After the rip-roaring success of my article on the Statues of Belarus, I decided to spread my wings and flap all the way over to Mongolia to do the same. The stark, lifeless, brown and red Mongolian scenery gives their statues an extra spark of life.
The gigantic 40-metre tall effigy of Genghis on a horse (pictured above) is situated about 50km from the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar. The building it sits on houses a museum and visitors centre. Personally, I’d be concerned the roof might cave in under the weight of the statue, but it was built in 2008, so I guess it’s sturdy enough.
You can walk through the chest and neck of Genghis‘ horse to enjoy panoramic views. It doesn’t look too shabby in the snow, either:
Below is a bunch of Terracotta Mongolian Warriors and a rendering of Genghis Khan. These amazing statues were recently built at the Mount Khan tourist attraction in Holingol, Inner Mongolia:
Below are a few examples of six-armed Mahakala statues. Mahakala is the main protector deity among Mongolian Buddhists; he’s worshiped in order to obtain wealth. Mahakala’s teachings were brought to Tibet in the eleventh century AD by Lama Khedrup Khyungpopa:
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Don’t know anything about this one:
Not too sure about this phallic number either…
The next three statues are situated along the road leading to Mongolia’s Dinosaur Fairyland. It sounds as awesome as it is. Stuck out on the border between Mongolia and China, the theme park was built in an attempt to lure more trade to the region.
The problem is that Dinosaur Fairyland is near absolutely nothing at all, and no one can be bothered to go all the way out there to see it.
Click here for more info and pictures: DINOSAUR FAIRYLAND MONGOLIA
Below is another massive Genghis on his 850th birthday, celebrated for the first time across the whole country in 2012. It turns out that Mongolian soldiers have a pretty fresh style:
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Buddha statue next to Zaisan monument in Ulaanbaatar…
… and, another Mongolian Buddha with nice views of Ulaanbaatar’s surrounding tundra…
Lenin was removed from Ulaanbaatar’s centre by the mayor in 2012 who said the statue represented repression…
The statue below was designed by New York artistic collaborators – FAILE:
I’ve left this picture until last because it’s not a statue but it is made of rock and paint, so it’s in the right ballpark:
