The place to start, of course, is its capital, Ulaanbaatar (aka Ulan Bator, another Commie holdover, meaning “Red Hero”; the traditional name was Urga) where nearly half the country’s population lives. Honestly, in its current incarnation it’s nobody’s idea of lovely – and these days, also unusually awash in polluted air. Yet in its way, also exciting and dynamic, and in any case, a must for getting your bearings and sampling a bit of the local shopping, food, museums, culture, and nightlife – especially along main drag Peace Avenue (if you understandably can’t pronounce its Mongol name Enkh Taivny Örgön Chölöö, lol).
Top UB sites start with the few remaining ones linked to its Buddhist heritage (most were closed and even razed during the horrific Stalinist repression of the 1930s). Top of the list would have to be Gandan Khiid (pictured here), built in 1838, with several magnificent temples, a massive Buddha statue and the chance to witness mesmerizing Buddhist services and chants performed by thousands of monks. Another is Choijin Lama Monastery, these days converted into a museum of Buddhist art and history.
Also a must, built in traditional style around the turn of the 20th century, is the Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan (the last traditional king before the Soviet-aligned regime grabbed power in 1924), which mixes temporal and religious, as it includes several temples and exhibits of Buddhist art along with historic artifacts and lots of taxidermy.
UB’s top museums include tthe National Museum of Mongolia and the Fine Arts Zanabazar Museum, which contains some splendid examples of Mongolian folk and religious art as well as artifacts dating back to the Stone Age.
Read more in my post Happy Mongolia Day! And Welcome to a Most Singular Land.
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