The Erdene Zuu Monastery (Mongolian: Эрдэнэ Зуу хийд) is probably the earliest surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. Located in Kharkhorin, Uvurkhangai province, built in the ruins of ancient city of Karakorum. It is part of the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site. The monastery is affiliated with the Gelug sect (Yellow Hat school) of Tibetan Buddhism.

The ruler of the Khalkha Mongols, Abtai Sain Khan ordered construction of the Erdene Zuu monastery in 1585 after his meeting with the Dalai Lama and the declaration ofTibetan Buddhism as the state religion of Mongolia. Ancient Mongolian capital Karakorum’s nearby ruin’s stones were used in its construction. The surrounding walls were created resembling 108 stupas. The monastery was damaged in 1688 during one of the many wars between Zuungar and Khalkh Mongols. Later, it was rebuilt in the 18th century and by 1872 had a full 62 temples and housed up to 1000 monks.

According to the story “Parachute Bunia” (1957) written by Mongolian renown writer and scholar B.Rinchen, a local Buddhist disciple named Bunia made several attempts to fly with a parachute device he invented in 1745. He later punished and killed.

Communist Purge:

In 1939, as a part of purge, the monastery was ordered to be destroyed. Three small temples and the external wall with 108 stupas survived the initial onslaught. By 1944, Soviet Union commander Joseph Stalin pressured Mongolian leaders to maintain the monastery (along with Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar) as a showpiece of Buddhism heritage for international visitors, such as U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace, to prove that the communist regime allowed freedom of religion.  In 1947, the temples were converted into museums. Gandan Monastery became Mongolia's only functioning monastery.

After the fall of communism in 1990s, the monastery was turned over to the lamas and Erdene Zuu again became a place of worship. Today, Erdene Zuu remains an active Buddhist monastery as well as a museum that is open to tourists.