Soum Guide · Arkhangai Aimag
Khashaat
Treeless steppe on Arkhangai's eastern edge, known for the Göktürk memorials at Khöshöö Tsaidam.
- Aimag
- Arkhangai
- Population (2025)
- 2,916
- In Mongolian
- Хашаат сум
Overview
Khashaat lies at the easternmost edge of Arkhangai. Unlike much of the aimag it is open steppe with no woodland, and herding is the mainstay of the local economy. The name means "fenced".
The soum is known above all for monuments left by an ancient Turkic empire. At Khöshöö Tsaidam stand the memorial complexes of Kültegin and Bilge Qaghan, whose inscriptions, raised in the 730s, are among the earliest surviving texts in a Turkic language. One of the soum's five bags is named Tsaidam.
What to See
- Khöshöö Tsaidam and the Orkhon inscriptions of Kültegin and Bilge Qaghan
- Wide herding country on the edge of the Orkhon valley
Visiting
- Khöshöö Tsaidam is a short drive from Khar Balgas in Khotont; the two make a natural day together.
- Summer is the best season; the steppe is exposed to wind and sun.