Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The main hall concentrates on traditional Mongolian lifestyle, with exhibits of cos-
tumes, traditional tools, a ger, musical instruments, weaponry and saddles. The displays
have some useful English captions. The second hall concentrates on religious icons. The
other two rooms of the former main prayer hall are empty, while the last hall focuses on
local artwork. Look out for the traditional Mongolian board games and playing cards.
Galdan Zuu Temple
TEMPLE
Up the hill from the aimag museum, this temple has been renovated with donations from
locals. It stands behind an impressive 7m statue of the Buddha. Behind the temple is a
large, near-vertical, rocky hill called Bulgan Uul, where there are some
Buddhist in-
scriptions
.
Buyandelgerüülekh Khiid
MONASTERY
Tsetserleg's small monastery (next to the museum) has a handful of monks who hold ser-
vices at 11am in summer and 10am in winter. The
main statue
here is Sakyamuni; you'll
also see a picture of the last Zayan Gegeen (to the left of the throne), who was the tradi-
tional head of the monastery in Tsetserleg.
Gangin Gol
VALLEY
In the north of town a trail leads to the pretty Gangin Gol, which offers great hiking po-
tential. At the mouth of the valley is a ger camp and a pitiful nature museum of stuffed
animals, which isn't worth the T1000 the caretaker will demand. From the camp you can
hike up the mountain to the left, and walk along the ridge until you reach the peak of
Bulgan Uul (1953m), the mountain that overlooks Tsetserleg.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
JAMSRANJAV BAYARSAIKHAN: ARCHAEOLOGIST
Jamsranjav Bayarsaikhan is a seasoned archaeologist based at the National Mu-
seum of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar. He spoke with us about his excavations in
Arkhangai. To contact the National Museum about joining an archaeological dig,
visit
www.nationalmuseum.mn
.
