A City of Contrasts – Beyond the Little Red Dot

Mongolia has been a tantalizing mystery to me for years. Known as the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky, my knowledge of the country was limited to information from the Internet. No one I knew had visited Mongolia before, and so when I got the chance this year, I quickly signed up for a photography tour that was bound for Mongolia in October to experience it firsthand.

Mongolia’s capital city is Ulaanbaatar and it serves as the gateway for all international flights. Modern Ulaanbaatar is a relatively new city and it would be difficult to put Ulaanbaatar in perspective without first understanding the history of Mongolia.

In 1206, Genghis Khan united the Mongol tribes and founded the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous land empire in history under his successors. The empire fragmented in the 14th century, and Mongolia came under Chinese influence during the Qing Dynasty from the 17th to early 20th centuries. In 1911, Mongolia (historically known as Outer Mongolia) declared independence, but remained under Soviet influence as a communist state from 1924 to 1990. During this period, in 1639, Ulaanbaatar was founded as a movable Buddhist monastic center, initially called Örgöö (palace-yurt); it became the country’s capital in 1778 and was renamed Ulaanbaatar (“Red Hero”) in 1924, reflecting the new communist ideology. The country transitioned to a multi-party democracy in 1990 following peaceful protests. Since then, Mongolia has embraced market economics and democracy, maintaining its sovereignty while balancing relations with its neighbors Russia and China. Today, Mongolia is a parliamentary republic focused on developing its vast mineral resources and preserving its nomadic cultural heritage, with Ulaanbaatar serving as its political, cultural, and economic center.

There are no direct flights from Singapore to Ulaanbaatar, and I decided to pick Hong Kong as my transit point with the intention to have a short stopover on my way back. So after roughly 8 hours of flight time with a 6 hours layover in Hong Kong, I found myself in Ulaanbataar, the capital of Mongolia.

International flights land at Chinggis Khan International Airport. This is a new modern airport that opened just a few years ago. A brand new highway connects the airport to Ulaanbaatar. One thing to note is that the road system is designed for LHD, but you will find vehicles in both LHD and RHD running around.

I didn’t spend much time in Ulaanbaatar as the purpose of the tour was to visit the Golden Eagle Festival in western Mongolia. My initial impression of the city is that its very industrial and quite unattractive. So here are a few of the main sights that I visited.

Choijin Lama Temple Museum

The main religion in Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism) mixed with some shamanistic practices. In 1921 nationalist revolutionaries with Soviet assistance drove out Chinese troops from Mongolia and declared independence from Chinese rule. The new regime sought to replace feudal and religious structures with socialist and secular forms. Consequently, there was a purge in the 1930’s, almost all temples were destroyed and many monks were forced to renounce their religion, or executed if they resisted. Freedom to practice religion was only allowed again in 1990 after Mongolia became democratic.

This brief introduction of religion in Mongolia leads us to the first landmark that I visited. This is the Choijin Lama Temple Museum. It was first built in 1904 to 1908 and is one of the very few temples to have survived the purges of the 1930’s. Today it is a museum and stores hundreds of Tibetan religious artifacts.

After paying the entrance fee and passing through the main gate, I found myself in a large courtyard. There was another gate that and courtyard before I could approach the main temple building. Workers were busy with maintenance and restoration work.

The main temple building with its Chinese style architecture.

There are 5 temples in the compound, but the main temple here is the one where the Choijin Lama would go into a trance and make oracular pronouncements to be interpreted by an attendant lama or monk.

The elaborate and colourful Chinese styled roof is in stark contrast to the nearby modern towers of glass and steel.

Inside the hall of the main temple, I’m confronted by a riot of colourful tapestries, artifacts and statues.

Colourful statues depict violent scenes from history or myth.

What caught my attention was the large collection of Tibetan demon masks which were displayed along the sides of the hall. These masks were used in Buddhist ritual dances and meant to scare of evil spirits.

