Western Mongolia - Mongolia - page 445

9 Market C2
10 Tesiin Gol Supermarket D2
Uliastai Hotel Restaurant (see 7)
History
Manchurian generals established a military garrison here in 1733 to keep one eye on the
Khalkh Mongols to the east and the other on the unruly Oirad Mongols who lived west of
the Khangai mountains. The fortress once housed 3500 soldiers and was surrounded by
an inevitable Chinese trading quarter called Maimaicheng.
The fort was emptied in 1911 with the disintegration of the Manchu dynasty, but
Chinese troops made an attempt to retake the fort four years later, only to be booted out
once and for all in March 1921, following the taking of Urga (Ulaanbaatar) by White
Russian forces.
Sights
History Museum MUSEUM
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( 01462-23097; admission T4000; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri) This decent History Museum con-
tains a mammoth bone, some fine religious art and a tsam mask, worn during lama
dances, made from coral. There is also a good collection of photographs of Uliastai taken
in the early 20th century and a few grisly reminders of the Manchu era in the form of
shackles and torture devices. The map on the wall depicting Uliastai's layout when it was
still a garrison is also interesting.
Museum of Famous People MUSEUM
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( 9am-6pm Mon-Fri) Next door to the History Museum, the Museum of Famous People
features well-known Zavkhanites (including Mongolia's first two democratically elected
presidents, P Ochirbat and N Bagabandi), and is included in the admission price.
Javkhlant Tolgoi VIEWPOINT
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