In Mongolia, one name is ubiquitous: Chinggis Khaan (yes, that is the most commonly used transliteration.)  His name and face grace vodka bottles, energy drink cans, the international airport, cigarette packages, and so much more.  And there is no better place to feel his presence than the Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex.

Photo from New York Times

Located in the middle of nowhere, about an hour from Ulaan Bataar, Chinggis rises from the barren plains, in shiny steel splendor.  I asked Oggie, our 24-year-old guide, who had called in sick from her job as a secondary school English teacher to lead us for three days, about Chinggis Khaan, and she said, “The Conquerer of the World!”  I then asked her how the statue made her feel.  She flexed her fists with ferocious pride.

The “Making Of…” video was especially illuminating.  Narrated in Mongolian, with English subtitles, the video described how this statue included thousands of tons of steel, as well as the expertise from hundreds of engineers from all over the world.  The video showed plans for elaborate landscaping around the statue, with hundreds of gers to house tourists from all over the world.  The statue cost a private Mongolian company $4.1 million to build.

We rode the elevator up Chinggis’ body, and then walked up the narrow, winding stairs before climbing out between his legs onto the horse’s back.  There is a viewing deck atop the horse’s head, ideal for photo ops.

Me and Oggie atop Chinggis’ horse

Me, Simon, Hanneke, Sarah, and Tamara in front of the statue.

Simon and Sarah are both American medical students, in China on Fogarty Fellowships to conduct research at Chinese institutions.  Simon and my former roommate Mark went to college together and I met him when he first arrived in Beijing and slept on my cozy couch.  Hanneke and Tamara are good friends from the Netherlands, traveling from Europe through Asia via the Trans-Siberian Railway.  We had a great time together traveling through Terelj National Park.

For more on the statue and its geopolitical symbolism, read this New York Times piece, which is on the wall in the statue’s museum.

Amended to include our photos.  Thanks Sarah!