Khentii Mountains

For other meanings, see Khentei.

The Khentii Mountains (Mongolian: Хэнтийн нуруу) are a mountain range in the Töv and Khentii Provinces in northeastern Mongolia.

Khentii Mountains
Khentii Mountains
Highest point
Peak	Asralt Khairkhan
Elevation	2,800 m (9,200 ft)
Naming
Native name	Хэнтийн нуруу (Mongolian)
Geography
Country	Mongolia
Provinces	Khentii, Töv and Dornod
Rivers	Onon, Kherlen and Tuul
Range coordinates	48°47′00″N 109°10′01″E

History

The mountains were called the Langjuxu Mountains (狼居胥山) in ancient China. In 119 BC, the Han dynasty army fought the Battle of Mobei with Xiongnu and conducted a series of rituals upon arrival at the place to glorify their victory.

Geography

The Khentii Mountains in Terelj, close to the birthplace of Genghis Khan

The mountain chain overlaps the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area and includes Mongolia's sacred mountain, Burkhan Khaldun, which is associated with the origin of Genghis Khan. The range forms the watershed between the Arctic Ocean (via Lake Baikal) and the Pacific Ocean basins. Rivers originating in the range include the Onon, Kherlen, Menza and Tuul.

A northern extension of the Khentii Mountains forms a range of the same name which is part of the Khentei-Daur Highlands in the Transbaikalia Krai of Russia.^[1]

Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire, is thought to have chosen a resting place in the Khentii Mountains, called the Great Taboo, or Ikh Khorig, by the Mongols. The area is thought to be where Khan may be entombed.^[2]