Karakorum & Erdene Zuu

Karakorum (Kharkhorin) was the capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century — the largest contiguous land empire in human history, stretching from Korea to Hungary. Today, almost nothing remains of the former splendor of the metropolis, which Marco Polo described as the "City of the Four Gates." The stones were used to build the Erdene Zuu Monastery, and the city sank into the grass of the steppe. What remains are two stone turtles (guardian statues from the 13th century) and the realization that this was once the center of the world.

Erdene Zuu Monastery

The oldest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia (founded in 1585) is located directly on the ruins of Karakorum. A 400 m long wall with 108 white stupas (the sacred number in Buddhism) surrounds the site. In its heyday, Erdene Zuu housed 62 temples and over 1,000 monks. Then the Soviets came: in 1937/38, they destroyed almost the entire monastery as part of the anti-religious campaign and killed or deported the monks. Only three temples survived — they were disguised as a "museum."

Today, Erdene Zuu is once again an active monastery and the most important religious monument in Mongolia. The three preserved temples (Dalai Lama, Zuu, Lavrin) display a fascinating mix of Mongolian, Tibetan, and Chinese architecture. Early in the morning, you can observe monks in prayer — a quiet, moving moment against the backdrop of the endless steppe. Entrance: 5,000 MNT (€1.30), camera: 5,000 MNT extra.

Karakorum Museum

The Karakorum Museum, opened in 2011 (built with Japanese support), showcases archaeological finds from the city — ceramics, coins, tools — and reconstructs life in the former world capital. Particularly impressive: a scale model of the city in its prime, showing how cosmopolitan Karakorum was — with Christian churches, Buddhist temples, Muslim mosques, and an imperial palace side by side. Entrance: 5,000 MNT.