L.N. Gumilyov writes: “The most ancient Mongols had nothing in common with the blondes who inhabited Europe. European travelers of the 13th century did not find any similarity between the Mongols and themselves.” But, nevertheless, as he reasonably explains, even not the most “ancient Mongols (that is, Genghis Khan’s fellow tribesmen and their ancestors) were, according to the testimony of chroniclers and frescoes found in Manchuria, a tall, bearded, blond-haired and blue-eyed people. Modern appearance, as well as the language that we now call Mongolian, their descendants acquired through mixed marriages with short, black-haired and black-eyed tribes, whom their neighbors collectively called Tatars.”
But L.N. Gumilyov did not say everything, taking into account the political situation in the country, regarding the time by which Genghis Khan’s fellow tribesmen “acquired the appearance and language that we now call Mongolian.” Also, the Great Eurasian of the Soviet era was forced to remain silent regarding whether all representatives of the “ancient Mongols” ethnic group acquired the appearance that we call “Mongoloid” and, accordingly, the Khalkha-Mongolian language.
Therefore, let us not be mistaken that this “change in appearance and language” did not happen to all the “ancient Mongols,” or otherwise, the Tatars of Genghis Khan, and by no means before the “era of the Mongols.” These changes occurred much later and only with certain individuals of this ethnic group, remaining after the complete destruction of a significant part of this people living in the eastern part of Eurasia, China and Mongolia. That is, corresponding changes in “appearance and language,” complete assimilation, occurred with the isolated descendants of the Mongol-Tatars who remained among the “black-haired and black-eyed tribes” of Mongolia after the genocide carried out against this people by the Chinese of the Ming Dynasty. And this happened only after the collapse of the Mongol state, more precisely, at the end of the 14th century.
Lev Nikolaevich Gumilyov could not openly write this in his time.
But most importantly, L.N. Gumilyov still did not remain silent, but pointed out the point of view of academician V.P. Vasiliev that Genghis Khan comes “from the Tatar tribe”, and gave a link to the works of this Russian academician so that readers could personally compare them with the works of L.N. Gumilyov himself.
V.P. Vasiliev writes that around the 6th - early 7th centuries, part of the inhabitants of Manchuria, who lived independently of the Khitan, without submitting to them, migrated to the Inshan Mountains and became known as the Tatars. Their neighbors, “the black-haired tribes that surrounded them,” called these people “yellowheads.”
“The European anthropological race of the first order can be traced in Central Asia and Siberia from the Upper Paleolithic and genetically goes back to the Cro-Magnon type, being a special branch that developed in parallel with the races of Europe and the Middle East” (L.N. Gumilyov, “In Search of a Fictitious Kingdom”).
L.N. Gumilyov also provides information that in the second half of the 1st century AD. after the destruction by the Chinese of the principality of Cheshi, allied with the Huns, located in the Tarim Basin (Turfan oasis - the territory of modern Uyghuria), "the Xiongnu Shanyu gathered the rest of the Czech people and resettled them to the eastern outskirts of his state." Thus, among the “emphatically Mongoloid peoples of the Amur basin,” an ethnos appeared, consisting of representatives of the “eastern branch of the Indo-Europeans.”
Apparently, the “remnant of the people” was still quite numerous in order to retain their abilities for state organization and other skills and abilities, for example, a penchant for “farming”, the ability to make tools from iron, copper and other properties inherent in highly developed people at that time. time for the peoples. We also note that most likely this people, judging by the fact that they were “an ally of the Huns,” and were close to them in language.
Presumably, there were also mixed marriages between settlers from the Tarim Basin and representatives of the local population, the ancestors of the Manchus and Khalkhas, but the ancestors of the “ancient Mongols” apparently did not have their own anthropological characteristics, like their language, level of development and other properties of the ethnic group. lost. Migrating from the Amur basin to the southwest, to the Yinshan Mountains, these “ancient Mongols” were already known to their Chinese neighbors as the Tatars. And it is not surprising that at the same time they became allies of the Uighurs and Shato Turks, which can be explained by the similarity of their languages and the similarity of appearance, which made them all different from the Chinese (Han) and the rest of the inhabitants of the east of Eurasia, the ancestors of the Khalkhas and Manchus.
