Erdene Zuu Monastery

Övörchangaj · Mongolia · Monastery

In Mongolia's oldest monastery, ravaged in the 1937 purges, ghostly monks are said to still wander among the 108 stupas.

The monastery was built in 1585 from the stones of ruined Karakorum, Genghis Khan's old capital, and at its height housed a thousand monks. During the Stalinist purges of 1937–39 most of its temples were levelled and the monks shot or sent to the Gulag — part of a terror that claimed the lives of some 18,000 Mongolian monks. Only three temples and the wall with its 108 stupas were spared, kept as a showpiece for foreign guests. Visitors tell of monk-like figures gliding through the courtyards at dusk and of distant chanting from the empty halls at night.

FAQ

Where is Erdene Zuu Monastery located?

Erdene Zuu Monastery is in Övörchangaj, Mongolia.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.