Asian Geographic - April 2018

101

But even the losers don’t take things too hard,

since the game is less of a competition and

more of an excuse for a rowdy gathering.

Despite the Mongols’ reputation as a

warlike people – and their popular games

being derived from precisely such pursuits –

their sophisticated side shines through

in Mongolian calligraphy, a handwriting

technique that delineates the classical

Mongolian script, Hudum Mongol Bichig,

in vertical lines on paper made of mulberry

bark. The characters are formed using a brush

and consist of 90 letters connected vertically

by continuous strokes to create words. This

calligraphy often adorns stationery on special

occasions, such as official invitations and love

letters, as well as old Mongolian emblems,

coins and stamps.

Created in the 7th century, Hudum Mongol

Bichig is the world’s only vertical script written

from left to right. Used widely until the

forceful introduction of Cyrillic by the Soviet

Union on Outer Mongolia, it is dying out

today – and along with it the calligraphy with

which it is inscribed. To save the art, three

middle-aged scholars are voluntarily training

young calligraphers, but mastery takes years

of disciplined practice, a reality that tests the

patience of youngsters.

Though the Gobi is harsh, progress is

still harsher, and Mongolia is seeing many

customs, like camel coaxing and calligraphy,

enter UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural

Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding as

they fade from use. But the nomadic lifestyle

is finding ways to survive, and for now, those

who come across a caravan of nomads in the

desert can still expect to be offered a warm

welcome, shelter in a yurt, and a cup of salty

tea made with camel’s milk. ag

WHEN

Year-round

WHERE

The 13th Century Camp,

which lets visitors

experience traditional

life during the rule of

Genghis Khan

HOW

From Chinggis Khaan

International Airport

or Ulaanbaatar railway

station, drive 2 hours to

Erdene sum, Tuv province

EXPERIENCE

MONGOLIAN

CALLIGRAPHY

Erdene sum

MONGOLIA

far left An 18th-

century document

containing the

Mongolian script

left Inside a

Mongolian yurt in the

Bayan-Olgii province

Though the Gobi is harsh,

progress is still harsher,

and Mongolia is seeing

many customs in need of

urgent safeguarding as

they fade from use

PHOTOS © SHUTTERSTOCK
DATA SOURCES: SNOW LEOPARD CONSERVANCY, UNESCO, INTERNATIONAL
EXHIBITION OF CALLIGRAPHY, ATLAS OBSCURA, MONGOLIAN HERITAGE