The Mongols and Their Horses

History has described Mongolia as an “Asian Empire won on horseback” as well as the land of the horse. The Mongols are probably the best horsemen in the world and even now horses play an important role in their daily lives. Nowadays the horses are used for travelling, herding, hunting, and in sports. There are songs, music and paintings about horses. Even most statues have their heroes sitting on horses.

In the past, the Mongols attacked and invaded other countries using armies mounted on horses and chariots. Their superior horsemanship enabled them to ride up to 80 miles across difficult terrain, a feat unmatched by other armies. In fact the legendary warrior Chinggis Khan was known as “Hell’s Horseman” and he established a wide empire extending from Hungary, Korea, Siberia to Tibet.

My Horseback Riding Adventure

Mongolia was my second stop for my Trans-Mongolia Rail Adventure. During my third day in Mongolia, I had a chance to do some horseback riding in the Terelj National Park, about 50 km from Ulan Bator. That morning four of us rode to the Manzushir Buddhist Monastery located at the south side of the Bogd Khan Mountain. The journey took one hour each way. And as we traveled through winding mountain paths, we admired the stunning scenery of the Mongolian grassland. We passed by Gers and grazing livestock such as horses, cows, sheep and goat before we arrived at the Monastery.

The Four Magnificent Horsemen

Yours truly from Borneo

Mei from Hong Kong

Manuel from Italy

My wife Roselind

The horse ride was thrilling amidst the stunning scenery.

The gate to the Manzushir Monastery where we tied the horses and hiked up to the temple.

Manzushir Buddhist Monastery

This Monastery was built in 1749 but was later destroyed by the Russians when they invaded Mongolia. What is left standing today are ruins of temple and two buildings which have been converted into a nature museum and temple museum respectively.

A stone statue in the grounds of the monastery.

The grounds of the monastery are very stony.

The Museum temple housed religious articles such as ritual clothes, masks and instruments which are used in religious rituals.

What is now left standing are the ruins of the monastery.

Behind me is the Nature Museum exhibited stuffed animals, various paintings made of leaves, sand and stone other 17 -18 centuries artefacts such as stone for milling grain, Mongolian Ger and tipi (conical tent) and other ancient equipment.

While I was riding back from the Monastery, I feel quite sad that a once magnificent temple complex has been destroyed by the hatred, ignorance and prejudices of human beings. This is a sacred place, a place of worship and yet no due respect was given. Judging from our present conditions, it seems that we human beings have yet to learn our lessons.

Do check out my previous posts

If Life Is About Memories, What Kind Of Memories Are You Building
Off The Beaten Track: Exploring The Hutongs Of Beijing

Spreading positivity one post at a time.
Charles

If you like my writing please up-vote, share and comment. Please help me to spread the message of positivity and support on Steemit by resteeming this post.