Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts

The Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts has a superb collection of paintings, carvings and sculptures, including many by the revered sculptor and artist Zanabazar. It also contains other rare, and sometimes old, religious exhibits such as scroll thangka(paintings) and Buddhist statues, representing the best display of its kind in Mongolia. A bonus is that most of the exhibit captions in the museum are in English.

The second room contains some fine examples of the sculptor's work including five Dhyani, or Contemplation, Buddhas (cast in 1683) and Tara in her 21 manifestations.

Also worth checking out are the wonderful tsam masks (worn by monks during religious ceremonies) and the intricate paintings, One Day in Mongolia and the Airag Feast, by renowned artist B Sharav. These depict almost every aspect of nomadic life.

The building itself carries some historical value. It was built in 1906 and for many years served as Ulaanbaatar's biggest department store. Shortly after the 1921 Communist Revolution, Soviet Red Army troops were stationed here.