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Khovd

Overview of the town

The town of Khovd began in 1685, when Galdan Boshigt set up a garrison and farmland on the bank of the Khovd River. Galdan Boshigt was a hero who united the nomadic groups of western Mongolia and resisted the Qing Empire to the end. In 1763, during the Qing period, the town moved to its present location. At that time it was divided into the "Sangiin Kherem (fortress: administrative facilities)" and the "merchant quarter". In 1940 it became the provincial center, and since 1961 it has been called Khovd City. As the center of western Mongolia, it continues to develop in administration and the economy, as well as in culture and education, with Khovd University and more.

Getting Around Khovd

The town center is the provincial government square, where the statue of Galdan Boshigt, the representative hero of western Mongolia, stands. If you take the intersection just by Ayush Square to the east across the road as your starting point, you can walk around without getting lost. About 300 m north of the intersection on the west side is the Khovd Provincial Museum, and going west on the road before it, you come to the Ger Museum. Going further north from the Khovd Provincial Museum leads to the fortress ruins of Sangiin Kherem. Going east or south from the intersection, hotels, restaurants and shops line the streets. Heading east, past Khovd University, at the intersection with a large monument of a Mongolian boot, go south to reach the Zakh (market). Gandan Monastery is on the way to the airport, and it is a little hard to reach on foot.

Sangiin Kherem (Сангийн хэрэм)

A symbol of oppression and prosperity in the Qing Empire era. These fortress ruins lie about 800 m north of the town center. In 1762 a Manchu minister (amban) of the Qing stayed here to rule the area. Walls over 3 m in both height and thickness surrounded it on all four sides, and inside were the minister's residence, an office, a prison, a Buddhist temple, a mosque, craftsmen's huts and more. On August 7, 1912, an army commanded by Dambijantsan and others expelled the Manchu minister and others and freed this land into Mongolian hands.

Gandan Puntsagchoilon Monastery (Гандан-Пунцагчойлон хийд)

It has gone through destruction, restoration, relocation and rebuilding, and still draws faith. Built in the Qing period, it developed as the central temple of this area. It was destroyed in the socialist era, rebuilt in 1996, and moved to its present site in 2010. In 2017 an 18 m-high seated statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva was built. Its appearance is imposing.

Khovd Provincial Museum (Ховд аймгийн музей)

A view across diverse Mongolian cultures. The largest museum for an overview of the culture of western Mongolia. Besides exhibits on Magsarjav, the hero of Khovd's liberation, and Ayush, who endured torture in the Qing period and took part in the liberation movement, the introductions of the characteristic cultures of the Mongolic and Turkic groups are also well worth seeing. Its orange outer wall is distinctive.

Khar-Us Lake (Хар ус нуур)

The third largest lake in Mongolia. A freshwater lake of 1,486 km² fed by the Khovd and Bulgan rivers, which rise in the Altai Mountains. The lake's average depth is 4.5 m. The name means "lake of black water". The lake has a dozen or so islands, with a total area of 274 km². The lake is divided into two main parts, and much of the roughly 400 km² on the north side of the lake is covered with reeds. It looks like grassland at first glance and is hard to approach from the shore. Around the north shore you can also see winter camps of nomads surrounded by reed livestock pens. On the south side of the lake there are tourist camps and an observation deck. In summer many flowers bloom around it, and it is beautiful.

Chandmani (Чандмань сум)

A village about 150 km southeast of Khovd City, on the east side of the sacred mountain Jargalant Khairkhan (3,797 m). It is known as the birthplace of "khoomei", the traditional Mongolian vocal art in which two sounds are produced at once with the throat. It was also the setting of the documentary drama "Chandmani: To the Source of Mongolian Khoomei (2009, Japan and Mongolia)". Chandmani lies at the foot of Jargalant Khairkhan.

Ulaangom and Uvs Lake

Overview of the town

Ulaangom began in 1686, when Galdan Boshigt, the hero of western Mongolia, drew water from the Khirkhira River and opened farmland in the hollow near Uvs Lake. In the late 17th century it was a land where grain cultivation flourished. In 1931 Chandmani Mountain was set as the boundary between Uvs Province and Khovd Province, and Ulaangom was made the center of Uvs Province. The city has the Consulate General of the Tuva Republic of the Russian Federation, and a paved road runs to the Tuva Republic, so trade with Russia is also active. It is also famous as the hometown of the politician Tsedenbal, who led Mongolia for 44 years of the socialist era.

Getting Around Ulaangom

The main road running east–west in front of the provincial government square (Tsedenbal Square), where the statue of the politician Tsedenbal stands, is the town center. Going west from here, the Uvs Provincial Museum, a shopping center, hotels and more line the road. A road runs from the provincial government square northeast to the Zakh (market), and hotels and supermarkets are compactly gathered along it, which is convenient for a stay. There are also hotels near the Uvs Provincial Museum, so staying there as a base is also a good choice.

Uvs Provincial Museum (Увс аймгийн музей)

In memory of the politician Tsedenbal. Besides basic exhibits on Uvs Province's natural environment and wildlife and exhibits showing the cultural characteristics of the groups living in the province, there is a rich exhibition on Tsedenbal, who reached the highest position and honor in the socialist era. It is a two-story white building.

Uvs Lake (Увс нуур)

The largest lake in Mongolia. The northeast part is territory of the Tuva Republic of the Russian Federation. It is a shallow, slightly saline lake with an average depth of 6 m and an area of 3,350 km². There are 38 inflowing rivers including the Tes River, but no outflowing river. The Uvs Nuur Basin, centered on Uvs Lake, spans 700,000 km² and is a valuable area preserving the characteristics of the steppe region in its natural state. It holds an extremely complex natural environment in which the northernmost desert and the southernmost tundra coexist. In 2003, 12 protected areas of the Uvs Nuur Basin, 8 on the Russian side and 4 on the Mongolian side, were registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (natural heritage). Under harsh conditions of 47°C in summer and minus 58°C in winter, 41 species of mammals and 173 species of birds live there. It is a stopover for migratory birds that spend the summer in Siberia, and at the peak of migration the lake surface is filled with birds. Places where you can approach the lake shore are limited, and driving off the road risks getting stuck. In summer the shore is covered with flowers of every color.