Ulaanbaatar and the Mongolian ovoo
The capital of Mongolia, where Buddhist monasteries sit beside a revived Mongol shamanism and where mountain passes are marked by ovoo cairns.
Practised and told of here
Best time: June to August; Naadam, in July, is the national festival.
Ulaanbaatar holds Gandantegchinlen Monastery, which survived the purges of the 1930s. Beyond the city, cairns of stone and wood called ovoo mark passes and mountains and are circled clockwise by travellers.
Ovoo and the sky
An ovoo is a pile of stones, tied with blue cloth, to which travellers add a stone and a prayer when they pass. It marks the land spirits, and local people hold a rite each year with offerings of milk, vodka and sweets. Under the older worship of Tengri, the eternal sky, the land and its spirits are given due respect.
Shamans and suppression
Mongol shamans, called boo for men and udgan for women, were persecuted in the socialist period, as were Buddhist lamas. Since 1990 shamanism has revived, with new practitioners and some who learn from books or from tourist programmes. The result is a mixed field: heirs of lines of healers sit with new practitioners and commercial offers.
Visiting
Walk round an ovoo clockwise and do not take stones from it. Shamanic rites are not shows, and anyone who sells them as an event should be treated with care.
A respectful visit to Ulaanbaatar and the Mongolian ovoo
Living communities are not a show. Ask before photographing a person or a ceremony, and follow local rules.
- Gandantegchinlen Monastery See the 26 metre statue of Avalokiteshvara and the monks' prayers.
- Choijin Lama Temple Museum Visit the museum, once the home of a state oracle.
- An ovoo at Zaisan Hill Add a stone and walk three times round.
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Ulaanbaatar" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and ceremonies change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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