This is the Genghis Khann Square in the middle of the city of Ulaanbaatar. It is huge, you could fit several football fields in this Square. Genghis Khann as a hero was not allowed under Communism but in 2006 this huge bronze statue of Genghis was created as a focal point on the back of the large government building. If Napoleon and Alexander of Macedon are National heroes and the pride of the French and Greeks, Genghis Khann is something more than that for Mongols. The Washington Post in 1995 bestowed upon him the title of The Man of the Millennium.It was well known that his law and incorruptible officials did more to attract people into his empire than his military power.( What a novel concept) To those countries who worked with him, he promised protection, religious freedom, lower taxes and a heightened level of commerce and prosperity but let's not go into detail on what he did to those who did not work with him.
Here we have a picture and Brian and his wife Anca (Anca is from Romania and that is the correct spelling of her name). They were the first to show me the great square. It happened to be in the middle of town and on the way to one of the few really good coffee houses in town with a great bakery.
You pronounce Genghis as "Jinggis" and it is frequently spelled as Chinggis, but you see it spelled both ways. His name when he was born in 1162 was Temujin. He took the title of Genghis when he was 44 in the year 1206, when he founded the Mongol empire, and lived until until 1227. His empire, as I am told, was the largest geographical area ever assembled under one empire.
It is a beautiful square and on one side of the square there are active theaters and assembly halls for productions of fine arts performances by the Mongolian Symphony, Ballet and Opera. I went to see Swan Lake last Sunday evening and was really impressed by the terrific performance of the 17 Ballerinas.
We could have taken better pictures of the square but I was definitely ready for a latte.
