Happy Mongolia Day! A Most Singular Land

[José Balido]

Sharing a birthday, July 11, with the national day of this landlocked, mostly Buddhist country wedged between China and Siberia (a bit smaller than Alaska and with a population around 3 million) has helped drive a longtime fascination. In the early Middle Ages essentially a world power thanks to the westward conquests of Genghis Khan, in the 1990s Mongolia made a transition to multi-party democracy after 70 years of Communist and Soviet domination (one of the remnants of which is that its language is still written mostly in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet). And it has since become one of the more exotic frontiers in travel, thanks to its wide-open steppes, nomadic peoples, and traditional folk culture.

 
Begin in UB

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 (above), 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 currently open museum (the Natural History Museum is closed apparently indefinitely) is the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Art, including some splendid examples of Mongolian folk and religious art as well as artifacts dating back to the Stone Age. 

Steppe Right This Way

Outside of UB is really what Mongolia is all about, and the country’s main lure for visitors. Most of it is covered by steppes – plains ranging from grasslands to semi-desert. One spot not to miss out here is of course Kharahhorin (better known in the west as Karakorum), site of the 13th century Mongol capital established by Ghenghis Khan (here known as Chinggis Khaan) and his son and successor Kublai Khan (of stately pleasure dome in Xanadu fame). A drive of seven to nine hours from UB, there’s pretty much nothing left above ground except an iconic stone turtle (above). Instead, there’s a nearby Soviet-era town of minimal interest except for the 108-stupa Erdene Zuu Monastery (Mongolia’s first, founded in 1586) and an actually pretty impressive archaeological displays of the newish Karakorum Museum.

Otherwise, the steppes are about ecotourism, hiking, horseback riding, birding, mountain climbing, and encounters with nomadic families in their ger tent dwellings (kumis – fermented mare’s milk – anyone?). It includes places like Terelj National Park, Khustai Nature Reserve, and the Elsen Tasarkhai Sand Dunes (not all of the steppes region is plains – some is actually forested, other areas with canyons and mountains, even including a glacier or two).


And down south, another popular destination is the bleaker open spaces of the Gobi Desert, with spectacular sand dunes like the Khongoryn Els (above, dubbed “the singing dunes”); the red “flaming cliffs” of Bayanzag; and Yoliin Am (Vulture Valley), an icy gorge running through the Gurvan Saihan mountains.  Part of the fun out here is overnighting in a ger camps and riding two-humped Bactrian camels.

The best way to do all the above, of course, is with a tour operator based out of the capital (though a number of international tour operators also have Mongolia itineraries).


Mongolian Culture Highlights

July 11 also marks the beginning of a five-day festival that has become one of the most interesting in Asia – one that travelers to Mongolia might seriously consider timing their visits to attend in 2016 and beyond. Held in Ulaanbaatar’s National Stadium, Naandam is an extravaganza mixing pageantry and traditional music and dance performances with traditional athletics – wrestling, archery, and of course horse racing.

And speaking of music and unique cultural experiences, one you’re unlikely to have almost anywhere else in the world (though I did once catch a street performance in Frankfurt, Germany, of all places) is khoomii, aka “Mongolian mouth music” or “throat singing.” It involves the creation of a base tone with one or more other tones simultaneously produced in the nasal cavity (example below), producing sounds sometimes bass/guttural, sometimes high-pitched. You can find performances of this both in UB and out in the hinterland cities and towns (it’s also a thing in areas adjoining Mongolia such as the Russian region of Tuva). Ethereal and mesmerizing.

Not unlike the wilds of Mongolia themselves.

images |  Pierre-Jean Durieu, Daniel Prudek, Pierre-Jean Durieu, Severin.stalder,  loca4motion