century sculptor/artist Zanabazar, as well as Mongolia's most famous painting, One Day In Mongolia by B. Sharav.
Pre-1778 artifacts that never left the city since its founding include the Vajradhara statue made by Zanabazar himself in 1683 (the city's main deity kept at the Vajradhara temple), a highly ornate throne presented to Zanabazar by the Kangxi Emperor (before 1723), a sandalwood hat presented to Zanabazar by the Dalai Lama (c. 1663), Zanabazar's large fur coat which was also presented by the Kangxi Emperor and a great number of original statues made by Zanabazar himself (e.g. the Green Tara).
Opera house
The Ulaanbaatar Opera House hosts concerts and musical performances.
Sükhbaatar Square
Sükhbaatar Square, in the government district, is the center of Ulaanbaatar. In the middle of Sükhbaatar Square, there is a statue of Damdin Sükhbaatar on horseback. The spot was chosen because that was where Sukhbaatar's horse had peed (a good omen) on July 8th, 1921 during a gathering of the Red Army. On the north side of Sükhbaatar Square is the Mongolian Parliament building, featuring a large statue of Chinggis Khan at the top of the front steps. Peace Avenue (Enkh Taivny Örgön Chölöö), the main thoroughfare through town, runs along the south side of the square.
Zaisan Memorial
The Zaisan Memorial, a memorial to Russian soldiers killed in World War II, sits on a hill south of the city. The Zaisan Memorial includes a Russian tank paid for by the Mongolian people and a circular memorial painting which depicts scenes of friendship between the peoples of Russia and Mongolia. Visitors who make the long climb to the top are rewarded with a panoramic view of the whole city down in the valley.
National Sport Stadium
National Sports Stadium is the main sporting venue. The Naadam festival is held here every July.
Surroundings
Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, a nature preserve with many tourist facilities, is approximately 70 km from Ulan Bator. Accessible via paved road.
Dundgovi:
Dundgovi (Mongolian: , Middle Gobi) is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. It is located in the south of the country, approximately 245 kilometers south of Ulaanbaatar. Its capital is Mandalgovi.
Sum centre is aimag capital Mandalgovi
Dalanzadgad:
Dalanzadgad (Mongolian: ) is the capital of Ömnögovi Aimag in Mongolia. It is located 540 kilometers south of the national capital Ulan Bator. The altitude of the city center is 1,470 meters .
he Dalanzadgad Airport (ZMDZ/DLZ) has one unpaved runway. It is served by regular domestic flights from and to Ulaanbaatar. There are summer and winter timetables. Flights are made by MIAT and other smaller companies. As Dalanzadgad is on the tourist route to Gobi - there will be chartered flights from Ulan Bator, but not necessarily back - because the people continue to travel in off-road vehicles.
In 2007 Mongolian Civil Aviation Authority built a new airport with paved runway. The runway is 2nd longest after Chinggis Khaan International Airport.
There is GSM coverage in the city the same as in other major locations - the coverage is good for about a mile out of the city. Usually, the city is also supplied with electric power 24 hours a day.
Flaming Cliffs:
The Flaming Cliffs site, really Bayanzag (Mongolian: , rich in saxaul or Mongolian: red cliffs), is a region of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, in which important fossil finds have been made. It was given this name by American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, who visited in the 1920s. The area is most famous for yielding the first discovery of dinosaur eggs. Other finds in the area include specimens of Velociraptor. The rock gives off a glowing orange colour, hence the nickname.
Kharkhorin:
Kharkhorin (Mongolian: ) is a city and sum (district) center in the Övörkhangai Province in Mongolia. Sum population was 13,828 (1994), 13,964 (2000), 13,496(2003). Kharkhorin city population is 8,977 (2003), city area is 20.5 km2.
Kharkhorin is located at the lower end of the upper valley of the Orkhon River, part of the World Heritage Site Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape. The location marks the eastern foothills of the Khangai Mountains, where they meet the rolling steppe of central Mongolia.
Nearby are the ruins of the ancient town of Karakorum, which for a short time served as the capital of the Mongol Empire under Ogedei Khan. Another landmark is the Erdene Zuu monastery.
The main sources of income to Kharkhorin are tourism and agriculture. Water from the Orkhon river serves to irrigate the crops on the large plain east of the town. The Kharkhorin Airport (KHR/ZMHH) has one unpaved runway and is served by regular flights from and to Ulan Bator.
Erdene Zuu Monastery:
The Erdene Zuu Monastery (Mongolian: ) is probably the most ancient surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. It is in Övörkhangai Province, near the town of Kharkhorin and adjacent to the ancient city of Karakorum. It is part of the World Heritage Site entitled Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape.
The Erdene Zuu monastery was built in 1585 by Abtai Sain Khan,upon the (second) introduction of Tibetan Buddhism into Mongolia. Stones from the ruins of Karakorum were used in construction. It is surrounded by a wall featuring 102 stupas The number 108, being a sacred number in Buddhism and the number of beads in a Buddhist rosary, was probably envisioned, but never achieved. The monastery temples' wall were painted, and the Chinese-style roof was covered with green tiles. The monastery was damaged by warfare in the 1680s, but was rebuilt in the 18th century and by 1872 had a full 62 temples inside.
Tsenkher Jiguur Minerial Spring Camp:
Khorgo and Tsagaan Buur National Park:
The Khorgo (Mongolian: ) is an extinct volcano in the Arkhangai Province of Mongolia. It is located on the northern slopes of the Khangai Mountains. The Khorgo lies east of the lake Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur and together they are the core of the Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park. An notable geological feature are solidified lava bubbles, which the locals have named "basalt yurts" .
Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur:
Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur (Mongolian: ) also known as White Lake is a lake in the Khangai Mountains in central Mongolia. The Khorgo volcano is located near the eastern end of the lake and the Suman gol river springs from lake.
Mongol Altai Camp site: |