And not only did the “ancient Mongols” become allies of the Uyghurs and Turks, but they began to “mix with them and gave them their name,” as V.P. Vasilyev writes, giving rise to the birth of a new ethnic group under the same name and self-name “Tatars.”
The medieval Tatars did not lose their anthropological and other characteristics and properties, which sharply distinguish them from the inhabitants of China and Mongolia, during the time of Genghis Khan and much later. For example, Genghis Khan’s fellow tribesmen “were distinguished by green or bluish eyes, Chinese historians called them “glass”, and blond and red hair,” “the Borjigins (Genghis Khan’s clan) have blue-green or dark blue eyes, where the pupil is surrounded by a brown rim.” In support of the above, L.N. Gumilev refers to data from the work of Abul Ghazi, translated and published in 1874 in Paris, and other information from the works of French Orientalist historians, published in 1896.
A sufficient idea of the appearance of representatives of the Mongol-Tatar ethnic group can also be obtained from the medieval portrait of Genghis Khan, in which he is depicted, most likely, most similar to himself. The portrait was painted on silk either during the lifetime of Genghis Khan himself, or during the reign of the Mongol-Tatars in China. And it is unlikely that at that time anyone would have portrayed the first founder of the Power with a Caucasian appearance or the appearance of a Khalkha (or Chinese) for the sake of someone’s political interests, but to the detriment of the truth. It is clearly visible that the portrait depicts a man with a thick beard and mustache, of Caucasian appearance. Also appearance The Mongol-Tatars are reflected quite clearly in the drawings of the 12th-13th centuries.
“The Tatar nation, for the most part, was not very tall, no higher than five feet with two or three inches, and there are no fat or fat people among them. Their faces are wide, flat and quadrangular with prominent cheekbones” (V.P. Vasiliev, “History and Antiquities of the Eastern parts of Central Asia, from the 10th to the 13th centuries").
Let us note that from the above one cannot in any way conclude that the Tatars of Genghis Khan were “short” dwarfs in comparison with other inhabitants of the medieval world, taking into account that the statesman of the Song Empire (South China), whose text is cited by V.P. Vasiliev, had a sufficient outlook and had, presumably, a sufficient understanding of the anthropological characteristics of many, many peoples of the world. “Five feet with two or three tops” (150-160 cm) is the average height for the period under review. By the way, Knight armour medieval Europe were designed specifically for people of approximately the same build. This is explained by the fact that in the Middle Ages the average height of people was significantly lower than that of their modern descendants.
Marco Polo also left valuable information that the medieval Tatars of Genghis Khan were representatives of the Caucasian race. He compares the characteristic appearance of the Chinese, who, as is known, belong to the Mongoloid race of the continental type, with the appearance of the medieval Tatars: “the Chinese by nature are without beards, while the Tatars, Saracens (here we mean Persians) and Christians (Europeans) have beards.” . Here, “beardness” is mentioned as the most important sign by which the Chinese were supposed to distinguish their own from strangers during hostilities. Since during the uprising that the “noble Chinese” were preparing against the Mongol-Tatars, the rebels had to “kill all the bearded people” throughout China.
It should be noted that Marco Polo knew many Tatars, “scattered all over the world,” moreover, he lived and served with the Tatars of the Great Khan of the Mongolian power Kubilai in China for 17 years, and apparently learned to distinguish the Tatars and other Caucasians from the Chinese and peoples related to them.
For the Chinese, the Tatars seemed to be people of “very disgusting appearance,” most likely precisely because they were different from them. By the way, the Arabs also believed that the Russians were “a people of ugly appearance”; there were enough differences in the appearance of both, although these differences were much smaller than in the case under consideration.
