Photos taken in the 1930s depicting monasteries in Ulaanbaatar

Temples in Ulaanbaatar, 1930s — Wooden temples in Ulaanbaatar in the 1930s

Fig.1 Wooden temples in Ulaanbaatar in the 1930s — Wooden temples in Ulaanbaatar in the 1930s

Abandoned temple in Ulaanbaatar in the 1930s, with monasteries of various styles in the background

Fig. 2 Destruction in Choijin Lama Monastery in Ulaanbaatar in the 1930s — Destruction in Choijin Lama Monastery in Ulaanbaatar in the 1930s

These historical photos depicted scenes of the monastery town before the 1937-1939 anti-clerical campaign. Wooden temples in Mongolian and Chinese styles dominated the townscape. One of the photos marked the destruction of the Choijin Lama monastery under Choibalsan’s rule.

The photos are found in the Endangered Archives of the British Library:

EAP264/1/9/1: Images of monasteries (most of them destroyed in 1930s) named A through D [1930s]
http://eap.bl.uk/database/overview_item.a4d?catId=40896;r=15890

Reference

British Library. Endangered Archives Programme. EAP264/1 Digital copies of glass plate negatives preserved in the Archives for Cinema, Photography and Sound Recording, Mongolia [1910s-1950s]
http://eap.bl.uk/database/results.a4d?projID=EAP264;r=41

Photos taken in the 1930s depicting monasteries in Ulaanbaatar

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