National Museum of Mongolia

The National Museum covers the whole span of Mongolian history in a building near Sukhbaatar square, and its strongest section for most visitors is the ethnography: a hall of traditional costume from every ethnic group in the country, Khalkha, Kazakh, Buryat, Darkhad, Uriankhai and others, with headdresses, silver jewellery and boots displayed together so the regional differences are obvious at a glance. Elsewhere are prehistoric tools and petroglyph casts, deer stones, Xiongnu and Turkic material, a reconstructed ger with its furnishings explained, armour and weapons from the empire period, and galleries on the twentieth century. Labelling is bilingual though older and plainer than at the newer museum next door. It remains the best single introduction to how Mongolians have lived rather than to what the empire conquered.

History

The first collections for a national museum were begun in 1924, with contributions from scholars such as Pyotr Kozlov and the American Roy Chapman Andrews. The present building dates from 1971, and the museum took its current name in April 2008 (Wikipedia, National Museum of Mongolia).

What to look for

• The costume hall - traditional dress and silver from every ethnic group.
• The reconstructed ger - a furnished tent with the objects explained.
• Prehistory and steppe empires - tools, deer stones and Xiongnu material.
• Twentieth-century galleries - the modern period through to independence.

When to go

Year-round; indoors and heated, a good winter option. Closed one day a week. Mornings are quieter than afternoons. Two to three hours is enough for most visitors.

Before you go

Presentation is dated compared with the Chinggis Khaan museum, with older cases and lighting. Photography is charged extra. There is overlap with the newer museum, so pick one for the empire and this one for ethnography rather than doing both back to back.

Nearby

The Chinggis Khaan National Museum and Sukhbaatar square are adjacent.

Key facts