And there is also, at first glance, a rather strange fact. Men-hung's notes note the absence of “upper eyelashes” among the Tatars. Many facts contained in Man-hung’s notes were “not noticed” by Eurocentric historians, but this example of the “absence of upper eyelashes” is often copied from one work “on the history of the Mongol-Tatars” to another precisely as evidence of the peculiar “ugliness” of the Tatars. No one can explain the reason for this “shortcoming”, but everyone constantly quotes this particular passage because of Meng-hong’s notes, it will never be ignored.
Most likely, it was the difficulties of translation or changes in language over the centuries that caused a distortion in the translation of the exact meaning of the quoted words of Men-hung about the absence of the “upper eyelashes” of the Tatars, fellow tribesmen of Genghis Khan. Otherwise, the Chinese military diplomat, extremely careful, as can be seen from the content of his notes, would not have failed to explain the reasons for this strange “disadvantage” of the Mongol-Tatars, or to make a reservation, they say, such and such a group of Tatars do not have eyelashes, but others have it in stock.
INFORMATION FOR TOURISTS
RELIEF, GEOGRAPHICAL ZONES
Mongolia has an area of 1,564,116 sq. km and is mainly a plateau raised to an altitude of 900-1500 m above sea level. A series of mountain ranges and ridges rise above this plateau. In the south and east of the country there are extensive hilly and ridged plateaus, intersected by individual hills. The average altitude of Mongolia is very high - 1580 m above sea level. There are no lowlands in the country at all. The lowest point of the country - the Khukh Nuur basin - lies at an altitude of 560 m. Forests mainly grow in the forest-steppe zone, located in the northern part of the country. The forest fund area is 15.2 million hectares, i.e. 9.6% of the entire territory.
To the east and south of Ulaanbaatar towards the border with China, the height of the Mongolian plateau gradually decreases, and it turns into plains - flat and level in the east, hilly in the south. The south, southwest and southeast of Mongolia are occupied by the Gobi Desert, which continues into north-central China. In terms of landscape features, the Gobi desert is by no means homogeneous; it consists of areas of sandy, rocky, covered with small fragments of stones, flat for many kilometers and hilly, different in color - the Mongols especially distinguish the Yellow, Red and Black Gobi. Land-based water sources are very rare here, but groundwater levels are high.
Natural conditions of Mongolia extremely diverse - from north to south (1259 km) there are taiga forests, mountain forest-steppes, steppes, semi-deserts and deserts. Researchers call Mongolia a geographical phenomenon that has no analogues anywhere. Indeed, within the Mongolian People's Republic there is the southernmost permafrost center on Earth, and in Western Mongolia, in the Great Lakes Basin, the world's northernmost border of dry deserts lies, and the distance between the permafrost distribution line and the beginning of the deserts does not exceed 300 kilometers. In terms of temperature fluctuations, both daily and annual, Mongolia is one of the most continental countries in the world (the maximum annual amplitude of temperature fluctuations in Ulaanbaatar reaches 90 ° C): in winter Siberian frosts are raging there, and the summer heat in the Gobi can only be compared with Central Asian. These are truly paradoxical physical-geographical phenomena, coupled with the vastness of the territory (the straight line length from west to east is 2368 and from north to south 1260 kilometers), the clear delineation of geographical zones (from taiga to steppe and from steppe to desert), with sharp differences in elevation and the clear predominance of mountainous terrain create the unique face of the country, define and explain its wealth.
HIGH MOUNTAINS
Mongolia is a mountainous country. Mountains occupy more than 40% of its total area, highlands (over 3000 m) - about 2.5%. The highest of the mountain ranges of Mongolia is the Mongolian Altai with mountain peaks up to 3000–4000 m high, stretching in the west and southwest of the country for a distance of 900 km. Its continuation are lower ridges that do not form a single massif, collectively called the Gobi Altai. The highest point is the Kuiten-Uul (Nairamdal) peak with a height of 4370 m. It is located in the Mongolian Altai at the westernmost tip of Mongolia near the border with Russia.
Along the border with Siberia in the north-west of Mongolia there are several ranges that do not form a single massif: Khan Huhei, Ulan Taiga, Eastern Sayan, in the north-east - the Khentei mountain range (2800 m).
