Baga Gazryn Chuluu; Shutterstock ID 1282922851; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
1282922851

Shutterstock / Mr. Aleksandr Lenkov

Baga Gazryn Chuluu

The Gobi


Like a miniature Joshua Tree National Park, this granite-rock formation in the middle of the dusty plains sheltered Zanabazar during conflicts between the Khalkh and Oirat Mongols. Later it was home to two 19th-century monks who left rock drawings in the area. Locals who sometimes make pilgrimages here worship the rocks. Naturally, there is a legend that Chinggis Khaan grazed his horses here.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Gobi attractions

1. Delgeriin Choiriin Khiid

3.26 MILES

One of many monasteries destroyed in the purges of the 1930s, the Delgeriin Choiriin Khiid is in the process of being rebuilt and sequestered. In the…

2. Tsorjiin Khureenii Khiid

3.73 MILES

An unusual sight is the half-hidden stone ruins of the 200-year-old monastery, Tsorjiin Khureenii Khiid. Concealed among the rocks, and shaded by a grove…

3. Usan Bolortiin Agui

4.33 MILES

This cave has a funnel-like opening through which you can squeeze into a ger-sized cavern 18m below. One hundred years ago it glowed with quartz crystal,…

4. Baga Gazryn Freshwater Spring

4.52 MILES

This tiny freshwater spring is covered with a stone. Lift it off the opening and use the crude ladle fashioned from a stick and the business end of a…

5. Süm Khökh Burd

16.68 MILES

The ruined 10th-century temple Süm Khökh Burd sits on an island in the middle of a seasonal lake, and was built from rocks that can only be found more…

6. Byamba's Tree Nursery

29.48 MILES

Retired forest engineer and local conservationist Byamba Tseyen helped establish, and now maintains, this small tree-planting nursery on the edge of town,…

7. Dashgimpeliin Khiid

29.48 MILES

In 1936 there were 53 temples in Dundgovi; a year later the Mongolian KGB reduced nearly all to ash and rubble. In 1991 Dashgimpeliin Khiid was opened for…

8. Mandalgov Museum

29.56 MILES

This enjoyable and informative museum is divided into two main sections: a taxidermy-heavy natural history section and a more interesting ethnography and…