Sangiin Kherem (Manchu Ruins). Khovd town. Khovd aimag. Places to visit to Khovd aimag. Region of Mongolia.
THE REGIONS OF MONGOLIA
Khovd aimag.
Sangiin Kherem (Manchu Ruins).
Khovd aimag is situated in the far West of Mongolia. On the West and South-West Khovd aimag borders with the Peoples Republic of China. The highest
point of the territory is the Munkhkhairkhan peak. Its altitude is 13,793 feet (4204 m) above sea level, and the lowest point is Altain Bor tsonj, its altitude
being 3694 feet (1,126 m) above sea level. 20 percent of the territory is semi-desert and steppe.
Khovd. Population 35,000. Elevation 1406m. Once a small farming community, and later a center for trade with Russia, Khovd city is the major
industrial center of western Mongolia. It was one of the last cities to be liberated from the Chinese, in 1912 (and again in 1921), by the forces of the
Mongolian commanders Dambijantsan, Magsarjav and Damdinsiiren.
A pleasant and easygoing city built near the fast-flowing Buyant Gol, Khovd is a good place to
start a trip around western Mongolia. The city is not prosperous but survives on an agricultural economy, food processing and some light manufacturing of
building materials. It also boasts an agricultural institute and the main university in western Mongolia. About 300 Kazakhs live in the town and more live
in the sum centre of Buyan, 25km North of Khovd.
A small statue in the central square honours Aldanjavyn Ayush (1859-1939), a local revolutionary hero
who agitated against the Manchus to lower taxation and who was made head of Tsetseg sum after the 1921 revolution.
Sangiin Kherem (Manchu Ruins). At the northern end of the city are some rapidly disappearing walls built around 1762 by the Manchu (Qing dynasty) warlords who once conquered,
and brutally governed, Mongolia. The 40,000 sq.m walled-compound once contained several temples, a Chinese graveyard and the homes of the Manchu rulers, though there's little left
to see. Three enormous gates provided access. At one time, there was a moat (2m deep and 3m wide) around the 4m-high walls, but this has been completely filled in.
The 1500-man Chinese garrison was destroyed after a 10-day siege and two-day battle in August 1912. The one legacy of Manchurian rule which has remained are the
magnificent 200-year-old trees which line the streets of Khovd city.
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