In the center of the country are the Khangai Mountains, about 700 km long and 2000–3000 m high (the largest is 3905 m, Otkhon Tengri), which are divided into several independent ranges.
Highest mountains of Mongolia
In mountainous areas, vertical zonation of the soil appears. With increasing altitude, chestnut soils are replaced by chernozem-like and in some places chernozem-like, then mountain-meadow and partially peaty. The southern slopes of the mountains, as a rule, are sandy and rocky, while the northern slopes have denser soil and are clayey. The steppes are dominated by loam and sandy loam, the colors of ripe chestnut and light chestnut.
TAIGA
The taiga zone, which covers only 5 percent of Mongolia's territory, is located primarily in northern Mongolia, in the Khentii Mountains, the mountainous landscape around Lake Khuvsgul, the rear of the Tarvagatai mountain range, the upper Orkhon River and parts of the Khan Khentii mountain range. The taiga zone receives more rainfall than other zones of Mongolia (12 - 16 inches annually).
The northern mountain taiga zone is replete with forest; forests cover the northern slopes of the mountains and consist of Siberian larch, cedar, pine, birch and aspen. The inhabitants of this zone are the same as in the Siberian taiga - deer, elk, wild boars, lynxes, bears, sables, wolverines and other animals. Reindeer are also found here.
FOREST-STEPPE
The mountain steppes of the middle steppe zone lie between the Khentei, Khangai and Mongolian Altai ridges. There are gazelle antelopes, wolves and foxes, and in the alpine zone there are rare cat predators, such as snow leopard - irbis, lynx, tiger, which hunt wild goats and wild argali sheep.
In the forest-steppe and steppe zones Various chestnut soils are most widespread, accounting for almost 60% of all soils in the country.
STEPPE ZONE
In the mountains, the Mongolian steppes rise to a height of 1500 m or more, and with increasing moisture in the mountains, the proportion of forbs in the vegetation cover increases. On the northern slopes of the mountains of Mongolia (precipitation 500 mm or more) predominantly coniferous forests of Siberian larch, cedar, and pine grow.
Unlike the European steppes, the zonal soil type of the Mongolian steppes is not chernozems, but leached chestnut soils. They are formed on sandy and gravelly parent rocks and are not solonetzic. There are chestnut, dark chestnut and light chestnut soils. The intensity of their color depends on the specific gravity of humus. IN top layer dark chestnut soils have from 4% to 6% humus, light chestnut soils from 2% to 4%. The life forms of steppe plants are determined by summer precipitation and sharp temperature fluctuations throughout the year and during the day. Among the steppes there are: Various types depending on the predominance of certain plant groups. The Mongolian steppes are poorer than the steppes of Russia and Kazakhstan. The grass is lower in them, and there is almost no continuous cover. The dominant formations are tyrs, serpentine, serpentine-tyrs and others. Among the shrubs, there are especially many small-leaved caragana (Caragana microphylla), and subshrubs of wormwood (Artemisia frlgida). As we approach semi-deserts, the role of low-growing feather grasses and onions increases.
SEMI-DESERT
Semi-deserts occupy more than 20 percent of Mongolia's territory, stretching across the country between desert and steppe zones. This zone includes the Great Lakes Depression, the Valley of the Lakes, and most of the region between the Khangai and Altai mountain ranges, as well as the eastern Gobi region. The zone includes many low-lying areas, soils with salt lakes and small ponds. The climate is arid (frequent droughts and annual precipitation of 4-5 inches (100-125 mm). Frequent strong winds and sandstorms greatly affect the area's vegetation). However, many nomadic herders of Mongolia occupy this zone.
A yurt is a mobile structure in which nomads live. Structurally, it consists of a frame and a covering, which is often made of felt.Used by nomads in Mongolia, Buryatia, Kalmykia, Tuva and even in distant Tibet.
Design: The Mongolian type of yurt is built flat and squat, this is due to the strong winds in that area. The dome-shaped flooring lies on special walls located exactly in a vertical position; the dome shape is supported by a frame made of special poles. The roof itself resembles a cone. There are support pillars in the center of the Mongolian yurt.