Sukhbaatar Square

This large square is the center of Ulaanbaatar. Its named after Mongolia’s revolutionary hero Damdin Sukhbaatar after his death in 1923, and features a large equestrian statue of him in the center of the square. Sukhbataar Square is also the site for major state ceremonies and cultural events.

Dominating the north end of Sukhbaatar Square is the Government Palace where the offices of the Mongolian Government are located.

In the center of the Government Palace, a huge statue of Genghis Khan looks down upon the square.

The equestrian stature of revolutionary hero Damdin Sukhbaatar stands tall in the center of the square.

Evenings are a nice time to be at the square. Besides the good light for photography, crowds of workers from the offices and students from the universities nearby cross the square to get around of hang around with friends.

Along the eastern edge of the square is the distinctive State Opera and Ballet House.

On the western side is the Ulaanbaatar Bank, Mongolian Stock Exchange and City Administration Building.

Public transport in Ulaanbaatar isn’t well developed and many locals use these public hire electric scooters to get around.

Locals use the square as a central place to meet and organize social activities.

These kids were using the concrete steps around Sukhbataar’s statue as their personal bicycle track.

Zaisan Hill and Memorial

On the south of Ulaanbaatar and across the Tuul River stands Zaisan Hill from which you can get a panoramic view of the city. A good time to come here is in the early morning before the crowds of locals and tourists arrive.

Climbing this staircase of 300 steps from the carpark will bring you to the top of the hill where a memorial stands.

I finally reached the top of the hill and looked upon the memorial. This memorial was built to honor allied Mongolian and Soviet soldiers killed in World War II.

The angular and rough features of the monument are reflective of Soviet era architecture.

The exterior of the memorial was made from dull concrete. Again the design looks very Soviet era with the old name of the Soviet Union – CCCP.

However, the inside of the memorial has a colourful mural depicting historical scenes such as Soviet support for Mongolia’s independence declaration in 1921, the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army by the Soviets at Khalhkin Gol on the Mongolian border in 1939, victory over Nazi Germany and peace time achievements such as Soviet space flights including the flight of Soyuz 39 which carried the first Mongolian into space.

The memorial has also become a place for locals and tourists to relax and socialize. This old guy climbed up the hill and began feeding the pigeons.

Young students gamely posed for the camera.

The place became more cheerful and noisier when the nearby kindergarten brought their kids up for some morning play time.

From the top of Zaisan Hill you can see the whole of Ulaanbaatar, and also the problems that it faces as a rapidly growing city. Mongolia has a total population of slightly more than 3.4 million (as of 2024) with 1.7 million of them living in Ulaanbaatar. That’s 50% of the country’s population living in the capital city alone! Infrastructure hasn’t kept up with population growth and traffic jams are a perpetual occurrence. I experienced being stuck in traffic for more than 2 hours just to get out of the city.

With the rapid growth in human and vehicular population, other problems like pollution and housing also become critical. Air pollution is especially a large issue as fumes from the coal power plants that power the city, vehicle exhausts and burning of coal and firewood by households for heating and cooking means that there is a perpetual layer of smog that blankets the city. This smog gets worse during winter, and is further exacerbated by the city’s unique topography, nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains, trapping these pollutants.

From the top of Zaisan Hill I could see the layer of smog that covers Ulaanbaatar, and the chimneys belching smoke are the exhausts of the coal power plants providing electricity and steam to the city.

There’s not enough houses for the population and beyond the urban sprawl of high rise apartments you will find the Ger Districts. This is where nomads who want to settle in the city but can’t afford apartments will set up their Ger and commute to work in the city, or live on government subsidies.

A majority of the urban population lives in Ger Districts surrounding the city. Here, nomadic life clashes head on with urban life. There is often lack of water, sanitation and electricity in these districts. Residents use public wells and pit toilets, while burning coal and wood for cooking and heating, further polluting the very land they live on.

