Art By Tali Landsman

Gandan Monastery (short for Gandantegchinlen Monastery- a Tibetan name which means "Great Place of Complete Joy") is a Tibetan-style monastery that was the main reason for the very existence of Ulaanbaatar. In olden days, the whole settlement of Ulaanbaatar, then called Ikh Khuree, or "Great Camp," was centered around this temple, which stood at the heart of the city, with Gers erected all around it, providing accommodation for the Lamas and monks as well as to to all other inhabitants.  It was a mobile monastery-town, which frequently changed its location along the three rivers in the area, depending on the availability of fresh water, wild game, and grass for the herds of animals.   The spiritual leaders of those times were also the most powerful politicians, making all the laws and ruling decisions. Gandan temple, built in 1809, has been restored and revitalized since 1990; it was one of the only monasteries to be spared the destruction of almost all Buddhist bui...

The country of Mongolia has been inhabited for over 850,000 years, and for more than the 2500 years of its recorded history, the Mongolian people have followed a nomadic, herding and hunting lifestyle.  In order to raise the traditional herd animals of Mongolia - the "five snouts" - horses, camels, yaks/cows, sheep and goats - the people devised a way to move from place to place, following the best grazing land at different times of the year.   They did this by living in circular Gers (yurts) made from wood poles covered with animal skins or nowadays canvas, with two warm layers of felt that they laboriously produced from yak or camel hair.   These gers can be erected and taken down in less than an hour, and many Mongolians who no longer raise animals still live in gers today, as well as those who do follow a nomadic lifestyle.   Even in the biggest city of Ulaanbaatar, the only permanent buildings were historically the many Buddhist monasteries with their beautiful ...

We landed in Ulaanbaatar on a rainy grey evening, the tail end of several wet and stormy days.  It had rained so much in the last few days that the streets and roads of this busy city, which are gridlocked in the best of conditions, were now completely flooded in many places. Driving in Ulaanbaatar is a task reserved only for the bold or for those who can handle the constant stress, and the flooded roads made driving even more difficult. Other travelers who had passed quickly through this city, suggested to us that we spend only the minimum amount of time necessary here, just what is absolutely needed to get our trip around Mongolia started. The city is surrounded by green slopes, but it has become so overbuilt in recent years, that you can hardly see the green horizon beyond the sprawl of city and suburbs, which seems to stretch for miles and miles. Until recently, Mongolia was a communist country. This means that all the land was communal, which fit well with the nomadic traditio...