Advantages and disadvantages: The Mongolian yurt stands out because it is much easier to make and assemble. As for the cost, it will be significantly cheaper than the Turkic one, but less practical. Such yurts cannot withstand large snow loads, and their additional load-bearing columns may cause some inconvenience.
Used in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.
Design: Its significant difference from the Mongolian one is the shape of the support poles to support the dome. In this case, they are curved, so the dome shape is a hemisphere and looks more elegant. Thanks to the curved poles, the weight can be redistributed so that there is no need to install additional supports. The poles themselves are attached to a hoop along all the walls. Thus, the Turkic yurt has more usable area and free space.
Advantages and disadvantages: The Turkic yurt requires special professional knowledge when assembling and more quality materials. It weighs significantly less, is taller and much stronger than the Mongolian one. All these factors, combined with more complex assembly technology, of course, increase the cost of the Turkic yurt.
Yurt felt
Since ancient times as flooring and thermal insulation material nomadic peoples used felt, which they produced themselves. Now there is no need for this. The production of yurt felt has been put on stream; it is produced on an industrial scale at professional equipment.
Our felt factory "Horizon-Fetr" produces in accordance with the requirements. The material, 8 mm thick and with a density of 0.25 g/cm3, has low thermal conductivity and high noise insulation and is excellent for insulating yurts. You can read more about the use of yurt felt
The most characteristic feature of Mongoloids is a combination of very dark, coarse hair and a special eye shape, in which the upper eyelid hangs over the inner corner, making the eyes narrow and slanted. Most often, representatives of this race are recognized precisely by these features. It should also be noted that they are characterized by brown, sometimes almost black, eyes and a yellowish or brownish complexion.
Taking a closer look at the representatives of the Mongoloid race, you can notice other signs. The nose of such people, as a rule, is either thin or moderately wide. Its lines are clearly defined, and the bridge of the nose is slightly shifted down. The lips of Mongoloids are not too thin, but not too thin either. Another feature is prominent, very clearly defined cheekbones.
Representatives of the Mongoloid race are also distinguished by poorly developed body hair. Thus, -Mongoloids can rarely be seen with hair growing on the chest or lower abdomen. Facial hair is also quite sparse, which becomes especially noticeable when comparing the appearance of representatives of this race with the appearance of Caucasians.
Different appearance options for representatives of the Mongoloid race
All representatives of the Mongoloid race are usually divided into two types. The first - continental - includes people with darker skin tones and thin lips. The features of representatives of the second type - the Pacific - are a relatively light face, a medium-sized head, thick lips. In addition, it should be taken into account that the second type is characterized by a very slight, almost imperceptible protrusion of the upper jaw over the lower one, while in representatives of the first type the jaw does not stand out in comparison with the general contours of the face.
Geographically, Mongoloids are divided into northern and southern. Representatives of the first type are Kalmyks, Tuvans, Tatars, Buryats, and Yakuts. They tend to have fairly fair skin and round, somewhat flat faces. The second type includes the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese. They are often distinguished by shorter stature, refined, medium-sized facial features, and a special eye shape. It should be borne in mind that many representatives of the second type have obvious signs mixing with Australoids. Thanks to this, the features of their appearance become more diverse, so it can be somewhat difficult to determine exactly whether they belong to the Mongoloid race.
The territory of Mongolia is a huge plateau, which is elevated above sea level. Mountains with a height of 1500-3000 m occupy at least 40% of the area of the entire country, and its high-mountain areas with a height of more than 3000 m occupy about 2.5-3%. Mongolia ranks 17th in the world in terms of the size of its territory.
Interesting fact: Mongolia is the smallest country in terms of population density, its density is approximately 1.7 people/sq.km. And the total population reaches about 3 million people.
Mongolia is a country where you can drive hundreds of kilometers and not meet a single person. In a number of areas, such as deserts and highlands, population density reaches a minimum threshold - from 0.01 to 1%.
