Kharkhorin
Mongolia · Övörkhangai · 1480 m
Description
Kharkhorin stands on the site of Karakorum, the capital Ögedei Khan built in the Orkhon valley in the thirteenth century and the seat from which the Mongol empire was run. Almost nothing of the city is left above ground. Its stones went into Erdene Zuu, raised in 1585 as the first Buddhist monastery in the country and enclosed by a wall of a hundred and eight white stupas. Three temples inside survived the purges. The whole valley carries a UNESCO listing for a thousand years of steppe empires, from Turkic memorial sites to Uighur Khar Balgas.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: June – September
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Erdene Zuu Monastery and its 108 stupas (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Karakorum ruins of the imperial capital
- Kharkhorin Museum
- Stone turtle markers of the old city
- Golden Prayer Stupa above the town
- Orkhon waterfall(Day trip)
- Tövkhön Monastery on its forested peak(Day trip)
- Ger camps along the Orkhon river
- Kharkhorin fertility rock shrine