!!!Ulaanbaatar

by Maxim Nasekin,
member of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

20 September 2016

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

As a city, the modern capital of Mongolia has not that long history. In
1639 a buddhist monastery was founded on the place of confluence of two
rivers: the Tuul and the Selbe. A century and a half later a nomadic
residence of buddhist Bogd Gegeen lamas decided to settle down here —
since that time the settlement received the name Urga ("Palace of the
Noblemen") and became the largest city within Outer Mongolia. The status
of the capital was given to that city in 1911 under the name of Niislel
Khüree ("Capital Monastery"). The city's name was changed to Ulaanbaatar
("Red Hero") in 1924, together with the formation of the Mongolian
People's Republic.

[{Image src='01_Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.jpg' caption='Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

Nowadays the city is a major cultural center of the whole country and
the home to almost half of Mongolia's total population. This is the
place where history goes together with the modern life, traditions
coexist with fashion. The high-rises stand side by side with traditional
yurts, on the road you can see both novelties of the world's car
industry and horses.

The center of Ulaanbaatar is Chinggis Square (till 2013 known as
Sükhbaatar Square). It houses the Government Palace, the Mongolian Stock
Exchange, the Central Cultural Palace Building and many other
significant buildings of the city, and the monument to Genghis Khan, of
course. Not far from it lies the Choijin Lama Temple, built in honour of
Lama Luvsankhaidav. It is one of the best examples of the 20th century
Mongolian architecture.

[{Image src='02_Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.jpg' caption='Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='516'}]

The most interesting buddhist site of Ulaanbaatar is the
Gandantegchinlen Monastery. It managed to survive the mass destruction
of religious temples which took place in the 1930s. At that time
government of the country destroyed all but a few buddhist constructions
of the city and decided to save the monastery as an official museum of
the religion for foreigners. The splendid temples of the monastery,
decorated with gold and precious stones, were aimed to create an even
deeper impression on tourists. Now the Gandantegchinlen Monastery is
functioning again with 150 monks living here. The main sacred object is
the 26-meter-high statue of Avalokitesvara created back in the beginning
of the 20th century as a symbol of the independence of Mongolia. Around
45 kilos of gold and 56 kilos of silver were used to create this statue.
It also features 2,286 precious stones and is gilded with gold leaf.

[{Image src='03_Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.jpg' caption='Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

The palace of Bogd Khan — the residence of the last ruler of Mongolia —
has been a museum since 1924. This complex built between the 19th and
20th centuries includes a winter and a summer residences. In addition to
being an example of unique architecture which combined Mongolian
traditions and the mood of that times, the palace is also notable for
having an impressive art collection — sculptures, paintings and many
other precious gifts that were once given to Bogd Khan.

The sights of Ulaanbaatar go far beyond the borders of the city: four
peaks surrounding the city and located strictly according to four
cardinal directions are considered to be holy places. The highest one —
the mountain Bogd Khan Uul rising at 2,256 meters — is strongly
connected to the name of Chinggis Khan. He is said to have spent the
winter of 1225-1226 preparing for the battle with Tanguts. The legends
say that he had hidden his weapon and treasures here and maybe it is the
reason why this mountain is a strictly protected area. No one ever found
the legacy of Chinggis Khan, but this area has become a nature preserve
since the ancient times.

[{Image src='04_Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.jpg' caption='Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='516'}]

As for modern sights of Ulaanbaatar, one of the best to see is the
Zaisan Memorial (1971-1979). The complex was dedicated to the 50th
anniversary of the events that took place here, on Khalkhin Gol hill and
honours the Soviet-Mongolian friendship. The top of the hill offers an
astonishing view of the city down in the valley of the Tuul river. And
AirPano panoramas will allow you to enjoy the views of Ulaanbaatar
without even leaving your home!

\\ \\
[3 Panoramas of Ulaanbaatar|Geography/Asia/Mongolia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Ulaanbaatar]











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