Manzushir Monastery

Not far from Ulaanbaatar, near the city’s new airport, is the small town of Zuun Mod. This town is the aimag center of Tov, the country’s central province and one of Mongolia’s 21 aimags. While Zuun Mod itself does not have many attractions, a one-hour walk takes visitors to a historic monastery.

Manzushir was established in the 1700s and functioned as a Buddhist monastery for hundreds of years until the communist takeover of Mongolia. At that time, it fell victim to the Stalinist purges, resulting in the demolition of hundreds of monasteries and the deaths of many monks. 

Today, visitors can see the ruined shell of the main temple. Right next to it is the restored and refurbished temple that also houses a museum. The museum tells the sad story of the ruined temple but also provides hope.