Mongolia

At a Glance

Cherrington Scholars Eligible

• The capital Ulaanbaatar was originally named Urga when it was founded as a Buddhist monastery town in 1639. Its current name means “red hero” and pays tribute to a key figure in the nation’s independence struggle.
• In the Mongolian tradition of throat singing—perhaps the country’s best-known musical form—singers create two notes simultaneously, one much higher than the other.
• Notorious for his bloody 13th century victories, the warrior Genghis Khan is thought to have been a prolific lover. Geneticists recently discovered that roughly 8 percent of the men living in the region of the former Mongol empire carry nearly identical y-chromosomes that can be linked to Genghis Khan and his progeny. That translates to roughly 16 million men living today.
• For medieval Mongolian men, hair symbolized strength and invincibility. The medieval power cut involved shaving the top of the head in the form of a horseshoe, leaving a single lock to adorn the forehead. At the nape of the neck, hair was divided into two pieces that fell behind the ears. Even today, it is a major offense to touch a Mongol’s head or hair without permission.