Kharkhorin and Erdene Zuu Monastery

The sites of this ancient capital of Mongolia Kharkhorin ( spelled also Kharkhorin) and the Erdenezuu monastery with their 108 stupas are undoubtedly at great interest to travelers. Located 370 km away from Ulaanbaatar. The elevation is 1600 meters above sea level.

Genghis Khan's fabled city was founded in 1220 in the Orkhon valley, at the crossroads of the Silk Road. The building was completed by his son, Ogedei Khan, after Genghis' death, but Kharkhorin served as the capital for only 40 years before Kublai Khan moved it to what is now Beijing. Following the move, and the subsequent collapse of the Mongolian empire, Kharkhorin was abandoned and then later destroyed by hordes of Manchurian soldiers.

The symbolic ruins of Kharkhorin monumental walls (400 m of length) with 108 stupas surround the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia Erdenezuu Monastery, built in 1586. In 1792, it housed 62 temples and 10,000 lamas; which itself was badly destroyed during the Stalinist purges in the 1930s. After the democratic movement in 1990, it has become an active monastery again.

Turtles carved from the stone marked the boundaries of the complex. Today it retains much of its former glory. Enclosed in an immense walled compound, the 3 temples within are dedicated to the 3 stages of Buddha's life: as a child, adolescent, and adult. The main, central temple is called the Zuu of Buddha and has statues of Buddha as a child. Outside the monastery walls are 2 'turtle rocks'. Four of these once marked the boundaries of ancient Kharkhorin.

Travel tip:

If you are visiting Kharkhorin and Erdene Zuu Monastery, consider combining it with a visit to Waterfall Ulaan Tsutgalan Orkhon at the same time.