Khara-Khorum & Erdene Zuu

The meaning of the word, Khara-Khorum, might be one of the following words: khara-khu'rem (black stone), khara khorin (black wall), khara-kerem (black castle), khara-korum (black shivers of the ruins of Uigur's KaraKorum, VIII CE), khorin ger (twenty gers, according to old Mongolian custom, was a center of the city), kho'l khorin (a place is not allowed to speak) and et cetera.

The great ruler, Chingis khaan, ordered to build Khara-Khorum in 1220 as a capital of the Mongolian Empire. The second great khaan, Ogodei, made it the real capital of the Mongolian Empire. The fourth great khaan, Monke, extended the city and Europian travelers recorded the city in the world history in 1246 as "Khara Khorin".

During the complicts between Arig-Bokhe and Khubilai khaan, Khubilai's general Esunge slitely damaged Khara-Khorum and took over in the winter, 1261. In 1260, Khubilai khaan moved the Mongolian capital from Khara-Khorum to Kaiping (Xanedu or Shandu in Mongolian), then to Beejing (Daidu) in 1264. Later, Ming army completely ruined Khara-Khorum in 1410.

Erdene Zuu monastery is the first buddhist monastery in Mongolia. It was built at the initiative of the most influential Khalha lord Abtai Khan, in 1586 on the spot where Khara-Khorum, the famous capital of the Mongolia Empire of the XIII century was. The stone columns, blocks and sculptures excavated from the ruins of the city show that various building materials were used in the construction of this monastery, which began in the XVI century and continued until the XIX century. A considerable portion of the building work of the temples, fortress and stupas was created under the direction of the Mongolian artisan Manzshir and many Mongolian craftsmen participated in erecting this architectural ensemble. The architectural style of the temples combines the style of ancient Mongolian, Tibetan and Chinese architecture. Most noteworthy is that not a single nail was used in the building.

The territory of the monastery occupies an area of 400 square meters and is surrounded by a stone wall with 108 stupas. These stupas were erected either in honor of a prominent historical event, or as the grave of a state or religious figure. Almost ten thousand lamas lived within the fortress, which contained more than 60 chapels of various sizes. Erdene Zuu is said to have had 108 Tsam dancers and religious rites were arranged annually in different parts of the monastery.

The Mongolians, Chinese, Arab and Tibetan scripts of the XIII and XIV centuries have been preserved to the present in some of the temples. The chapel built in honor of the Tusheet Khan Chahundorj's visit to Dalai Lama in 1675 is also situated here.

Furthermore there is a brick fortress wall with two graves, of Abtai Khan who died in 1587, and his son Tusheet Khan Gombodorj. The tomb of Gombodorj's wife is placed outside of the fortress in the so called 'female sector' of the monastery, on the north eastern side. Three main temples, "Three Zuu" the western temple of which was built by Abtai Khan and his son Gombodorj, stand in most sacred western side. Three statues of 8 idols are placed in the temple, the one on the left side depicting Sanjaa who, according to the religious mythology, was the first disseminator of religion before Buddha, the on of right being Jamba (the Holy Maitreya), disseminator of Buddhism after Buddha, and the one in the centre is Buddha in his old age.

The main Central Zuu was built by the missionary Tsogt at the Zungen Lord's ruling. An idol can be seen on either side of the entrance of the main shrine of Erdene Zuu, the idol Lham to the left and the idol Gombogur to the right.

Three big idol statues are placed along the northern wall. On the left of the God of medicine Otoch Manal, on the right is Holy Abida, and the centre the Buddha in his youth. Statues of 8 idols are also placed in the temple. These are the Buddha's disciples, the God of the Moon, 8 Sages and others. A special pedestal displays dozens of guilded statues of idols (chased and moulded) the works of Under Gegen Zanabazar, a master sculptor and artist. The walls of the temple are adorned with beautiful works of appliqué depicting the forest, mountains and caves where the gods pursued their hermitic existence. These pictures are called the land of the Thousand Buddha of Golden Time, who have descended from heaven to earth. The eastern temple of Zuu was built by Erhi Mergen Khan's wife and the Bogdo Lama's mother. There are three big statues displayed in the temple, on the left is the Bogdo lama himself, on the right is the idol Janraiseg, and the center is the image of the Buddha in his teenage years. The model of the eastern Zuu temple made of brown sandalwood is placed on a central pedestal.

The main stupa which is called the Golden Payer Stupa stands in the northern sector. The three-circled palace of Lavran restored in 1969-1973 is located nearby and is the only monument in Mongolia of pure Tibetan style. The central square of the monastery, 45 meters in diameter, is paved with flagstones and is named the Square of Happiness and Prosperity. Legend says that the ger (yurta) of Abtai Khan stood here, a big ger (yurta) od Benediction erected in 1658, in which the annual assemblies of the Mongolian lords were usually held. A grass-covered hollow has been left at the place near the square where there was once a pond. The Erdene Zuu monastery preserves the marvellous works of the Mongolian artisans, painters, cutters, sculptors, embroideries and craftsmen of the XVII century.

Erdene Zuu monastery was severely damaged at the end of the XVII century and the beginning of the XVIII centuries at the time of the struggle of the Mongolians against the Manchu invaders. It was restored several times, in 1760-1796 and in 1808-1814.