Alongside
Khovd, Uliastai is one of the oldest settlements in Mongolia, and has long been an important center of
caravan trade even into the 20th century. It was connected by camel caravan routes with Urga (now
Ulaanbaatar) in the east,
Khovd in the west,
Barkol and other points in
Xinjiang in the southwest, and
Hohhot in the southeast. The city was founded as a military garrison by the
Manchus in 1733 during the
Qing rule of Mongolia. Uliastai was the
de facto capital of
Outer Mongolia, as the Qing
Amban, the Governor General, located its office in Uliastai to keep eye on the
Khalkh Mongols to the east and the
Oirad Mongols west of the
Khangai mountains. Thus, the position was also known as the
Uliastai General. At its peak, the fortress held up to 3500 soldiers and was surrounded by a Chinese trading quarter, or "Maimaicheng". In March 1755, a
Qing dynasty army departed from Uliastai as the vanguard in the
Qianlong Emperor's final push against the
Dzungar Khanate to the south west. During the
Outer Mongolian Revolution of 1911 the Military Governor of Uliastai, his staff, and military guards, fled the Uliastai fortress under the protection of Cossack troops. Traces of Manchu rule can still be seen in Uliastai: the stone remnants of the governors fortress near the Bogdiin river are a short walk from town, the shackles and torture devices used by the Manchu are on display in the History Museum, and a
khatag-laden stone near the central roundabout is carved with Chinese characters. == Climate ==