Cultural institutions

Most of Mongolia’s major cultural institutions are in or near Ulaanbaatar. The Green Palace, once the winter residence of the Bogd Khan (ruled 1911–24), consists of a Chinese-style temple and a two-story Russian-style house built in 1898. Now a museum, it contains a superb collection of sculptures of the goddess Tara made by the 17th-century artist Zanabazar, the first Javzandamba (leader of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia), than-kas (tankas; religious paintings), and other sacred objects. There are also stuffed animals and other curiosities, including the Bogd Khan’s pornography collection. Buddhist masks and than-kas are also exhibited in the Choijin Lama Temple Museum, the structure originally built in 1903–05 for the Bogd Khan’s brother.

The exhibits of the National Museum of Mongolian History range from rich archaeological collections to material illustrative of the revolutionary and democratic periods. Mongolia is renowned for its rich fossil finds, and the Natural History Museum displays a fine collection of dinosaur and dinosaur-egg fossils, as well as specimens of contemporary Mongolian wild mammals and birds and a wide range of native plants. The collection of the State Central Library of Mongolia includes works of great variety and historical value, including priceless Tibetan Buddhist books written in gold, silver, and other metals.

Erdenezuu (Erdene Zuu) monastery, built adjacent to the site of Karakorum (Kharkhorin), Mongolia’s ancient capital, is noteworthy. It survived partial destruction in the 1930s and was preserved as a closed storehouse of religious artifacts. Later it became a museum, and more recently it has been returned to religious use, with lamas again on-site. Its three main temples date to the 16th century. Many provinces now have their own local museums, often housed in restored temple buildings.

Sports and recreation

The most popular traditional sport is wrestling. The ritual entry into the arena of several hundred participants, clad in tight-fitting red and blue jackets and briefs called zodog shudags and simulating the flight of the mythical Garuda bird, is a spectacular sight. The contests are conducted under the supervision of seconds in bright deel. The loser of a bout passes under the “wing” of the Garuda-dancing winner. Titles awarded include those of Titan, Lion, Elephant, and Falcon. The second traditional sport is archery, and in contests bowmen vie for the title of mergen, or “marksman,” the targets being a line of leather-covered cups on the ground. The bows used are of the old compound type. The third traditional sport, horse racing, is in many ways the most exciting. Young boys and girls race cross-country over various distances up to 20 miles (32 km), depending on the ages of their mares and geldings.

Wrestling, archery, and horse racing are the “three games of men” (eriin gurvan naadam), the main components of the annual national festival beginning on July 11—the date previously observed as the anniversary of the Mongolian revolution. In Qing times these ancient games (naadam) were held every three years and accompanied a Tibetan Buddhist ritual for the preservation of the life of the Javzandamba khutagt. Held annually from 1912, the games continued without the ritual after 1921 and in the socialist period were accompanied by military parades and demonstrations.The biggest naadam, with the largest number of participants and spectators, is held in Ulaanbaatar’s stadium over three days and is opened by the president of the country in a colourful ceremony. The national wrestling and archery competitions are completed on the first day, while the horse races, held in the surrounding countryside, continue into the second day. Some lesser wrestling and archery matches are held at the horse racing camp on the third day. Smaller-scale naadams are held in the provinces.

Modern sports range from freestyle wrestling (introduced 1962) to motorcycling, rifle and pistol shooting, tennis, table tennis, boxing, judo, and gymnastics. There is now a golf course in Ulaanbaatar, and membership in the club is seen as a mark of prestige and exclusiveness. Angling for trout in the country’s fast-flowing rivers is a popular pastime, notably among foreign tourists. Falconry also is practiced, while Kazakhs hunt with eagles.

Mongolia made its Olympic Games debut at the 1964 Winter Games at Innsbruck, Austria, but it did not win its first gold medals—one each for boxing and judo—until the 2008 Games in Beijing. Mongolia also has participated in the Asian Games and has fielded football (soccer) teams for international competitions, though it has not qualified for World Cup play. In addition, several Mongolians have become successful sumo wrestlers in Japan; in 2003 Asashōryū Akinori (Dolgorsürengiin Dagvadorj) became the first Mongolian to achieve the highest rank, yokozuna (grand champion), and he remained in that position until his retirement from competition in 2010.