For many visitors, Mongolia is the outdoor capital of the world with Ulaanbaatar as the gateway to this remote and inviting county.
For most travellers, one night is enough, and people leave either loving or hating this misunderstood capital. However, we would say try it a little longer. It may be the coldest capital in the world during the winter, but it is one of the most interesting, especially given its history.
Ulaanbaatar charts much of the country’s more recent history and is a catalogue of how Mongolia has urbanised incredibly quickly over the last century.
In The Beginning, There Were Tents
The inhabitants of Mongolia have always been nomadic, and so has its capital; moving from location to location.
A tented people with a tented city, the first record of a permanent heart to Mongolia was in 1639. The story of Ulaanbaatar begins some 344 kilometres away from the present-day capital on the shores of Shireet Tsagaan Lake when the monks of the Da Khuree monastery began to expand.
Initially, Ulaanbaatar was almost comparable to IKEA, with semi-permanent buildings that were easy to dismantle and reerect when required.
The city would change its name almost as much as it would its location (29 times). In its first incarnation, the city was known as Urguu, then Nomyn Khuree, Ikh Khuree, Niislel Khuree before eventually settling on its 1920s communistical moniker: Ulaanbaatar.
The Mobile City Stops Moving
It was the year 1778 that saw Ulaanbaatar settle in its present-day location under the name Ikh Khuree in a setting chosen by some of the countries leading monks.
As Ikh Khuree began to expand and develop, more permanent buildings were constructed. Gers and tented dwellings were replaced by stone, brick, and timber as the city saw an influx of artisans, builders and tradespeople borrowing heavily from Tibetan and Chinese architecture. However, many of the temples and buildings still retained a distinctly Mongolian style.
For Buddhism in Mongolia, this was the golden age as Ulaanbaatar was home to over 10,000 monks and saw construction begin on Gandantegchinlen, Damadarjeeling and East Khuree Dashchoilin – three stunning monasteries.
During the 19th century, the city continued to grow, making the critical transition from Mongolia’s religious heart to the centre of its politics, culture and government.
Ulaanbaatar would become a crucial junction for trade and communication between north and south. As the monasteries grew in size, so did the city’s population, with gers and wooden dwellings encircling the outer walls of the monasteries.
The Century of Three Revolutions
The start of the 20th century saw Mongolians stand up and demand autonomy from 220 years of Chinese Qing dynasty rule.
In 1911, Ulaanbaatar became the country’s capital city under the name Niislel Khuree.
Niislel Khuree, and the rest of the county, would spend the next ten years in turmoil as the fledgling government experienced difficulties running the country and keeping out foreign powers; the Chinese were to reemerge led by power-hungry warlords intent on claiming a destabilised Mongolia for themselves.
1921 saw revolution number two, nicknamed ‘The People’s Revolution’. Soviet Russia entered Mongolia from the north, helping the country sweep away demoralised Chinese troops. The Mongolian People’s Republic was born, and so the Mongolian capital would receive its last name Ulaanbaatar (Red Hero).
With a new political system, the country and its capital were to experience a new lease of life not only in communist fervour but also in construction and living standards.
The 1930s saw Soviet-backed purges responsible for the destruction of many monasteries and temples; with many of the former constructions raised to the ground, this left a clean slate from which to begin again.
Although Ulaanbaatar experienced urban growth during the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, it was between the 1960s and 1980s that the city would see its most rapid change as Mongolian architects worked alongside their Soviet counterparts as money poured in along with goods and materials on the newly extended trans-Mongolian railway from the USSR.
Ulaanbaatar’s urban plan was drawn up in the 1950s, initially designed as a modern model capital, a city with no cars, public transport would be king, and this national capital had its population capped at only 400,000.
Ulaanbaatar’s model plan sounded lovely on paper, although as the wheels fell of the Soviet dream, the nation’s capital experienced its third and final revolution of the 20th century. The people stood up, sang, and shouted, and finally, on the 9th March 1990, the democratic will of the people was recognised. As Mongolia stood on its own for the first time in many years, there would be tough times ahead like many countries in the region.
The Ger District
The Mongolian ger is a typical tented structure used for countryside living, also known as the yurt throughout central Asia. Why then, is there an area surrounding the city of Ulaanbaatar containing thousands of gers? This district isn’t small either, it houses over 60% of the city’s population.
Some of the Ger districts around the city have existed for over one hundred years, with inhabitants preferring the traditional way of living. However, towards the end of the country’s communist period, the nation would not only experience economic decline, but adverse weather conditions would drive many struggling herdsmen to the nation’s capital in search of help.
With many people now living in gers around the city with basic living standards, this put a burden on the already stretched resources of the developing country.
Poor sanitation, lack of amenities cause many issues perhaps the most noticeable is during the winter months when many households burn coal to stave off the sometimes -30 temperatures. This, in turn, creates a blanket of smog which pulls Ulaanbaatar into the same league as cities in China and India for pollution levels.
Modern Day Ulaanbaatar
John Heywood famously said, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, although this is undoubtedly true of Ulaanbaatar, it was built a lot quicker than most other capitals, from tented monastic dwellings to bustling hub in a little under 60 years.
Although impressive, Ulaanbaatar’s rapid growth does suffer from a few problems; the boom in car ownership and a considerable rise in population has left the city with more than a few issues.
There is change afoot as a new younger generation has begun to learn from the mistakes of the past, new initiatives are being tried to cut pollution and address some of the cities other problems.
Ulaanbaatar for the Overseas Nomad
A mish-mash of old and new, pasteline soviet theatres and official buildings stand shoulder to shoulder against the glass and granite-clad lifeless new builds whilst grey soviet apartment blocks spring forth, given a new lease of life daubed in graffiti or new vibrant colours.
With Sukhbaatar Square at the heart of this city of contrasts, it radiates outwards as a habitation of layers. To the north, the hills and mountains are covered in gers and less permanent dwellings. The east and west see vast industrial areas emitting an Orwellian vibe before breaking to the more open pristine countryside. The south sees the city hemmed in by beautiful tree-lined mountains studded with rocky granite outcrops.
Visitors to Ulaanbaatar are met with a city ripe for leisurely exploration; arched passages cut through Soviet apartment blocks leading to ramshackle bustling markets and interesting shops.
Ulaanbaatar is also home to many museums, from mothballed soviet relics to more interactive affairs, open squares, and incense filled Buddhist temples, making the journey complete.
If you need to unwind and relax, the more modern parts of the city offer welcome, pubs, restaurants, cafes and upmarket shopping.