Chinggis Khan and Soviet Domination

Next year will mark the 800th anniversary of the Great Mongolian State. In 1206, Chinggis Khan (better known as Genghis Khan) united the many tribes in what is now present-day Mongolia into one powerful state. As you probably know, Chinggis Khan at one point ruled almost half of the known world.

Having been to this great country, I can tell you that the people are very proud of their history. The celebration will last all year and be dedicated to the 800 years of rich cultural history. More information on the schedule and other information can be found compliments of the UB Post.

On a sad note, a memorial for the victims of the 1937 purges was held in Ulaanbaatar on September 10th (The day of the official "commencement" of the purges...110 people were arrested). This awful side effect of communist domination in the 1930s culminated with the persecution or execution of approximately 30,000 people.

There is a museum in UB that is dedicated to these purges. Albeit small, it paints a very important picture of the intolerance the Soviets had for Buddhism and political deviance. Some of the excuses given for killing innocent people were absolutely ludicrous. I can't recall any at this time, but I remember thinking at the time that it the stuff the Soviets were getting away with was unbelievable. More information can be found here.