Mongolia, & it's Unique Culture

Mongolia - Journey in an Unknown Culture

To many Mongolia is a vast and mysterious land, located far away, with an unknown culture. Once you have visited Mongolia, you will appreciate this country's amazing history, and unique culture, being the product of many diverse cultural influences. Consider the following:

* Mongolia once commanded the largest empire in the history of the world, streching all the way from eastern Europe to Vietnam! This empire was led by the legendary Chingis Khan in the 13th century. Mongolia ruled China for centuries, incorporating many cultural similarities.

* Mongolia was once one of the strongest Buddist countries in the world, with up to 60% of the male population seving as Buddist Monks.

* In the 1920's Mongolia became the second communist country in the world, with it's government acting as a puppet of the Soviet Union. Religion was banned, and many of the Buddist monasteries were destroyed, and many of the Buddist Monks were killed.

* For most of Mongolia's history, the majority of the population has lived as nomadic livestock herders, residing in Mongolian style round tents, called Gers. They live almost completely self sufficient, surviving off their sheep, horses, goats, yaks, and camels. They eat mostly meat and cheese from their animals, and burn dung to heat their Gers. When the grassland is depleted, they pack up and move to greener pastures. For centuries the land belonged to everyone, and private land ownership was unheard of.

* Today Mongolia is a free market economy,capitalist Democracy, with Ulaabaatar serving as it's vibrant, bustling Capital City of 1 million people. Many still exist as nomadic livestock herders in the countryside, but migration to Ulaanbaatar is becoming more and more prevelant. Development projects by mostly forign mining companies have led to increased prosperity, but also to environmental concerns.

* Ulaanbaatar is today a fascinating melting pot of cultural influences from the former Soviet Union, China, Korea, Japan, Europe, and the United States. English has replaced Russion as the second language of choice. Culinary choices in the capital city's restaurants include Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Italian, Irish, Californian, Indian, and even Mexican.

My personal cultural experiences in Mongolia included the opportunity to attend a "Mini Nadam Festival" in the Middle Gobi Desert, which was put on just for our Denver Sister Cities delegation. The location was so remote, that on the day of the festival, we drove for 7 hours on dirt tracks through the Gobi Desert , and did not see a single other vehicle along the way (although we saw hundreds of camels).

This festival included a facinating display of horse racing, wrestling, and hospitality. The national traditional beverage, called "Airag", was served for our enjoyment. "Airag" is unpasturized Mare's milk, which is allowed to naturally ferment into an alcoholic beverage. It is relitively mild in strength, is said to be quite nutricious, but beware, it acts as a natural laxitive!

Mutton is the most popular traditional dish in Mongolia, and it was served at the festival, and almost everyplace else we went in Mongolia.

I also had the opportunity to go on a fishing expedition to a mighty river, where we fished for a giant carnivorous fish, called a Taimen. It grows up tp 5 feet long, and is known to eat mice as they attempt to swim accross the river. When fishing for Taimen, you usually use a lure that looks like a mouse! We caught many Taimen, with many a photo-op for bragging rights.

As you can see, Mongolia is no ordinary place, and the culture is one of the most diverse on earth. The Mongolian people have survived for centuries in a harsh climate, and their culture has evolved through many diverse cultural influences. I hope you get the chance to experience this fascinating land, and it's unique culture!