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Flickr@LudovicHirlimann
Mongolia Travel Guide
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Flickr@LudovicHirlimann
By choosing a trip to Mongolia, you are choosing a destination that is still largely overlooked. You've probably heard a thousand legends but to get your own idea or simply to immerse yourself in the culture of the country you can watch a few movies, read a few books or listen to a little music.
The film that you absolutely must see before starting out on a trip to Mongolia is without a doubt the famous masterpiece "Urga", which won the golden lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1991.
If you are looking for the first Mongolian film, you'll have to try to dig up the film entitled "Path of Norjmaa" by Temet Natsagdorj, which deals with the subjects of medicine and religion.
During the following years most Mongolian films treated the subject of the heroes of the revolution. The one which garnered the greatest success is without a doubt "Sükhbaatar".
As for the comedies, don't miss "We are still having problems" by Dorjpalan.
These films may be very difficult to find in the UK. On the other hand, it is much easier to find films like "The Weeping Camel" by Byambasuren Davaa or "The Cave of the Yellow Dog" by the same director.
The oldest, but also the most famous, book of them all is surely "The secret history of the Mongols". You will learn about life, society and traditions in Mongolia with a great deal of precision.
It will be difficult to find more contemporary works. Most Mongolian authors are not published outside of their country. The only exception is Galsan Tschinag, who wrote, among others, "Blue sky, a childhood in the High Altai" and "The Grey World".
The Mongolians have a vast musical culture. It can even be considered as a tradition. Among the most important singing traditions of the country are: Khovmi, which is a kind of throat singing which alone can characterise music in Mongolia; tuul which treats epic songs; the bogino duu for short songs; and the urtyn duu for long songs.
Today the Mongolian musical scene is in full boom, especially in the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. Rock and pop groups are very fashionable. The most well-known are Nighttrain and Lumino. With Javhlan, Norovbanzad and Jantsannorov, these artists have even managed to export themselves beyond the national borders and are very well-known in China.
