Burkhan Khaldun Mountain

Burkhan Khaldun Mountain is located in Umnudelger soum of Khentii aimag at an altitude of 2361.5 meters above sea level. The Mountain is located 186 km straight from Ulaanbaatar and 75 km straight from Mungunmorit soum of Tuv aimag. The Mountain area is where the Central Asian steppe meets the coniferous forests of the Siberian taiga landscape.

There are three ovoos on Burkhan Khaldun Mountain: upper, middle, and lower. The first ovoo cairn is located at the foot of the mountain and the second cairn is located in the middle. There is fairly flat ground on the peak of the mountain and in the middle lies a slab that almost looks as if it was man-made. The peak of the mountain is the third ovoo cairn.

History related to the Mountain: Burkhan Khaldun mountain is considered the most sacred mountain in Mongolia because it believed to be the place of Genghis Khan’s birth and burial.

Burkhan Khaldun Mountain was worshiped from the time of Bodonchar, the ancestor of Khiad Borjig, and during the reign of Genghis Khan, it was the State Worshipped Mountain of the Mongol Empire.

When Temuujin was young, he fled to his enemies like Gurvan Mergid and hid in the Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and survived. Once he came down from the mountain:

“Worship Burkhan Khaldun Mountain every morning. Pray for the Mountain every day”. He hung his belt around his neck and bowed nine times to the mountain, which was a sign of how much he worshiped this mountain.

Today it is listed in a UNESCO World Heritage. It was registered because its name of the mountain is mentioned 27 times in the Secret History of the Mongols, fully represents the Mongolian nomadic tradition.

In 1992, the Parliament decreed the establishment of Khan Khentii Special Protected Area.