Erdene Zuu Monastery

Ranked first in the list of most beautiful historical sites in Mongolia, it is impossible not to mention Erdene Zuu monastery. The Erdene Zuu monastery is most likely Mongolia's oldest surviving Buddhist monastery. It is part of the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site and is located in vörkhangai Province, roughly 2 kilometers northeast of the town of Kharkhorin and next to the ancient city of Karakorum. The monastery belongs to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.

After meeting with the 3rd Dalai Lama and declaring Tibetan Buddhism the official religion of Mongolia, Abita Sain Khan, the ruler of the Khalkha Mongols and grandfather of Zanabazar, the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, ordered the building of the Erdene Zuu monastery in 1585. Stones from the neighboring ruins of Karakorum, the ancient Mongol capital, were utilized in its construction. Planners attempted to build a surrounding wall that resembled a Tibetan Buddhist rosary with 108 stupas (108 is a holy number in Buddhism), but this goal was likely never met. The temple walls of the monastery were painted, and the Chinese-style roof was covered with green tiles.

During one of the several conflicts between Dzungars and Khalkha Mongols in 1688, the monastery was devastated. The abandoned monastery's wooden defenses were demolished by locals. It was renovated in the 18th century and included 62 temples and up to 1000 monks by 1872.

Location: Övörkhangai, Mongolia