MANZUSHIR TEMPLE

Built in the early 18th century, the Manzushir Monastery was a large complex of twenty buildings, where more than 300 monks lived. The complex did not survive the Russian and Mongolian repression of the 1930s, and today only imposing ruins remain. Next to them, a small temple has been renovated and transformed into a museum. There are collected the rare objects saved from the fury of destruction, and an interesting collection of pictures taken before the destruction of the complex, of immense historical value.

The place is especially interesting for the surrounding landscapes, which can be particularly appreciated from the second floor of the temple. The view is exceptional. Above this building there are still many altars surrounded by blue scarves, which the Mongols go to piously honor and, next to it, a huge building - the most important of the complex - completely ruined.

At the foot of the temple is a small museum rather kitsch and without much interest which presents mainly stuffed animals, as well as a collection of photographs of the temple of the time of its splendor and some masks of the tsam ceremonies. One can see around the museum a huge bronze cauldron, melted in 1726, and a man-stone, a specimen of those human-shaped steles which marked the ancient burial sites.

The Manzushir temple is definitely a must for any visit to Mongolia, which the proximity to Ulaanbaatar makes easy. The surrounding nature, the history and the landscapes justify it amply.