Historical Sites

Ger Camp * Moilt Camp * Camping * Takhi Watching

Bird Watching * Horse Riding * Hiking * Historical Sites


Hustai National Park, regarded as a holy place by local herders, is rich in archaeological and cultural sites.

Grave markers

Among the oldest traces of ancient habitation are the many Neolithic graves dotting the Tuul River valley. The oldest are suspected to date back more than 4,000 years. The most spectacular site, Ongot grave, lies in the river valley just west of the park's border. The site is thought to be the resting place of an important member of the Turkic tribes who ruled present-day Mongolia from the 6th to the 8th century AD. It features the collapsed slabs of a mausoleum and several carved stone grave markers with human features. Statues of an Argali-sheep and a dog that were originally found at this site are now at Manzshir Monastery near the Bogd Khaan Mountain Strictly Protected Area.

Also along the Tuul River valley lie the remains of a small temple. Built 200 years ago in honour of a local man who became the head lama at Gandantegchinlen Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, nomads still come to pray at the site and make religious offerings to ask for a safe journey to the abattoirs of Ulaanbaatar with their cattle.

Temple ruins

Just north of the temple ruins, at the entrance of the valley, are the remains of a small Buddhist monastery. The monastery was destroyed at the end of the 1930's during Stalinistic religious purges. The museum in Zuunmod, the capital of Tov province, exhibits a model of the important monastery as it once stood.

Ovoos can be seen at several points in the park. Ovoos (cone-shaped collections of stones, wood, blue silk scarves, etc.) are placed on top of hills or mountain passes as traditional shamanistic offerings. While often just a handful of rocks, ovoos can also be spectacular arrangements with animal skulls and wooden poles. Ovoos are sacred and all digging, hunting and logging in their vicinity is strictly prohibited. Traditionally, people will walk clockwise around the ovoo one or three times, make an offering (a rock, crutch, money, etc.) and then make a wish. The park's largest and most sacred ovoo is at the top of Hustai Mountain, and is surrounded by 13 smaller cairns. The mountain has long been an object of worship by locals, which has protected its ecosystems from exploitation. Religious ceremonies are still regularly conducted on the mountain.

 

 

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