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The Genghis Khan Statue | A bizarre sight in the Mongolian Countryside

The Genghis Khan Statue | A bizarre sight in the Mongolian Countryside

November 2018 · 5 min read · Ulaanbaatar

Mongolia is easily the most fascinating country I've ever visited. I arrived in Ulan Bator, its capital, in September of 2015, and left one month later. Staying in the capital, that thanks to a huge sudden influx of the countries' nomadic people is terribly overpopulated, was interesting, to say the least. But it was when I went to stay at a camp in the countryside that I got to know the real Mongolia, the one that breathes history and shows how the people lived centuries ago. Time stands still - one phone charged by a solar panel is shared amongst the whole family living in their Ger. A sign of the 21st century, at last.

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En route to the Ger Camp - what's that shimmer?


I will write more about both Ulan Bator and the Mongolian countryside in future posts. But the past few days this bizarre statue was stuck in my brain. As if its ghost is following me and pushing me to write about him. I have no real reason to suddenly start writing a travel post about an adventure 3 years ago except for that - I needed to get this 'out there'.

We were on our way to Jalman Meadows, a gorgeous spot hours away from the Capital, when I saw something shimmering on the horizon. We were still driving on 'the road', and that means we were still relatively close to the capital. Roads stop at some point in Mongolia, after which you'll literally drive on 'tracks' of drivers that were there before you, sometimes leading you to the place you want to be, but sometimes ending in a river that came out of nowhere after a heavy rainfall the night before...

But that's another story. Back to this one.

The shimmer came closer and closer, and my eyes grew bigger and bigger. What the *** was that?! The shape of Genghis Khan appeared and got bigger and bigger with every minute we drove on. A huge silver statue where 'the big leader' sits on its horse overlooking his kingdom. Our driver didn't seem to feel the need to use the brakes of the car, but later I realized the statue was so big that he simply needed a few more minutes to drive to the parking spot - all sense of space disappeared while being close to this monstrous statue in the Middle of Nowhere.

The Statue


Finally at the parking spot the dimensions of the Genghis Khan Statue started to dawn on me. Or at least, that's what I thought. I walked towards to huge stairs towards the statue, only to see dimension not change the way I thought: the statue wasn't 'coming closer' as it should have been after I walked towards the steps. I let my boyfriend walk the stairs and simply waited at the bottom of the stairs... And what I expected happened. He got smaller and smaller and in the end almost disappeared, even though he wasn't even all the way on top yet!

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[Yes, that tiny human on these gigantic stairs is my boyfriend]*

Finally walking the stairs myself, the statue ended up towering over my small person. On top of the stairs you can walk into a building, that is a small museum, and if you were somehow teleported into you would have no clue a statue towered above you.

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[I used a 90mm lens for this short. I felt small, to say the least.]

With a small elevator you arrive on a floor, you walk outside and... Realize you've just walked through Genghis' crotch. Exactly where his manhood would have been now is a door that sort of leads you on the back of his horse, giving you a lookout over the Mongolian Countryside.

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[I somehow got the feeling they wanted to portray Genghis as 'a strong male figure' ;-)]

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[The blue and silver hurt my eyes, and I loved the silver converted in Black&White, but just to get an idea how it all looked like 'unfiltered': a colour shot of the thumbnail picture. Look at the size of his hand compared to the endless views over the countryside!]

Symbols of power and strength


Everything about this statue is symbolic. The fact Genghis faces his birthplace, the fact he literally is visible from whatever side you are driving your car, the fact he makes you feel small, the 36 pillars in the museum "representing the 36 khans from Genghis to Ligdan Khan" (according to Wikipedia), the fact you need to take walk a long road to be able to visit him...

We ended this day in the real countryside, there where no statues exist, only endless amounts of grasslands and rivers... And friendly nomadic people. But the rest of my stay in Mongolia I felt the piercing look of Genghis in the back of my neck.

He was watching over all of us.

Travel Resources for your trip to Mongolia

Recommended by TravelFeed

Flights: We recommend checking Kiwi.com to find the best and cheapest flights to Mongolia.

Accomodation: Explore the best places to stay in Mongolia on Booking.com, Agoda and Hostelworld.

Travel Insurance: Medical emergencies abroad can be pricey, but travel health insurance is not. We always use SafetyWing for affordable and reliable coverage.

Transportation: Use 12go and Omio to find detailed bus and train schedules, making travel planning easier.

Car Rental: For hassle-free car hiring, DiscoverCars is our trusted choice with a wide selection of vehicles.

Internet: Got an eSIM compatible phone? Airalo is perfect for reliable internet access during your trip. Just install it before you go, and you're set!

Day Trips & Tours: We recommend GetYourGuide for a variety of well-organized and enjoyable activities.

Tickets: Save on entrance fees in Mongolia with Klook and Tiquets.

Travel Planner: Need a hand planning? Our free travel planner chatbot is your personal guide to Mongolia. Chat now.

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