Things to do in Khentii
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Ethnography Museum
The Ethnography Museum, next to the City Hall, is housed inside the 18th-century home of the Tsetseg Khaan, a Mongolian prince who governed most of eastern Mongolia during the Manchu reign. One building holds a portrait of the last Tsetseg Khaan, painted in 1923. Other buildings contain ethnic costumes, Mongolian toys and some religious artefacts, such as statues and thangka (scroll paintings). On the museum grounds is a ceremonial ger with delicately carved wood furnishing and ornaments. It's usually locked but you could ask the watchman to let you have a look inside.
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Stone Marker
About 3.5km north of Dadal village is a collection of hills known as Deluun Boldog. On top of one of the hills is a Stone Marker, built in 1990 to commemorate the 750th anniversary of the writing of The Secret History of the Mongols. The inscription says that Chinggis Khaan was born here in 1162.
Some historians may not be entirely convinced about the exact date or location of his birth, but it's a great place to come into the world: the scenery and hiking around the valleys and forests are superb.
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Statue of Chinggis
Öndörkhaan being the capital of Chinggis Khaan's old stomping grounds, local authorities have put much effort in recent years towards elevating the conqueror's cult status. Look out for a bronze Statue of Chinggis seated on his horse; it's just outside the Ethnography Museum. The statue was commissioned as part of the celebrations to mark 800 years of statehood, in 2006. Nearby, opposite the Government House, is a stone statue of Chinggis.
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Shadavdarjaliin Khiid
Shadavdarjaliin Khiid is a lively place with a dozen or so monks. The original monastery in this area was built in 1660 and housed the first Buddhist philosophy school in Mongolia. At its peak, the monastery was home to more than 1000 monks. In the spring of 1938, the Stalinist purge reached Khentii and the monks were all arrested. The buildings remained standing until the 1950s, when they were torn down.
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Balbal
A well-preserved Turkic-era Balbal is 7km west of Öndörkhaan, past the airport. The squat-figured statue, covered in blue silk hadak (ritual scarf), has a disproportionately large head with pronounced eyebrows and deep-set eyes. His long hair is curled behind his ears, an unusual feature for this type of statue. Locals refer to the statue as 'Gelen', a religious title.
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Chinggis Statue
The main monument in the area is the Chinggis Statue, 13km south of Delgerkhaan village. It was built in 1990 under the sponsorship of Unesco, to commemorate the 750th anniversary of the writing of The Secret History of the Mongols. The symbols on the side of the statue are the brands used by about 300 different clans in the area for marking their livestock.
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Chinggis Khaan Statue
There's an impressive Chinggis Khaan Statue in the Gurvan Nuur camp, built in 1962 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of Chinggis' birth. The monument was built at the height of the communist-era and after it was complete the president purged the folks who built it. Somehow the monument itself was allowed to stand.
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Khajuu Bulag
About 2.2km west of Deluun Boldog is the Khajuu Bulag mineral water springs, where the great man once drank. Take your water bottles and fill them to the brim because this is the freshest (flowing) spring water you will ever taste. You could also hike up into the hills behind town, where there is a large ovoo.
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Nature Pub
Chinggis Khaan would feel quite at home downing pints in this rustic restaurant and pub. The red exterior leads into a dimly lit hall decorated with stretched goat skins, wolf traps, and compound bows. The kitchen is probably the best in town, offering up a variety of dishes from pork steaks to fish.
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Avarga Toson Mineral Spring
One kilometre east of the statue is the Avarga Toson Mineral Spring, from which Ögedei Khaan drank and was cured of a serious stomach ailment. The spring is covered by an ovoo (a shamanistic collection of stones), but you can fill your water bottles at a pump house near the site.
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Nunga Café
Smart and colourful, this friendly café is a popular business lunch spot. Despite the modern look of the place, the menu is a little bland, offering the usual Mongolian meat-based dishes, soups and salads. But the owner speaks English and might be able to accommodate special requests.
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Tiger Café
Owned by the former Khentii governor, this is one of the better places in town. Meals are served in sizzling iron dishes shaped like a cow, although promises of fried fish on the menu are unfounded. It's on the 2nd floor of a distinctive green building on the main street.
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Onon-Balj National Park
The 415,752-hectare Onon-Balj National Park, extending north from the village towards Russia, offers enticing camping spots, fishing holes and chances for spotting wildlife. Buy your national park ticket (around Tug3000) in the Government House.
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Chinggis Khaan Garden
The omnipresence of the great khaan is complete with Chinggis Khaan Garden. The site features a monument engraved with the image of an approaching Mongol horde, and a list of the Mongol khaans with the dates that they ruled.
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Aimag Museum
The small Aimag Museum, north of the park, contains a mastodon tusk, a protoceratops skull, some Chinggis Khaan-era armour and the usual array of stuffed animals, including a saluting bear.
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Buren Khaan Tsainy Gazar
Dadal has a few guanz (canteens/restaurants) that serve up hot soup and goulash, the best of which is probably Buren Khaan Tsainy Gazar.
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Modern Disco Bar
By day it's a musty little café and by night a dark drinking den with a scratchy sound system and sticky dance floor.
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