The national museum offers a glimpse into the past
The museum displays historical, ethnographical and cultural objects from Mongolia’s intriguing history, covering a period of around 800,000 years.
The collection includes jewelry and accessories, costumes, musical instruments, kitchen tools, Mongolian gers and furnishings, animal husbandry equipment and religious items relating to Shamanism and Buddhism.
The National Museum of Mongolia’s collections have been displayed in 30 exhibitions held in 18 countries around the world since the 1990s, delighting thousands of visitors.
Visitors to the National Museum of Mongolia can view displays in ten exhibition halls:
1. Ancient history of Mongolia
This hall displays stone tools and instruments for religious ceremonies that were used by people who inhabited the area of modern-day Mongolia between around 800,000 BC up to the Iron and Bronze Ages.
2. History of ancient states
The archeological artifacts of this hall relate to the history and culture of the political entities that were established from the 3rd century BC onwards. The first powerful empire was established by the Hunnu (3rd century BC – 1st century AD), which was succeeded by the Turk, Uigur and later the Kidan empires (6th – 12th century AD).
3. Traditional clothing and jewelry
On display here are the costumes of Mongolia’s ethnic groups together with state ceremonial attire, seasonal dress, jewelry and accessories. Mongolia has more than 20 ethnic groups. The origins of many ethnic groups can be traced back to the 13th century.
4. The Mongolian Empire
This hall is divided into two periods: the earlier Mongolian State and the Mongolian Empire. The latter section displays objects relating to the time of Chinggis Khan and his successors, which include a state banner, military equipment and tools. The artifacts include those excavated from the ruins of Kharakhorum city.
5. Traditional culture of Mongolia
The many facets of traditional Mongolian culture are represented in this hall by artifacts associated with music, literature, traditional forms of entertainment, and religion.
6. Traditional life of Mongolia
Mongolians have been living as pastoral nomads for many centuries. This hall examines the particularities of the nomadic lifestyle through displays such as a fully-furnished ger, tools for livestock herding, and hunting and agriculture tools.
7. Mongolia under Manchu rule
For about 200 years, from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century, Mongolia was under Manchu rule. Seals, coins, instruments of torture, and other historical materials document this period.
8. The Bogd Khan State
The beginning of the 20th century saw Mongolia struggling for her independence from Manchu rule, which resulted in a declaration of independence in 1911. The consequent theocratic monarchy headed by the Bogd Khan lasted until the early 1920s. Exhibits in this hall describe the military and political struggle for Mongolia’s self-determination.
9. The Communist era
With the revolution of 1921, Mongolia became a country driven by communist ideology. The communist period lasted until 1989. During the period between 1921 and 1989 there were major changes in Mongolia’s political system, society, economy and culture. These changes, negative and positive, are explored through historical photography and exhibits.
10. Democratic Mongolia
In 1990, Mongolia’s peaceful revolution ushered in democratic reforms and transformed Mongolia into a democratic state with a constitution, a multiparty system and parliament. Since then Mongolians have enjoyed, once more, the right to private property. Foreign relations were expanded and Mongolia’s position in the international arena was strengthened. Since embracing democracy, pluralism has become firmly established and Mongolian traditional culture has been revived. This hall exhibits objects relating to the changes that have taken place over the past 20 years.
History of the museum
Mongolia opened its first public museum in 1924. Several other museums subsequently opened during the next three decades. But from 1956, following the completion of the State Central Museum building, all historical collections, including ethnographical, natural history, and paleontological, were housed in the new museum building. In 1971 a new museum building was constructed, which housed the Museum of Revolution. Between the late 1980s and the early 1990s, Mongolia began to transform into a democratic society with a market economy. As a result of these changes, museum management was revised and some earlier museums began to reopen.
In 1991, the Museum of Mongolian History was established by merging the collections of two museums: the State Central Museum and the Museum of Revolution. In 2008, the Museum of Mongolian History was elevated in status to a national museum, hence our current name: the National Museum of Mongolia. The present museum building formerly housed the Museum of Revolution.
The National Museum of Mongolia bears significant responsibility for preserving Mongolian cultural heritage. In its role as a research institute, it reaches out to the academic community and welcomes their contributions to the current knowledge of Mongolian culture. The National Museum of Mongolia also implements various projects related to scientific research, in cooperation with domestic and foreign museums, universities, and institutions. The museum also cooperates closely with the National Museum of Korea, the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institute, the University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the East Tennessee University. The National Museum of Mongolia is also a member of the International Council of Museums and the Association of Asian National Museums. The museum’s storage facility holds over 50,000 historical and ethnographical objects.
The Museum of Statehood History, housed across the road in Parliament House, is under the jurisdiction of National Museum of Mongolian History. As the leading museum of Mongolia, the National Museum of Mongolia is responsible for providing training and guidance to all other government-owned museums.
National Museum of Mongolia has 80 employees and its activities are supported through collecting admission fees. The government provides assistance through the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
Visitors are welcome to visit the National Museum of Mongolia throughout the year.
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday.
Opening hours and ticket prices
Winter timetable: September 16 to May 14: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
Summer timetable: May 15 to September 15: 9:30 am to 6.00 pm
Adult: 5,000 MNT
Children: 1,000 MNT
Student: 2,500 MNT
Couple ticket: 4,000 MNT
Family ticket: 6,000 MNT
Website: www.nationalmuseum.mn
Short URL: http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/?p=3176
Comments
Post a Comment