Erdene Dsuu
Coordinates: 47 ° 12 ′ 6.3 " N , 102 ° 50 ′ 35.6" E
The Erdene Dsuu monastery ( Mongolian Эрдэнэ-Зуу , also: Erdene Dsu , German: "Precious Lord") is located in central Mongolia , in Öwörchangai-Aimag , at the gates of the city of Kharkhorin , near the former Karakorum , the capital of the medieval Mongol Empire.
Surname
Erdene Dsuu was the first Buddhist monastery of Buddhism in Mongolia . It was founded in 1586 by Abtai Sain Khan , a prince of the Chalcha Mongols. It is named after an image of a deity that was placed in the monastery. More than 1000 monks lived in the approximately 400 by 400 meter large monastery complex.
history
The construction time lasted over 300 years. Twice, in the 17th and 18th centuries , the monastery was badly damaged in fighting and was rebuilt and expanded in the years 1760 to 1796 and 1806 to 1814. Within its square outer wall, about 62 temples in the Chinese-Mongolian mixed style are said to have been located on the large area in 1870. Erdene Dsuu partly consists of the stones of the old capital Karakoram.
In 1937 the monastery was almost completely destroyed during the Stalinist terror in Mongolia . Only the imposing wall from the 17th century, crowned by 100 stupas , and four temples are preserved today.
After 1990, Erdene Dsuu was reopened as a monastery and some buildings were restored at considerable expense. The complete restoration of the system does not seem financially viable in the foreseeable future.
Significance for archeology
Mongolian archaeologists and a German team u. a. from the German Archaeological Institute are currently investigating the interior of the monastery complex for evidence of the former Khan Palace. It is assumed that Sergei Kiselev's Soviet-Mongolian expedition in 1948/1949 did not locate it, as previously assumed. The finds from that time have now been supplemented by excavations in this area and rather point to the interpretation that one is dealing with remains of the Temple of the Rise of the Yuan, which was also outside the city center. The remains of the Khan's palace, on the other hand, are suspected to be elsewhere under the grounds of Erdene Dsuu, which should be confirmed by further excavations.
gallery
Location of the Erdene Dsuu monastery on the alluvial fan north of Kharkhorin
General view of the Erdene Dsuu monastery complex
The outer wall of the Erdene Dsuu monastery complex
Overview of the temples from the eastern wall
Temple building in the monastery complex Erdene Dsuu
Temple building in the monastery complex Erdene Dsuu
Golden stupa in the Erdene Dsuu monastery complex
Temple of the Dalai Lama in the Erdene Dsuu monastery complex
Buddha status in a temple of the Erdene Dsuu monastery complex
Stone turtle near the Erdene Dsuu monastery complex
Gate in the monastery complex Erdene Dsuu
Monastery building in Erdene Dsuu
Monk in Erdene Dsuu
See also
Web links
- erdenezuu-museum: Brief history of Erdene Zuu
- German World Heritage Foundation: Orkhon Valley and Monastery
Notes / individual evidence
- ↑ According to Buddhist tradition it should be 108, but in fact there are only 100. File: ErdeneZuuMonasteryMongolia.JPG shows 98, two more are hidden behind the opposite corner.
- ↑ Hans-Georg Hüttel: In the Palace of Eternal Peace - The Mongolian-German excavations in the palace district of Karakorum (Mongolia). In: Expeditions to Forgotten Worlds. 25 years of archaeological research in America, Africa and Asia. (= Research on General and Comparative Archeology. (AVA Research) Volume 10). Bonn 2004, pp. 179-208.
- ^ Hans-Georg Hüttel: The project "Karakorum Palace". In: Mongolian Notes. Special edition 2005, pp. 7–13.