96 hours in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – 30 May 2026

The last full day in Ulaanbaatar dawned not so bright as the previous days. That didn't matter, however, as only visits to two museums was on the cards - the Chinggis Khaan National Museum and the National Museum of Mongolia. Both the museums were not far from the accommodation and hence, the car was not booked for the day. A few slices of toast and butter, a hot cup of coffee and a couple of tangerines was the breakfast spread.

A leisurely walk of 20 minutes took me to the imposing, modern building housing the Chinggis Khaan National Museum. The decision to establish the Chinggis Khaan National Museum was taken by the Prime Minister of Mongolia in 2019. The groundbreaking of the museum was held in 2020 at the site where the old building of the Mongolian Natural History Museum used to stand. Within two years the museum was opened to the public and a research library was added to it in a few more months. The museum was so impressive that National Geographic declared it as one of the 20 cultural hotspots to visit in 2024.

The entrance fee for a foreigner is 45,000 MNT with an additional charge of 50,000 MNT for photography. The charge for videography is four times that. I settled for mobile photography. English speaking guides are also available. It is advisable to book them in advance. Audio guides are also on hire, which can be used at specific locations within the museum to detail the exhibit and throw some more light on it. I found the QR code placed on the walls of most of the important exhibits quite useful to guide me through the grand sweep of history that the museum afforded.

The museum houses more than 10,000 artefacts, nearly 90 percent of them original, in a 9-storey building. The main structure of the museum resembles a piazza, and the top resembles a ger. The museum also houses a research library with a collection of more than 6,000 volumes.

The 6 floors of exhibition halls of the Chinggis Khaan National Museum are fitted out with modern technology. The exhibits are arranged in three main sections, namely the ancient states before Chinggis Khaan, the Mongol Empire period, and the period after the Khanate up to the 20th century.

The exhibits include clothing, armour, coins, beads, weapons, models of housing, masks, footwear, pottery, ceramics, tableware, life-size models, paintings, steles, sculptures, video narration of important periods and events,

The sweep of history from Modun Shanyu, the founder of the Hun Empire, the first nomadic state, to the spread of the Mongol Empire starting with Chinggis Khaan in 1209 captivated me. At its zenith in 1259 the Mongol Empire encompassed China, Japan, Korea, Central Asia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Afghanistan, Georgia and Armenia.

How they managed their iron grip over these territories for over 200 years was indeed a matter of wonderment. The Mongol Empire has been the largest empire in geographical spread in the history of mankind. Mention has to be made of the centrality of Karakorum to the Mongol empire. It was at the centre of East-West trade and could be said to be the political capital of the world with the Mongol Empire holding sway over such a vast territory straddling both the east and the west, as it were.

The piece de resistance of the Museum is the Chinggis Khaan Hall of Fame. The massive gold gilded statue of the seated Chinggis Khaan is impressive in every which way. The proportion is humongous and every detail has been captured. The statue is housed in a structure resembling a ger and the interior is ornately done up.

The importance of Chinggis Khaan in the history of Mongolia can be gauged from the fact that visitors are only permitted to face the great Khaan and retreat from the viewing facing the statue. Visitors bow and some even perform acts of worship before the statue. The atmosphere is pure electric. Even 800 years after his passing and the cessation of the empire he founded Chinggis Khaan is revered and held in the highest esteem.

The tour had taken me more than 3 hours, and I had no appetite for another museum having poured all my energies into the tour of the magnificent Chinggis Khaan National Museum. Hence, I skipped a tour of the National Museum of Mongolia. On the way back to the accommodation I dropped into a convenience store, Nice to CU, and had a cup of cappuccino and a cream bun.

Diagonally opposite the accommodation is the Flower Center. I walked in there, curious about what was on sale in the three floors of the building. The ground floor is almost entirely populated by stores selling fresh flowers and awesome bouquets. They were quite busy despite it being a holiday. The stores on the first and second floors mostly sold souvenirs with a Mongolian touch, such as felt products, musical instruments, sheep ankle bones used for fortune telling and playing games, deel, fridge magnets, bookmarks, etc. After a cursory exploration of the Flower Centre, I repaired to my accommodation for a short rest.

During the four days that I have been in Ulaanbaatar the days have been long with the first days of the sun becoming visible by 5 am and light lasting till almost 10 pm. This day, however, the skies started darkening after 5 pm with ominous clouds appearing in the horizon. Nevertheless, I started out for a short walk with cool breeze blowing steadily.

Soon I came to the State Department Store and walked in, to experience what it had. From cars to needles, everything was on sale. The smell of fresh food and stacks of Mongolian chocolate reduced my resolutions to shards. Almost opposite the Store was a restaurant that specialised in Mongolian food. I ordered a full meal of beef, egg, salads and rice.

Drops of rain had started to fall when I left the restaurant with the packed meal. When I reached the accommodation, the rain had started pelting quite a bit. A can of premium Cass beer preceded the lovely Mongolian meal. The short stay in Mongolia had come to an end and so had the visit to the 70th country.