What Erdene is known for
Erdene is a farming and herding district of Mongolia’s Tov Province, established in 1924, with 3,926 people at the 2020 census. Since 2008 it has also held something far larger: a stainless steel statue of Genghis Khan on horseback at a site called Tsonjin Boldog, 54 kilometres east of the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and about a mile from the Tuul River.
A legend and an anniversary
Legend holds that this is where a young Temujin, later Genghis Khan, found a golden whip in 1177, on his way back from seeking help from the Kereit ruler Toghrul. The statue answers to newer history too. Plans to mark the 800th anniversary of Genghis Khan’s birth in 1962 were cancelled after Soviet complaints, and his cult was repressed under Soviet influence for decades. In 2006, two years before the statue opened, Mongolia marked 800 years since he united the Mongol tribes with a national celebration in the capital.
A steel rider raised by a tour company
The Mongolian company Genco Tour Bureau built the complex, reporting a cost of $4.1 million. Sculptor D. Erdenebileg and architect J. Enkhjargal designed the rider in 250 tonnes of stainless steel, standing on a visitor centre of 36 columns, one for each khan from Genghis to Ligdan Khan. It opened on 26 September 2008. Genco’s founder, Khaltmaagiin Battulga, later served as Mongolia’s president from 2017 to 2021. Visitors ride an elevator up through the horse and walk across its chest and neck to a platform at the head.
What the sources do not agree on
Sources put the statue itself at 30 or 40 metres, standing on a 10 metre base, 40 metres in all by Genco’s own count; it is billed as the world’s tallest equestrian statue. Genco says its museum draws over fifty thousand visitors a year, though a New York Times reporter found the site relatively empty on his visit.
Questions people ask about Erdene
What is Erdene, Mongolia known for?
Erdene is known for a stainless steel statue of Genghis Khan on horseback at Tsonjin Boldog, built by the tour company Genco and opened in 2008. It stands 54 kilometres east of Ulaanbaatar in a farming and herding district of Mongolia's Tov Province.
How tall is the Genghis Khan statue at Tsonjin Boldog?
Sources disagree. The statue itself is put at 30 or 40 metres, standing on a 10 metre visitor centre; Genco's own count gives 40 metres in all. It is billed as the world's tallest equestrian statue.
Why was the Genghis Khan statue built at Tsonjin Boldog?
Legend says this is where a young Temujin, later Genghis Khan, found a golden whip in 1177. The tour company Genco built the complex and opened it in 2008, two years after Mongolia marked 800 years since he united the Mongol tribes.
How many people visit the Genghis Khan statue at Tsonjin Boldog?
Genco Tour Bureau says its museum draws over fifty thousand visitors a year, though a New York Times reporter found the site relatively empty when he visited. No independent count has been confirmed.