Arvaikheer, Övörkhangai Province, Mongolia

🇲🇳 Arvaikheer, also spelt Arwaiheer (Арвайхээр, "Barley Steppe") is the capital of Övörkhangai Aimag (province) and one of the most central points of Mongolia.

It is a centre for traditional crafts, goat herding and equestrian sports, and hosts a large regional horse festival every year. Arvaikheer is by far the largest town in the aimag.

Transportation The Arvaykheer Airport has one unpaved runway and is served by regular flights to Ulaanbaatar and Altai. Arvaikheer is linked to Ulaanbaatar by a paved road and can be reached by public buses from the capital.

Sights and Infrastructure Until 1990, Arvaikheer was the headquarters of a large division of the Soviet Army which had a profound influence on daily life in the town. After the fall of Soviet Communism, however, many public buildings were renovated or rebuilt, e.g. the Sports' Palace in the eastern part of the town. A large park was laid out opposite. Another public park is being laid out in the west of the town center. Planting trees and flowers is difficult in Arvaikheer, as the climate is dry and the annual precipitations are just 254,2 mm per year. Most of the inhabitants do not live in yurts, but in houses built of stone.

There are several interesting modern buildings in the town centre, e.g. the urban administration building and the theatre, which have recently been renovated, in the central square. The high street of Arvaikheer is a broad tree-lined avenue where two monuments dating from the times of the Mongolian People's Republic before 1990 are worth a visit as well.

Gandan Muntsaglan Khiid is a comparatively large monastery located about one mile from the central square. By order of Khorloogiin Choibalsan, it was destroyed in 1937, but reopened in 1991. As of 2008, about 60 monks live there.

The Aimag Museum where various fossils and artifacts from Karakorum can be seen is worth a visit as well. Another museum is dedicated to the artist, Zanabazar.

Arvaikheer has a large hospital, a kindergarten and various schools and colleges. There are three hotels, an internet café and restaurants in the center. In comparison to other towns in Mongolia, Arvaikheer offers a large variety of shops.