Symbols

A land of nomadic horsemen and arid steppes that stretch to either jagged mountains or the massive Gobi Desert, Mongolia's cold, windy landscape evokes images of Genghis Khan and Mongol hordes. Traditional and exotic, Mongolian culture still revolves around a nomadic heritage with the family ger (yurt) at the centre, and horses the only transport.

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Soyombo symbol

The Soyombo symbol is a special character out of the Mongolian Soyombo script that was invented by Zanabazar in 1686. The name Soyombo is derived from the Sanskrit word Svayambhu (meaning "created out of itself").

The Soyombo symbol has appeared on the national Flag of Mongolia since 1911 (except between 1921 and 1924). It served as Coat of arms of Mongolia from 1924 to 1940, and was included in the design again in 1992. Mongolian Armed Forces vehicles bear the symbol as a marking. Learn more

Mongolian horse

The Mongol horse is the native horse breed of Mongolia. The breed is purported to be largely unchanged since the time of Genghis Khan. Nomads living in the traditional Mongol fashion still hold more than 3 million animals, which outnumber the country's human population.

In Mongolia, the horses live outdoors all year, dealing with temperatures from 30 °C (86 °F) in summer down to −40 °C (−40 °F) in winter, and they graze and search for food on their own. Learn more

Yurt

The yurt (mongolian: Ger) is the traditional dwelling of the nomads in Mongolia, as well as in the neighbouring countries, over to as far as in Turkey. It is a tent-like structure made from a wooden frame and covered by wool felt. A traditional yurt is very easy to collapse and assemble again, and it can be transported on no more than three animals (horses, camels, yaks). Learn more