Gurban Tsenkher Cave

SHORTDESC

The North Blue Cave is a cave located about 30 km west of the center of Mankhan sum, Khovd aimag. This cave contains historical relics such as a 40,000‑year‑old mammoth drawing.

On the wall and ceiling of this cave, various animals have been depicted, including a woolly mammoth, bison, saber‑toothed cat, woolly rhinoceros, and deer. These drawings were made with red and brown ochre pigments. In terms of depiction, the external appearance of the animals was emphasized, and some animal representations were repeated with many small dots to express motion, which is a characteristic of the Paleolithic period. The ochre drawings of saber‑toothed cat, woolly rhinoceros, woolly mammoth, etc., are animals that once lived in Mongolia in ancient times and later became extinct, confirming that these drawings belong to the Upper Paleolithic. These ochre drawings occupy an important position in the study of world Paleolithic cultural history due to their content and artistic method.

The cave has a limestone formation with a rounded roof, and from the floor to the ceiling it is about 20 meters high. It is first mentioned that the picture of the North Blue Cave was accidentally discovered by a herder observer from Mankhan sum, who reported it to the sum administration.

In 1950, geologist and researcher O.Namnadordj attempted to study and analyze the mammoth drawings of the North Blue Cave. The cave contains many ancient animal drawings made with red‑brown ochre. The presence of drawings of animals such as a wild goat (Kanna), elk, wolf, bird, woolly mammoth, bison, bison, and ibex on the cave wall indicates that these animals lived in ancient Mongolia and that the climate at that time was humid and warm, similar to the present climate of the African continent.

The North Blue Cave is an ancient protective marvel that has been preserved on the western side of the cave with a narrow ledge of cliffs, hidden from view, and has been handed down to our era. In this cave there are four paintings made with red ochre on the cliffs.

1st painting. In this painting more than 20 deer, a snake, and a boar are depicted. The deer are skillfully drawn with broad antlers and sharp eyes.

2nd painting. This painting is the largest in the cave and contains the most beautifully designed elegant images. The painting depicts a lion, a bear, a tiger claw, a crane claw, a sable, and other animals layered beautifully from top to bottom.

3rd painting. By passing through the second painting one reaches this painting, which not only portrays a wild goat in a fairly large size freely, but also a stag and a flying bird.

4th painting. This painting shows a bird, a pine tree, and a grazing deer.

When the Mongolian scholar and academic A.P. Okladnikov, a member of the council, evaluated the Blue Cave memorial, he said: "In the three blues there was an independent powerful core of ancient human art, and the people living at that time were highly developed, with artists of great talent in fine arts as witnesses." In 1996 UNESCO listed the North Blue Cave as a "World Heritage of Outstanding Universal Value" among the ancient stone artifacts of world culture.

Inside the cave. Inside there is a great amount of dust, bird droppings, and sand filling the floor. Breathing is difficult. It would be advisable to wear a mask. Even the clothing was quite dirty. The small opening of the cave is about 10 meters forward from the main large opening. The opening size is relatively small, but the interior area is large. There is also a large amount of dust and sand.