Mongolia

Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain

WHS Score 2.3 Votes 7 Average 2.86

The Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and its surrounding sacred landscape represent the formalised mountain worship by Chinggis Khan which helped to unify the Mongolian Empire.

The permanently snow-capped Burkhan Khaldun is one of four sacred mountains of that period when official status was given to the long-standing shamanic traditions of mountain worship by the nomadic peoples. It also is the reputed burial site of Chinggis Khan. The landscape further holds a pilgrimage path and three major stone ovoo-s. The mountain and its history is described in the epic  'The Secret History of the Mongols'.

Community Perspective: Michael is the first and only reviewer so far: he was able to reach the site in wintery circumstances and enjoyed the remote, wide-open, mountain scenery. He has described his visit in detail, with both practical information (there is an entrance fee!) and an interpretation of the site’s meaning.

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Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and its surrounding sacred landscape (ID: 1440)
Country
Mongolia
Status
Inscribed 2015 Site history
History of Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • iv
  • vi
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Religious structure: Indigenous
Travel Information
No travel information
Recent Connections
View all (17) .
Connections of Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain
Individual People
  • Genghis Khan
    Closely associated with his birth and burial place
Trivia
History
  • Birthplaces
    Genghis Khan was probably born in 1162 in Delüün Boldog, near Burkhan Khaldun mountain. The mountain is closely associated with him.
  • Fusion
    fusion of ancient shamanic and Buddhist practices (AB ev)
Ecology
  • Taiga
    "where the vast Central Asian steppe meets the coniferous forests of the Siberian taiga"
World Heritage Process
  • Reduced from broader TWHS
    The TWHS also consisted of 2 other sacred locations, Sacred Binder Mountain & Baldan Bereeven Monastery, which were deleted from the nomination before ICOMOS ev
  • Cultural landscape not recognized
    Specifically descr as a CL in AB eval! No type given - "Assoc" and "Continuing"?
Religion and Belief
WHS on Other Lists
  • Memory of the World
    OUV related to The Secret History of the Mongols

    See www.unesco.org

  • UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
    Mongolian traditional practices of worshipping the sacred sites (2017): "State’s support for initiatives to revive Mountain worship" and "Any activity on Burkhan Khaldun Mountain itself, other than worshipping rituals, is traditionally forbidden" (AB ev)
Timeline
  • Built in the 12th century
    At the end of the 12th century Chinggis Khan formally established worship of the Burkhan Khaldun Mountain, along with other sacred mountains in his empire - AB ev
Science and Technology
Visiting conditions
  • Discriminatory Entry Policies
    During the course of these rituals, access to the Main Ovoo of the Heaven is allowed only to a few Governmental officials from the state and from local authorities, designated shamans and some Buddhist lamas (monks). (nom file) - other areas also may need advice beforehand, see link

    See www.diplomatie.gouv.fr

  • Most Remote Cultural WHS
    hub Ulaan Bator, needs spending the night at a ger camp nearby
WHS Names
  • Named after a Mountain
    "Burkhan Khaldun means the "God Mountain" and is also called Khentii Khan (The King of the Khentii Mountain range).: 12  It is one of the Khentii Mountains in the Khentii Province of northeastern Mongolia. It is the highest mountain of the region, rising to an elevation of 2,362 metres (7,749 ft), and is crescent-shaped." (wiki)
News

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Recent Visitors
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Community Reviews

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First published: 12/04/22.

Michael Ayers

Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain

Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain (Inscribed)

Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain by Michael Ayers

Visit in March 2022. 

When I began my second period of long-term travel in 2019, there were a small number of countries that I wanted to visit more than any others. One of those was Mongolia, a place that has fascinated me for decades. Accordingly, I planned a lengthy visit, to begin in July 2020, that would fit my usual travel goals, namely, to see a large portion of the country traveling by bicycle, to experience as much of its natural endowment as possible, and, of course, to visit at least two of its World Heritage Sites. I don’t need to explain why the 2020 visit never happened, and, with Mongolia closing more tightly than most other countries, it seemed certain to me that I never would be able to see that part of the World. However, after I had finally decided that I could end my wandering, I found myself still needing to cross the entire Eurasian land mass, from east to west, in a fairly expeditious manner. Just as I was about to start that process, I happily noticed that Mongolia had recently fully reopened its borders, and so I could not pass up the opportunity to finally make a stop there.

The major caveat was that, while my original plans would have involved seeing the steppes in the green flush of summer, with the concomitant increase in observable wildlife, in this case I would only be in the country for the last two weeks of …

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