Mongolia, Karakorum, Erdene Zuu Monastery. Located in the Orkhon valley in northern Ovorkhangai, Karakorum was formerly a great capital city built by Ogodei Khan (Genghis' successor and third son) in 1235. Erdene Zuu means 'Precious Buddha', since the main object of veneration at Erdene Zuu is the Zandan Zuu (Sandlewood Buddha). It is Mongolia's oldest Buddhist monastery, founded in 1586 by Abtai Khan, and was one of the few monasteries to survive, partly intact, the destruction of religious establishments in the 1930's. From 1941-90 the religious life of the monastery was virtually shut down, and Erdene Zuu became a national museum with no monks in residence. In 1997, the government decided to restore the monastery.