Sights in The Gobi
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Museum of Danzan Ravjaa
Noyon Khutagt Danzan Ravjaa (1803-56), a well-known Mongolian writer, composer, painter and medic, was born about 100km southwest of Sainshand. The museum has a collection of gifts presented to Danzan Ravjaa by Chinese and Tibetan leaders, costumes used in his plays, Buddhist statues presented to him by the 10th Dalai Lama, and some of Ravjaa's paintings. He was also very interested in traditional medicine, so the museum also has a collection of herbs.
In the centre of the museum is a statue of Danzan Ravjaa looming in the darkness. Note the small glass jar in front of the statue, which contains Danzan Ravjaa's bones; the poet's mummified body was burned along with his mo…
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Lamyn Gegeenii Gon Gandan Dedlin Khiid
The original monastery by this name was located 20km east of Bayankhongor city and was home to 10,000 monks, making it one of the biggest in the country. It was levelled by the communist government in 1937. The current monastery, built in 1991, is home to only 40 monks. The main temple is built in the shape of a ger, although it's actually made of brick. The main hall features a statue of Sakyamuni flanked by a green and white Tara. The monastery is on the main street, 700m north of the square.
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Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area
Divided into 'Gobi A' (Southern Altai Gobi) and 'Gobi B' (Dzungarian Gobi). Gobi A is over 4.4 million hectares in the southern part of the aimag; Gobi B is 881,000 hectares in the southwest of Gov-Altai and neighbouring Khovd. Together, the area is the fourth-largest biosphere reserve in the world and protects wild ass, Gobi bears, wild Bactrian camels and jerboas, among other endangered animals.
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Aimag Museum
The well-appointed Aimag Museum houses plenty of stuffed Gobi animals, and a collection of sea shells and marine fossils (Dornogov was once beneath the sea). There is also an impressive skeleton of a Protoceratops and a dinosaur egg. Upstairs, look out for the wooden breastplate used by a Mongol soldier of the imperial fighting days. Lighting here is poor so bring a torch (flashlight).
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South Gobi Museum
Surprisingly, the South Gobi Museum has little on dinosaurs - just a leg, an arm and a few eggs. (All of the best exhibits are in Ulaanbaatar or in other museums around the world.) There are a few nice paintings, a huge stuffed vulture and a display of scroll paintings and other Buddhist items. The museum is on the main street, on the other side of the park from the pink Drama Theatre.
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Ikh Nart Natural Reserve
Ikh Nart Natural Reserve (67,000 hectares), only a four-hour drive from Ulaanbaatar, is home to hundreds of ibex (mountain goats), black vultures and other wildlife. The natural springs near Khalzan Uul (Bald Mountain) are considered a local health remedy. Burgasan Amny Rashaan is another mineral spring a few kilometres south of Khalzan Uul. Nomadic Journeys has a ger camp here.
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Aimag Museum
The Aimag Museum includes some excellent bronze statues, scroll paintings, some genuine Mongol army chain mail, and an interesting shaman costume and drum. Look out for the 200kg statue of Buddha, which was hidden in a cave during the purges and recovered in 1965. There may be no electricity so bring a torch (flashlight) to see the exhibits.
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Dashgimpeliin Khiid
In 1936 there were 53 temples in Dundgov; a year later, nearly all were reduced to ashes and rubble by the Mongolian KGB. In 1991 Dashgimpeliin Khiid was opened to serve the people of Mandalgov. The monastery is now served by 30 monks and services are held most mornings from 10:00. It's 300m northeast of the Mandal Hotel.
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Aimag Museum
The renovated Aimag Museum is divided into two main sections: a natural history section and a more interesting ethnography and history section. There's also a collection of priceless thangka (scroll paintings), old flintlock rifles, bronze arrowheads, silver snuffboxes, pipes, and chess sets carved out of ivory.
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Dechinchoinkhorlin Khiid
This monastery, which opened in 1991, is in a large walled compound at the northern end of the central district. There is an active temple and, although visitors are welcome, photographs are not allowed inside. The 25 monks are very friendly. The best views are from the tank monument located behind the monastery.
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Takhiin Tal
150,000 hectares on the border of the northern section of Gobi B (Dzungarian Gobi). Takhi (the Mongolian wild horse) have been reintroduced into the wild here since 1996 through the Research Station. Experts hope they will survive and flourish in this remote area of the Gobi.
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Aimag Museum
The Aimag Museum, inside the sports stadium in the park, is well laid out and worth a visit. There is a good display on Buddhist art, featuring two lovely statues of Tara, some fine old scroll paintings and tsam (lama dance) masks and costumes.
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Monument Park
Communism has been preserved in this small park, which contains statues of Sükhbaatar, Yuri Gagarin (first man in space), a pair of happy workers, various livestock and a Soviet-Mongolian friendship monument, among others.
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Ergeliin Zuu
Ergeliin Zuu (90,910 hectares), in the south of the province, is a small protected area that has interesting rock formations and palaeontology sites that include 30-million-year-old mammalian fossils.
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Gurvan Saikhan National Park
Gurvan Saikhan National Park (2,000,000 hectares) Wealth of sand dunes, canyons, dinosaur fossils and mountainous terrain. Desert wildlife includes argali sheep, ibex and snow leopard.
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Small Gobi A Strictly Protected Area
Small Gobi A Strictly Protected Area (1,839,176 hectares). On the border with China, includes dunes and saxaul forest. Last great bastion of the khulan (wild ass).
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Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is filled with badly stuffed animals, a replica Tarbosaurus skeleton and some fossils, including a 130-million-year-old fossilised turtle.
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Khun Chuluu
If you are headed south on the road to Biger, check out the Khun Chuluu, or balbal, said to date back to the 13th century (possibly earlier).
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Khasagt Khairkhan Strictly Protected Area
Khasagt Khairkhan Strictly Protected Area (27,448 hectares) The area protects endangered argali sheep and the Mongol Altai mountain environment.
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Eej Khairkhan Nature Reserve
Eej Khairkhan Nature Reserve (22,475 hectares) About 150km directly south of Altai, the reserve was created to protect the general environment
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Alag Khairkhan Nature Reserve
Alag Khairkhan Nature Reserve (36,400 hectares) Protected Altai habitat with rare plants, snow leopards, argali and ibex
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Sharga Nature Reserve
Like the Mankhan Natural Reserve in Khovd aimag, it helps to preserve highly endangered species of antelope.
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