Visiting Erdene Zuu Monastery, Harahorin, Mongolia

In August 2011, on the way back from the Deer Stone Valley, Jargalantyn Am, we stopped at Harhorin after an interval of 14 years.
Harhorin is located on the east side of Orhon River, one of the greatest river in Mongolia and was a capital of Mongolian Empire "Karakorum" that was established by Ogedei, the Second Great Kahn in 1235.
However, the Fifth Great Khan Fubirai founded Yuan Dynasty in China and relocated the capital to today's Beijing in 1267, Karakorum rapidly declined thereafter.
And 300 years later started the new construction of Erdene Zuu, a Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, but the waste materials of Karakorum were re-used for the construction, the international city view was completely vanished therefore.
For Erdene Zuu as well, however, most temples and monuments were destroyed during the governance of the USSR, only a few buildings such as the outer walls that contain 108 stupas, Gorban Zuu Temples, Golden Stupa and Laviran Temple can be seen today.
Takeo Fukazawa
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