Erdene Zuu

The monastery of Erdene Zuu is probably the Buddhist monastery of the school Gelugpa of the Bouddhisme the oldest Tibetan of Mongolia. It is located in the province of Ovörkhangai, close to the town of Kharkhorin and adjacent at the old city of Karakorum. It belongs to the Liste of the world heritage called cultural landscape of the valley of Orkhon.

The monastery was built in 1585 by Abdaï Khan just outside the enclosure of the ruins of the capital of the Mongolian Empire, after the introduction of Buddhism in Mongolia like religion of State. The stones of the ruins of Karakorum were used in the construction industry. It is surrounded by a wall presenting 108 Stupa S, 108 is a number crowned in Buddhism, and the number of pearls in a rosary (mala) Buddhist. The monastery was damaged by the war in the years 1680, but was rebuilt at the 18th century and in 1872, it included/understood 62 temples inside complete.

During centuries, Erdene Zuu was the religious sanctuary most important of Mongolia.

In 1939 the Communist leader Horloogiyn Choybalsan destroyed the monastery, as started from a purging which resulted in the disappearance of hundreds of monasteries in Mongolia and the death of more than ten thousand monks. Three small temples and the external wall with the stupas remained; the temples became museums in 1947. It is known as that this part of the monastery was saved destruction because of the pressure of Joseph Stalin. A researcher claims that it was the US president Franklin Roosevelt which required of Stalin to save the monastery in 1944.

Erdene Zuu could only exist like a museum; the only monastery functioning in Mongolia was the Monastère of Gandantegchinlin in the capital, Ulan-Bator. However, after the fall of Communism in Mongolia in 1990, the monastery was given to spangled and Erdene Zuu is become again a place of worship. The site was restored at the end of the century and found its religious aspect partly. Today Erdene Zuu remains an active Buddhist monastery just as a museum which is opened to the tourists.

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