Mongolia

We have seen the Mongols in the posting on this blog, "Why We Should Understand The Mongols". Let's have a look at what Mongolia, the land of the Mongols, looks like today.

Mongolia is a vast country in terms of geography, but a small country in terms of population. The only large city is the capital of Ulan Bator. Life is traditionally semi-nomadic in Mongolia, revolving around the portable tent-like dwelling, known as a "yurt". The country is between Russia and China and has been influenced and affected by both.

Ulan Bator was founded by Buddhists in 1639. There are many Buddhist temples and monasteries in the city today. Mongolia was where the Mongols originated, although their conquests extended far beyond what is now the nation's borders. Mongolia was ruled by the Qing Dynasty of China, the Manchus, but became independent when the Qing were overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911.

The October Revolution of 1917, which began the Soviet Union, was echoed in the 1921 Revolution in Mongolia. Communism ended there in 1990.

Genghis Khan is considered as the founder of Mongolia. Outside the capital city of Ulan Bator there is a massive statue of him. "Genghis" is sometimes spelled as "Chinggis". The following scenes begin inside the Genghis Khan statue complex. The cylindrical form of the building is the same shape as a traditional Mongolian yurt.

There are multiple scenes following. To see the scenes, after the first one, you must first click the up arrow, ^, before you can move on to the next scene by clicking the right or forward arrow, >, After clicking the up arrow, you can then hide the previews of successive scenes, if you wish.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.8081027,107.5299207,2a,75y,309.9h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sIWjIkqMZOkQAAAQXM0sFxg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DIWjIkqMZOkQAAAQXM0sFxg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D321.2289%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Notice how the arch leading to the statue of Genghis (Chinggis) Khan on horseback is very much like the arch of another conqueror. Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel is so named because it was on the Carrousel, which was a parade ground for horses. This is why a merry-go-round with horses is called a carousel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_du_Carrousel#/media/File:Arc_de_Triomphe_du_Carrousel_2006.jpg

The focal point of the city of Ulan Bator is Sukhbataar Square. It is named for the hero of Mongolia's 1921 Revolution, Damdin Sukhbataar, who is depicted on horseback in the statue in the center of the square, in a way similar to that of Genghis Khan. The name of the city of Ulan Bator means something like "The Red Hero". The following scenes of the central part of the city begin in Sukhbataar Square. The building with the pillars is the Mongolian Parliament.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.9190048,106.9176053,2a,75y,320.17h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_15f0WNxlE9m-bEkQFIOvQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D_15f0WNxlE9m-bEkQFIOvQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D330.79755%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Near the center of the city is a link to the west, a monument of the Beatles. The apple represents Apple Records, which was their label. The following scenes begin at the Beatles Monument.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.9156828,106.9065078,3a,75y,316.15h,91.88t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMA783FExTUcAtXnlrtAwjwBYuIHO5DXR2zp3-k!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMA783FExTUcAtXnlrtAwjwBYuIHO5DXR2zp3-k%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya195.4038-ro0-fo100!7i3840!8i1919

This is what was the winter palace of the Emperor of Mongolia, in the southern part of the city. Ulan Bator has a very continental climate, high in elevation in central Asia, and is known for how cold it gets during the winter.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.8976797,106.9070154,2a,75y,129.03h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1svdjzXPps6oz5-85Jz3PknA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DvdjzXPps6oz5-85Jz3PknA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D140.40285%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Also in the southern part of Ulan Bator is the Zaisan Monument. It is a ring-shaped mural tribute to the alliance and cooperation between Mongolia and Russia, and below the ring is a panoramic view of the city.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.8840709,106.9154427,2a,75y,97.71h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1spj0e1WrZS2p4zMEqgVM4Iw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dpj0e1WrZS2p4zMEqgVM4Iw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D101.410835%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Away from the monuments and tourist sites, the following scenes are around the center of the everyday city of Ulan Bator.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.9153824,106.8946152,3a,75y,169.5h,92.93t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPrHb3-ep02ceSCgJ6PTpRuJ0Zv0FOgkeFwWNl9!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPrHb3-ep02ceSCgJ6PTpRuJ0Zv0FOgkeFwWNl9%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-2.9338646-ya30.499992-ro-0-fo100!7i10240!8i5120

Finally, this is a mostly-residential development to the northeast of the city.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.9345956,107.0059474,3a,75y,97.5h,90t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sX_GQ9DPwNWo9WLXXoBsOmQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DX_GQ9DPwNWo9WLXXoBsOmQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D97.5%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100