Genghis Khan's Heirs
In July 2016 I went to Ulaanbataar for the 11th Asia-Europe Peoples Forum (AEPF), an inter-regional summit of progressive social movements and civil society organisations. I represented the Transnational Institute (TNI), an Amsterdam-based progressive think-tank. AEPF participants engage with Asian and European governments in the framework of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). I used that opportunity to get to know Mongolia, a country that is passing through a dramatic social, economic, political and cultural transition.
The President of Mongolia, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, gives the opening speech at the AEPF11. Over 600 representatives from 198 social movements, frontline communities, campaigning networks and progressive NGOs, as well as academics and parliamentarians across the two continents participated in the AEPF11 held in Ulaanbaatar in 2016.
A menacing face welcomes visitors to the Temple of Boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The Gandantegchinlen Monastery, a Tibetan-style Buddhist centre in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, has been restored and revitalised since 1990, as post-communist Mongols rediscover their religious roots.
The Mongolian National Parliament, at Ulaanbaatar’s Sukhbaatar Square. The 1990 Democratic Revolution was a peaceful series of demonstrations and hunger strikes to overthrow the Mongolian People's Republic. It marked the end the 70-year period of socialism. The transition was spearheaded by mostly young student activists demonstrating at this square. A large statue of Genghis Khan proudly stands in front of the building.
Military Parade at Ulaanbaatar’s Sukhbaatar Square. In the 13th century, the Mongols' military tactics and organisation enabled them to build an empire that covered nearly all of continental Asia, the Middle East and parts of eastern Europe. Today, the Mongolian army seems much more relaxed and less eager to attempt new military conquests.
Modern nomads at Ulaanbaatar's city centre. Like many nomadic cultures, the Mongols had a segmentary society, originally organised into a hierarchy of families, clans and tribes. In ancient times, material cultural objects were visual symbols of tribal affiliation and social status. Nowadays, emerging wealth is often shown by displaying expensive imported goods.
A wedding at the Gandantegchinlen Monastery. The traditional Mongolian marriage was an agreement between two families, with elaborate transfers of bride wealth in livestock from the groom's family and a dowry of jewelry, clothing, and domestic furnishings from the bride's side. The Mongol nomads have never valued complex extended families, and tend to favour nuclear families composed of a married couple, their children, and perhaps a widowed parent.
Wedding festivities at Ulaanbaatar's city centre. A Mongolian marriage, traditionally, has been a contractual agreement between families rather than a religious ceremony. It continues to be marked by a celebratory feast that brings together as many of the relatives of the bride and the groom as the families can afford to feed.
The Mongolian countryside. The steppes are the image that Mongolia portrays to the world. Endless expanses of grass and forests, large and open. But they are not empty, as most of the countryside is grazed by livestock owned by nomadic herders who manage a population of 30 million sheep, goats, cows and camels.
Mongolian horse. Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. Over many centuries, horses have played a major role in the daily life of the Mongols. According to a national proverb, "a Mongol without a horse is like a bird without the wings." The Mongol horse is the native breed, which is purported to be largely unchanged since the time of Genghis Khan.
A Mongolian siesta. The Mongol society (traditional values, architecture, clothing, cuisine, arts, sports, livelihood practices, etc.) has been heavily influenced by the nomadic way of life. The vast steppe is home to one of the world's last surviving nomadic cultures. At present, however, many nomads are moving to the cities in search of education, employment, and modern conveniences.
Young Mongol horseman, Noyon Uul region. Giovanni de Carpini, a Franciscan monk who visited Mongolia in the 13th century, observed that "children begin as soon as they are two or three years old to ride and manage horses and to gallop on them, and they are given bows to suit their stature and are taught to shoot; they are extremely agile and also intrepid. Young girls and women ride and gallop on horseback with agility like men."
Young Mongol horsemen, Noyon Uul region. Mongol riders are required to learn everything necessary to care for a horse. This is because they do not employ outside experts and must do everything themselves. For particularly difficult problems, the local elders may be called in. Materials such as books on horse training or medical care are uncommon and seldom used.
Young Mongol horseman, Noyon Uul region. According to shamanic tradition, a person's soul is called a wind horse. Such representation is depicted on the official Mongolian coat of arms, which features a winged horse. Horses are common characters in Mongolian folklore. The recurring motif of the young foal who becomes separated from his family and must make his way in the world alone is endemic to Mongol culture.
Ger life, Noyon Uul region. A ger is an essential component of the Mongolian national identity. A large share of Mongolia's population lives in ger homes, even in the capital city Ulaanbaatar. Solar panels are becoming usual additions to the traditional tent. The panels are a way for nomadic herders to gain access to electricity without being confined to one place.
Ger life, Noyon Uul region. A ger is is a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by nomads in the steppes of Mongolia and other areas of Central Asia. Gers (also called yurts in other countries) have been a distinctive feature of nomadic life for at least three thousand years. The first written description was recorded by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. A ger is designed to be dismantled and the parts carried compactly on horses, camels or yaks to be rebuilt on another site.
Father and son, Noyon Uul region. Today, as in Genghis Khan's time, the education of a Mongol rider begins in childhood. Parents will place their child (boy or girl) on a horse and hold him or her there before the child can even hang on without assistance. By the age of four, children are riding horses with their parents. By age 6, children can ride in races; by age 10, they are real-life Centaurs.
Mongol child before his first cut, Arts Bogel valley. The haircutting ceremony symbolises the end of "babyhood" and the transition to "childhood". For many centuries, such transition has been essential in Mongol traditional culture, as surviving babyhood, especially for children of herding families with little access to medical facilities, was an occasion to celebrate. The time and date for the haircut are determined by the year in the lunar calendar when the child was born. Traditionally Buddhist lamas or monks would advise families on the best days to perform the ceremony.
Sukhbaatar Square, 3 July 2016, 22:15 PM. Sukhbaatar Square is the central plaza of Ulaanbaatar. During the communist era, this space was the scene of civil and military parades, and in 1990 was the place where massive demonstrations and hunger strikes took place. Today, the square is a privileged place for families to enjoy the warm summer evenings.
Abandoned summer camp, Noyon Uul region. The five-pointed star is a clear reminder of Mongolia's communist past. This camp was once used to reward the academic success of gifted students. During the socialist period, the education system, modeled on the Soviet Union, greatly expanded access and literacy rates. It also meant a transition from the traditional Mongolian script to the Cyrillic alphabet.
Zaisan Memorial, Ulaanbaatar. The Zaisan Memorial is a monument in Ulaanbaatar built in memory of Soviet soldiers killed in World War II. The memorial features a circular fresco painting that depicts scenes of friendship between the peoples of the Soviet Union and Mongolia, such as Moscow's support for Mongolia's independence declaration in 1921, the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army by the Soviets at Khalhkin Gol (on the Mongolian border) in 1939, victory over Nazi Germany and peacetime achievements such as the Soviet space flight that carried the first Mongolian cosmonaut into space.
Tourist shop, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler do get along in Mongolia. After the collapse of communism in the 1990s, a new strain of ultra-nationalism has found an unlikely home in the country, to a large extent fueled by widespread anti-Chinese sentiments. Activists and academics have expressed their concern over the rise of neo-Nazi groups such as Tsagaan Khass, backed by young Mongolians who idealise Adolf Hitler and portray themselves as patriots standing up for ordinary citizens against foreign criminals, rampant inequality and corruption.