Amarbayasgalan Khiid, located in northern mongolia, is a jewel of a monastery, both its architecture as well as its geographic location, surrounded by stunning scenery.
it was constructed from 1727-36 and housed 8,000 monks at its height. the monastery was closed, and partly destroyed (10 out of 37 temples and statues), in 1937. it was re-opened after the fall of communism and partly reconstructed. it is the most intact architectural complex in the country and a part of UNESCO’s world heritage sites since 1996, housing around 50-70 monks today. it also contains the tomb of the great Zanabazar and the 4th Bogd Khan.
since it was constructed in a period of manchurian domination, the monastery is of classical chinese style (though the buddhism practised in mongolia is tibetan buddhism). for example, the main entrance opens onto a wall destined to prevent bad spirits from entering the monastery (in chinese tradition, spirits can only move in a direct line, but not around corners).
it is indeed a magical and spiritual place. you can wander around the entire monastery grounds and peek inside the not-important buildings on the side and in the back, where you can discover more statues and other decorations and religious artefacts, which are probably still waiting for their reconstruction/make-over. given its somewhat off-location, there are also not hordes of tourists, like at Erdene Zuu, which gives you the chance of simply enjoying the place almost by yourself.
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