In his great history ethnic groups Mongolia went through a great many different periods of formation. As a result, with the formation of a single, united Mongolian people, the Greatest Mongolian state emerged. It was a great world empire, which to this day has no equal. Arin V.D. Russia and Mongolia at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries: economics, diplomacy, culture / V.D. Arin.--Irkutsk, BGUEP, 2013.--402 p.
In Mongolia, there is the world's tallest statue of a horse rider, which is an hour's drive from the capital. The Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital in the whole world.
Mongolia is home to 25% of all snow leopards living on our planet.
Mongolia is a country with ancient history, and is fraught with many mysteries from the past.
An interesting discovery was announced in Mongolia. A Scythian warrior was found. It was discovered in the Altai region at an altitude of 2.6 kilometers. And the most interesting thing is that it was completely intact in the burial mound. As is obvious, he was a rich man, since he was covered with beaver and sable fur, and he also had a sheepskin on him. The warrior's body was covered with many tattoos.
And the main feature of this find was the warrior’s hair; he was blond. True, some scientists say that the hair could have become this color even after his death.
Near the grave, 2 horses were found with richly decorated bridles and saddles, as well as weapons, a clay vessel and animal horns. They were placed in the grave next to the mummy so that they could accompany him on the other side of life.
The rivers of Mongolia are born in the mountains. Most of them are the headwaters of the great rivers of Siberia and Far East, carrying their waters towards the Arctic and Pacific oceans. The largest rivers in the country are the Selenga (within the borders of Mongolia - 600 km), Kerulen (1100 km), Tesiin-Gol (568 km), Onon (300 km), Khalkhin-Gol, Kobdo. The deepest is the Selenga.
Mongolia has many permanent lakes and a much larger number of temporary lakes that form during the rainy season and disappear during the dry season. In the early Quaternary period, a significant part of the territory of Mongolia was an inland sea, which was later divided into several large bodies of water. The present lakes are what is left of them.
Next, consider the climate of Mongolia. Mongolia has a sharply continental climate with harsh winter and dry hot summers. In the capital, the city of Ulaanbaatar, located approximately halfway between the mountain ranges of the north-west and the desert arid zone of the south-east of the country, temperatures range from minus 25 - 35 degrees in winter, to plus 25 - 35 degrees in summer. Ulaanbaatar is one of the coldest winter capitals in the world: the coldest month is January. The warmest month is July.
It is often cold in the mountainous regions, north and west of the country. Much of the country is hot in summer and very cold in winter, with January averages dropping to -30 degrees.
Let us consider in detail the administrative division of Mongolia.
Mongolia is divided into 21 aimags, which in turn have 329 somons. The capital Ulaanbaatar is an independent administrative unit.
Mongolia has an interesting address system. Due to the significant number of temporary settlements (yurts) in the country, which change their spatial location over time, traditional address systems (city, street, house) are not very suitable for Mongolia.
On February 2, 2008, the Government of Mongolia decided to adapt the Universal Address System technology to the needs of the country, that is, the use of Natural Area Code to address objects on the ground. This system allows you to address on the ground within the Earth, both entire regions and cities, individual houses and even small objects with an accuracy of up to a meter. The more accurately the address is specified, the longer its code. For example, the address of the city of Ulaanbaatar as a whole is RV-W QZ, and the address of the monument in the center of Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar is RW8SK QZKSL.
Although larger number people live in cities, Mongolia's economy is concentrated in industries such as mining and Agriculture. Mineral resources such as copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten and gold make up a significant part industrial production countries.
In the period from 1924 to 1991, the MPR received large financial and economic assistance from the USSR. At its peak, this aid accounts for one third of its GDP. In the early 1990s. years and into the next decade, Mongolia's economy experienced a severe decline followed by stagnation.
Exports: copper and other non-ferrous metals, fluorspar, uranium ore, coal, oil, clothing, livestock, wool, hides, animal products, cashmere. The main buyers in 2011 are China (85.7%), Canada (6.3%) and Russia in 10th place (3%).
Imports: machinery and equipment, fuels, automobiles, food, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, Construction Materials, cigarettes and tobacco products, Appliances, soap and detergents, sugar, tea. The main suppliers in 2011 are China (43.4%), Russia (23.3%, mainly oil and electricity are supplied), South Korea(5.6%), Japan (5.1%).
