Traditional use of herbes of the Mongols

Mongolian Medicine: "the warriors of Chengis Khan (died 1227) took medicines like Acorus calamus (Tib. shu dag) to stop bleeding. The herb relieves pain and detoxifies the organism after consumption of contaminated food. During times of war, senior generals made their troops collect Acorus calamus when the army camped near rivers. They used the herb to purify water by placing it in the river, upstream of the camp.

Musk was also used to treat water. The Mongolians soaked musk in their wooden water carriers to provide flavour and purify the water. Aconitum richardsonianum lavener (Tib. sman chen) was used in the distillation of liquor. The herb was placed below the barrel of liquor as a precautionary measure. Garuda-5 or Khyunga (Tib. Khyung lnga), which prevents infectious diseases and relieves pain, is also very popular in oriental medical traditions. In this way, Mongolians have used different kinds of medicinal herbs to cure and prevent human and animal ailments."

Genghis Khan On Sukhbaatar Square

Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan) has finally fully claimed his thrown again on Sukhbaatar square where this weekend the impressive gallery was revealed. Already during Nadaam time many dignitaries came to pay respect to Chinggis Khaan, including international princes and prime-ministers, but only recently the construction was entirely completed. At last the sizable Chinggis can confidently oversee his people, including a lone horse rider on the middle of the square.

Genghis Khan Craze 132800 - Punky Chinggis on the new 20.000 banknote

The new Mongolian Tugrug note of 20,000 features a purple and green Chinggis, adding a new coulour scheme to the series of notes. The bank notes were recently launched and started circulating in the regular currency traffic. The 20,000 note now is the one with the highest value in circulation in Mongolia, with a value of around USD 17. The cover image is the same as the five hundred to ten thousand notes, but on the rear side an image of the national white banners is featured.


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technorati: mongolia

Rare portrait of Genghis Khan discovered in north China temple

Zee News - Rare portrait of Genghis Khan discovered in north China temple: "Rare portrait of Genghis Khan discovered in north China temple
Beijing, Aug 24: A rare Thangka portrait of legendary Mongol leader Genghis Khan has been discovered in a Tibetan Buddhist temple in north China`s inner Mongolia autonomous region, a local cultural heritage official announced.

The painting was drawn by a Late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Mongolian artist, probably in the nineteenth century, Wang Dafang, an official with the Cultural Heritage Bureau of Inner Mongolia said.

The portrait is painted on a piece of cloth 28.5 cm long and 21 cm wide. The painting shows Genghis Khan in martial attire, riding a white horse and holding a banner in his right hand, with a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back, according to Wang.

Thangka is a Tibetan art form that dates back 1,000 years and which mainly depicts images from Tibetan Buddhism, Wang was quoted as saying by a news agency. "

Genghis and the airport

While most of the world is looking with a slight bewilderment at the images and other display of Chinggis Khaan during the recent celebrations it is somehow the airport that still can bring people from miles and miles away to emotional outbursts, as in The Guardian:

"Sombre news from Ulan Bator. In honour of Mongolia's 800th anniversary, its airport has been renamed after Genghis Khan. This reflects the newly assertive stature of the former communist state. ...

[Genghis] is credited with a belief in meritocracy, decimalisation, female emancipation, freedom of religion and flat taxes (after a fashion). He also specialised in mass slaughter, razing cities to the ground (saving only the engineers and artists), and pouring molten silver into the ears of insurgent leaders or, if they preferred, suffocating them under his table while he ate dinner. Neoconservatives still often declare themselves 'well to the right' of him.

How all this will play with tourists landing at Ulan Bator airport is not clear. Genghis Khan told his generals to treat foreign foes by 'robbing them of their wealth, bathing their loved ones in tears,"

Apperently, while here it seems an innocent rename to a local hero, for some the link between the brutal Genghis Khan and an airport seems to be a hounting one.


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technorati: mongolia

Mongolia's Genghis Khan Craze #1156: A Cunning Can

We know in beers there is Chinggis, Khan Brau and since recently Mongol. There is Khaan coffee, Chinggis Khaan Hotel, Chinggis Khuree, Chinggis Khaan International Airport. But the very last innovation is the one and only Genghis Khaan Energy drink.
Drinking this certainly makes you feel you can conquor the world...

Japan's Genghis Khan Craze #1154: Shall we do a movie?

Japan is preparing another movie on Chinggis Khaan. Arrangements have been made with the Mongolian side, who will contribute as well. To make it a little more easy to look authentic they will film during the high season in the most touristy places.

Mongolia's Genghis Khan Craze #1153: Shall we build a Statue?

Plans were announced to build a 40-metre high statue on Tsonjin Boldog hill, 53km outside
Ulaanbaatar. The steel statue of Chinggis Khaan, holding a golden whip, is to be financed by the Genco Tour Bureau.

