Heritage Site · Mongol Empire
Burkhan Khaldun
The most sacred mountain in Mongolia, where the young Temüjin found refuge, mentioned 27 times in the Secret History of the Mongols.
- Location
- Khentii aimag
- Period
- Mongol Empire
- Date
- Sacred since the time of Genghis Khan
- UNESCO
- Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and its surrounding sacred landscape (UNESCO World Heritage, 2015)
History
Burkhan Khaldun rises in the Khentii mountains near the sources of the Onon and Kherlen rivers, the heartland of the early Mongols. The Secret History of the Mongols mentions it 27 times, and in one passage Genghis Khan says the mountain shielded him when he fled from his enemies.
Genghis Khan is said to have declared the mountain sacred, and its worship continues today. A presidential decree formalised the state worship of the mountain and declared it a national monument, and in 2015 UNESCO inscribed it and its surrounding sacred landscape as a World Heritage site. Legends link it to his birth and burial, but neither has been confirmed.
What to See
- The sacred mountain and its ovoo cairns
- The forests, rivers and wildlife of the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area
Visiting
- Within the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area in Khentii aimag; remote, and reached by 4x4 followed by a long walk or horse ride.
- Entry to strictly protected areas requires a permit: arrange it, and ideally a local guide, through the protected area administration or a tour operator.
- Formal worship at the main ovoo is reserved for a few officials, shamans and lamas; visitors should behave as at any sacred site.
Sources