Ulaanbaatar, on my first visit, revealed itself as a city of striking contrasts. The traditional nomadic lifestyle is gradually giving way to urban living, as many Mongolians migrate to the capital for better job opportunities and education. While remnants of its Soviet past are still visible, the city is rapidly modernizing, reflecting its rise as a global city. Diplomatically, the country maintains a delicate balance, fostering friendly relations with its largest trading partners, Russia and China, while simultaneously engaging with Western nations to diversify its international ties. Despite Ulaanbaatar’s rugged exterior and complex history, its people are warmth and friendly. Throughout my stay, I always felt welcomed, experiencing firsthand the genuine friendliness that belies the city’s tough facade.

Chinggis Khan Statue Complex

No discussion of Mongolia is complete without mentioning Genghis Khan, arguably the most renowned figure in Mongolian history. My knowledge on Genghis Khan has been limited to my secondary school history books. Born as Temujin, he took the title of Genghis Khan after uniting the Mongol tribes. While he is often portrayed in history books as a ruthless and savage tyrant whose armies killed millions of people during their conquests, in Mongolia he is viewed as the founding father of the nation and held in high regard for unifying the Mongol tribes and establishing the largest contiguous land empire in world history stretching from the Sea of Japan all the way to Eastern Europe. Like Ulaanbaatar, this contrast between historical views and his contributions to empire building makes Genghis Khan’s legacy a controversial one.

Located around 54 km east of Ulaanbaatar is this huge statue of Genghis Khan. In Mongolian, its pronounced Chinggis Khan and you will find this form used in Mongolia.

The statue is 40m high and made of stainless steel. There is a shop and museum at the basement of the statue. Taking a lift and stairs you can exit the to the top of the horse’s head where there is a viewing platform.

Once you exit onto the viewing platform you will see the stern gaze of Genghis Khan on you. His likeness is used everywhere from Mongolian vodka to local souvenirs like fridge magnets and fur boots.

Inside the statue complex you can find the family tree of Genghis Khan and his subsequent successors.

I’m not sure why they made this huge boot but maybe they wanted people to know that Genghis Khan left very big shoes to fill.

Gorkhi Terelj National Park

Mongolia is also well known for its steppes and endless grasslands. You won’t see any of that in Ulaanbaatar. Luckily, you don’t have to travel far to experience Mongolia’s natural wilderness. Just 60 km eastwards out of Ulaanbaatar is Gorkhi Terelj National Park. This is the nearest national park to the city and is a popular place for tourists to experience living in a ger. There are numerous “tourists camps” ranging from rustic to luxurious, so you can pick your desired comfort level and budget. Some residents of Ulaanbaatar also have summer houses here to get away from the city.

Imagine waking up in the morning to see horses passing through.

Only a small portion of the park is developed for tourists and the majority of the park is undeveloped. There are also numerous rocky mountains and formations for rock climbers.

One of the most famous rock formations in the park is this one called Turtle Rock. From this angle it definitely looks like a huge turtle. The gers beside it are just so tiny in comparison.

This is a Buddhist meditation temple that is just further up from Turtle Rock. Its built along the side of a small mountain range.

From the top of the temple I got a beautiful view of the valley in autumn colours. If you look closely, you can see Turtle Rock in the distance along the road.

Hustai National Park

Traveling west from Ulaanbaatar for 100 km you will find Hustai National Park. This is in stark contrast to the tourist-oriented Gorkhi Terelj. Established in 1993, Hustai is renowned for its crucial role in preserving the Przewalski’s horse, or “takhi,” once extinct in the wild. This 50,000-hectare park is a wildlife enthusiast’s paradise, boasting the world’s largest population of these wild horses in their natural habitat, along with diverse steppe fauna including roe deer, gazelles, marmots and wolves. I found that Hustai offers a more authentic, less commercialized nature experience, focusing on conservation and sustainable tourism.