(to put things in perspective, the dots on the white part are actually people)

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technorati: mongolia

Mongolia's Genghis Khan Craze #1152: Airport renamed

Now that even the airport is being renamed Chinggis Khaan, I suppose it is only a matter of time before Ulaanbaatar will turn into Chinggis Khot.

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technorati: mongolia

What does Genghis Khan have to do with a hamburger?

Mongolianartist.com and Mongolia Web quote Ask Yahoo! on the hamburger:

The fast food favorite took a long, slow trip from Genghis Khan through Russia and Germany before arriving at McDonald's.
...
In the 1200s, Genghis Khan's Mongol armies ate patties of raw lamb scraps, which were tenderized under the soldiers' saddles.

Doubtful if this is historically correct, but a good story nevertheless.
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technorati: mongolia hamburger genghis khan

Bush Mongolia Pictures

Iwan Baan was one of the photographers that had access to President Bush`s visit to Mongolia. Again he has made some striking images, available at iwan.com.



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technorati: mongolia bush

"I am God's Punishment for your Sins"

The Loneley Planet of Cantral Asia (with contributions of Mongolia LP writer Michael Kohn) mentions Chinggis Khaan (or Jenghiz, as they have transcribed it) and his army invading the city of Bukhara.

It was this brilliant city, as soldiers raped and looted and horses trampled Islamic Holy books in the streets, that the unschooled Jenghiz assended to the pulpit in the chief Mosque and preached to the congregation. His message:"I am God's punishment for your sins"

LP continues to conlude that this 'shocking psychological warfare is perhaps unrivaled in history'

For more details, and some doubt, on this see John Man's Genghis Khan.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites for Mongolia

An overview of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Mongolia: The Orkhon Valley and Uvs Nuur basin.

The Orkhon Valley

The 121,967-ha Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape encompasses an extensive area of pastureland on both banks of the Orkhon River and includes numerous archaeological remains dating back to the 6th century. The site also includes Kharkhorum, the 13th and 14th century capital of Chingis (Genghis) Khan’s vast Empire. Collectively the remains in the site reflect the symbiotic links between nomadic, pastoral societies and their administrative and religious centres, and the importance of the Orkhon valley in the history of central Asia. The grassland is still grazed by Mongolian nomadic pastoralists.
Justification for Inscription

Criterion (ii): The Orkhon valley clearly demonstrates how a strong and persistent nomadic culture, led to the development of extensive trade networks and the creation of large administrative, commercial, military and religious centres. The empires that these urban centres supported undoubtedly influenced societies across Asia and into Europe and in turn absorbed influence from both east and west in a true interchange of human values.

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Criterion (iii): Underpinning all the development within the Orkhon valley for the past two millennia has been a strong culture of nomadic pastoralism. This culture is still a revered and indeed central part of Mongolian society and is highly respected as a ‘noble’ way to live in harmony with the landscape.

Criterion (iv): The Orkhon valley is an outstanding example of a valley that illustrates several significant stages in human history. First and foremost it was the centre of the Mongolian Empire; secondly it reflects a particular Mongolian variation of Turkish power; thirdly, the Tuvkhun hermitage monastery was the setting for the development of a Mongolian form of Buddhism; and fourthly, Khar Balgas, reflects the Uighur urban culture in the capital of the Uighur Empire.

Uvs Nuur basin

The Uvs Nuur Basin (1,068,853 ha), is the northernmost of the enclosed basins of Central Asia. It takes its name from Uvs Nuur Lake, a large, shallow and very saline lake, important for migrating birds, waterfowl and seabirds. The site is made up of twelve protected areas representing the major biomes of eastern Eurasia. The steppe ecosystem supports a rich diversity of birds and the desert is home to a number of rare gerbil, jerboas and the marbled polecat. The mountains are an important refuge for the globally endangered snow leopard, mountain sheep (argali) and the Asiatic ibex.
Justification for Inscription

Criterion (ii): The closed salt lake system of Uvs Nuur is of international scientific importance because of its climatic and hydrological regimes. Because of the unchanging nature of the nomadic pastoral use of the grasslands within the basin over thousands of years, current research programmes should be able to unravel the rate at which Uvs Nuur (and other smaller lakes within the basin) have become saline (and eutrophic). These processes are on-going and because of its unique geophysical and biological characteristics, the basin has been chosen as an IGBP site for monitoring global warming. Criterion (iv): The Uvs Nuur site has a large range of ecosystems, representing the major biomes of eastern Eurasia, with a number of endemic plants. Although the basin is inhabited and has been used for nomadic pastoralism for thousands of years, the mountains, forests, steppes and deserts are extremely important habitats for a wide range of wild animals, many of them threatened or endangered. The steppe ecosystem supports a rich diversity of birds and the deserts a number of rare gerbil, jerboas and the marbled polecat. The mountains at the western end of the basin are important refuges for the globally threatened snow leopard, mountain sheep (argali) and the Asiatic ibex. Uvs Nuur itself is an important habitat for waterfowl as well as for birds migrating south from Siberia.