Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia, in the valley of the Tuul River at the foot of the Bogd Khan Mountain. It took its present name, Red Hero, in 1924, in honor of the revolutionary leader Damdin Sükhbaatar.

Ulaanbaatar started in 1639 as a mobile Buddhist monastery of felt tents, set up for Zanabazar, the first spiritual head of Mongolian Buddhism. Known as Örgöö and later as Ikh Khüree, the great camp moved along the rivers of central Mongolia many times before it stayed at its present site in the late 18th century. Russian and Chinese traders called it Urga, and caravans carrying tea between China and Russia stopped there. After the Qing dynasty fell, the city became the capital of an independent Mongolia under the Bogd Khan.

Gandan Monastery, founded in the 19th century, is the main center of Mongolian Buddhism and holds a tall gilded statue of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan, the last ruler of the old state, keeps his throne and gifts from foreign rulers. Sükhbaatar Square, the main square, has a seated statue of Chinggis Khaan in front of the government building. Each July the Naadam festival opens in the city with wrestling, archery and horse racing, the three manly games of the steppe. The Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts shows gilded bronze statues of Buddhist deities cast by Zanabazar himself, a sculptor as well as a religious leader.

Gobi Corporation, based in Ulaanbaatar, spins and knits cashmere from the wool of Mongolian goats into sweaters and scarves. APU, also headquartered in the city, makes Chinggis beer, vodka and dairy products.