Erdene Zuu Monastery, Jarjorin, Mongolia
Founded in 1586 by Altai Khaan, Erdene Zuu was the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. The monastery went through periods of neglect and prosperity until finally the Stalinist purges of 1937 put it completely out of business. The monastery remained closed until 1965, when it was permitted to reopen as a museum, but not as a place of worship. It was only with the collapse of communism in 1990 that religious freedom was restored and the monastery became active again.
Today Erdene Zuu Khiid is considered by many to be the most important monastery in the country, though no doubt it’s a shadow of what it once was. At its peak, it had between 60 and 100 temples, around 300 gers inside the walls, and up to 1000 monks in residence.
Epic Mongolia Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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