Mongolia is a member of the World Trade Organization (since 1997). The country's main trading partners are China and Russia, and Mongolia's economy largely depends on these countries. In 2006, 68.4% of Mongolia's exports went to China, while imports accounted for only 29.8%. Mongolia imports about 95% of its petroleum products and part of its electricity from Russia, making the country extremely economically dependent.
Tibetan Buddhism was officially adopted in the country in 1578, but shamanism continues to be practiced by a small part of the population (primarily in the north of the country). By the time of the People's Revolution of 1921, there were 755 Buddhist monasteries and 120 thousand monks and priests in the country (out of a total population of 650 thousand people).
As a result of repression, by the end of the 1930s. years, all monasteries were closed or destroyed, and their property was nationalized.
In 1949, a single monastery was reopened in Ulaanbaatar, but the freedom of religion declared by the 1960 constitution was only ensured in the late 1980s. years and the revival of traditional Buddhism, shamanism, and Islam began (among the Kazakhs). Since the early 1990s, foreign Christian missions, Baha'is, Moonies and Mormons began their activities. Baabar History of Mongolia: From world domination to the Soviet satellite / Baabar. - Kazan: Tatarstan, 2010. - 543 p.
Mongolia's culture is heavily influenced by the traditional Mongolian nomadic lifestyle, as well as Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese and Russian cultures. Love of one's origins and family are valued in Mongolian culture; this is evident in everything from old Mongolian literature to modern music. Another characteristic and most important feature of the steppe people is hospitality. The yurt is an important part of Mongolian national identity; to this day, many Mongols live in yurts.
Education is one of the priority areas of Mongolia's domestic policy. To date, illiteracy in the country has been practically eliminated, thanks to the creation of seasonal boarding schools for children from nomadic families.
Since 1990, Mongolia has experienced social change and improvements in health care. The healthcare system includes 17 specialized hospitals, four regional diagnostic and treatment centers, nine district hospitals, 21 aimak and 323 soum hospitals. In addition, there are 536 private hospitals.
Some of the earliest examples of Mongolian fine art are rock paintings and bronze and copper weapons with images of animals. There is also an Iron Age stone stele here. Mongolian art was strongly influenced by the visual canons of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as Indian, Nepalese and Chinese art. At the beginning of the 20th century, the tradition of secular painting began to develop in Mongolia, its founder was Baldugiin Sharav. After the revolution, for a long time the only acceptable style in Mongolian painting was socialist realism, and only in the 1960s did artists have the opportunity to move away from the canons. The first representatives of modernism in Mongolia were Choydogiin Bazarvaan and Badamzhavyn Chogsom.
The oldest literary and historical monument is the “Secret Legend of the Mongols.” One of the founders of modern Mongolian literature is the writer, poet and public figure Dashdorzhiin Natsagdorzh, the first translator of Pushkin’s works into the Mongolian language.
The instrumental ensemble occupies an important place in Mongolian music. Folk instruments: amankhur (harmonica), morinkhur and limbo ( bamboo flute). There are traditional works for key instruments in Mongolian music. Vocal art also has a long tradition. Baldaev R. L. Public education in Mongolian People's Republic/ R.L. Baldaev. - M.: Mir., 1971. - 230 p.
IN modern types In sports, Mongols are traditionally strong in single events. These are boxing, freestyle wrestling, judo, and shooting. In terms of the number of Olympic medals per capita, Mongolia is ahead of many highly developed countries. Quite exotic sports for Mongols, such as bodybuilding and powerlifting, are developing at an active pace.
Number Armed Forces 10.3 thousand people (2012).
Recruitment is carried out by conscription, the service period is 12 months. Men aged from 18 to 25 years are called up. Currently, the Mongolian army is undergoing a reform aimed at increasing combat effectiveness and updating the technical fleet of weapons and military equipment. Russian, American and other specialists are actively participating in this process.
Since 2002, Mongolia has been involved in peacekeeping activities.
