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Kharkhorin
ℹ️Practical info — Kharkhorin
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🌤 Weather — 5 days
📍 Nearby
Sights nearby
💡 Tips
- Visit the Erdene Zuu Monastery early in the morning to hear the monks' chanting session.
- Climb up to the Monument of the Mongol States for a panoramic view of the Orkhon Valley.
- Wear windproof clothing, as the open landscape of Kharkhorin is frequently very windy.
- Carry enough cash, as local ATMs are often out of order or run out of money.
- Visit the 'Phallic Rock' on the outskirts, a unique landmark tied to local fertility legends.
🍽 Food
Try this traditional barbecue where meat is cooked using hot stones inside a container.
Look for local ger camps that serve freshly caught fish from the nearby rivers.
Enjoy homemade meat dumplings in the town's family-run guesthouses.
🛍 Shopping · 🧘 Quiet spots
Find high-quality handicrafts and Mongolian antiques near the monastery entrance.
Kharkhorin is known for beautiful felt paintings and intricately decorated slippers.
Purchase traditional Mongolian robes (deels) at the local town market for fair prices.
Walk along the river to enjoy the vastness of the steppe in complete silence.
Visit the ancient stone figures away from the main tourist paths for a quiet break.
Walk a bit further past the main monument to find a secluded viewpoint.
Water temperature…
Kharkhorin lies at 1,512 metres above sea level on the Orkhon River in the heart of the historic Orkhon Valley and stands directly atop the ruins of Karakorum, former capital of the Mongol Empire. Karakorum was founded by Genghis Khan in 1220 and expanded into a true capital by his son Ögedei Khan in 1235, but it served as the seat of empire only until 1264, when Kublai Khan transferred the capital to Khanbaliq, today's Beijing. In 1380 Chinese Ming troops razed the city to the ground. Modern Kharkhorin, with around 9,000 inhabitants, sits next to the famous Erdene Zuu Monastery, built in 1585 by Abtai Sain Khan from the stones of Karakorum and the oldest surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. The monastery survived the Stalinist purges of 1937 and, together with the Orkhon Valley, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004. Archaeological excavations continue, uncovering stone statues, building foundations and pottery.
- Location: Mongolia
- Top sights: Karakorum · Soyoliin Tov · Guriliin Uildver
- Nearby: Khujirt (10 km)
- Population: ~8.977 (2020)
Best time to visit & climate
The most pleasant time to visit is Jun–Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °C | -17 | -14 | -6 | 2 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 9 | 0 | -8 | -16 |
| Rain mm | 3 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 21 | 50 | 69 | 58 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
Geography
Facts
- Bevölkerung rund 9.000 Einwohner
- Auf 1.512 Metern Höhe am Orchon-Fluss
- Steht auf den Ruinen Karakorums (gegründet 1220)
- Karakorum Hauptstadt des Mongolenreichs 1235 bis 1264
- Stadt 1380 von Ming-Truppen zerstört
- Erdene Zuu-Kloster seit 1585 erhalten
- Erdene Zuu aus Karakorum-Steinen gebaut
- UNESCO-Welterbe Orchon-Tal seit 2004
Explore nearby
Notable places around
Route planner — Car & Motorhome
Where do you start? We build the route here, with stops and country notes along the way.
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Sights in the town Kharkhorin (3)
Frequently asked questions
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Kharkhorin: where is it located?
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