I had passed by this beautiful mosaic many times before I noticed it, on one of the busiest corners in the city. I have no idea who built it or when, but will do some research on it. The golden Soyombo on the right is the Mongolian National emblem. It dates back to the 17 th century and is attributed to the statesman Zanabazar who was the leader of Mongolian Lamaism and the father of Mongolian art and script.
The most common interpretation of the symbol is:
- the flame at the top represents the blossoming and continuation of the family
- the three prongs signify prosperity for the Mongolian people in the past, present and future
- the sun and crescent symbolize the origin of the Mongolian people
- the triangles express the people’s determination to defend the country’s freedom and independence. The top one represents the triumph over internal enemies and the bottom one victory over external enemies
- the rectangles stand for honesty, justice and meritocracy
- the yin-yang symbol means that men and women are unifiedthe two vertical rectangles on the sides signify fortress walls, a symbol of the Mongolian saying, Two humans in friendship are stronger than walls of stone.
The Soyombo is featured on the Mongolian flag. One of the oldest examples can be seen carved in stone in the ruins of the ancient city of Kharakorum. It is also painted in rocks on a hill overlooking the city.
Another example of the fabulous traditional dress, this lady was a participant in the Archery Contest.
To visit a Gallery of some of my Naadam images CLICK HERE
After a few days off to enjoy the big celebration we’re back at work. Here are a couple of really cute kids I photographed while wandering around the Naadam stadium. It was great to see so many people proudly wearing their colourful national dress. The little boy was (un)dressed up in Mongolian wrestling gear posing for his portrait and obviously enjoying it.
Its hard to describe the scene out at the horse racing venue, this is definitely not the Kentucky Derby or Royal Ascot.
Here are a few of the child jockeys heading to the start of the race. Note the lack of safety gear - some of the smaller children, barely out of diapers, have their feet tied to the stirrups so they won’t fall off.
The opening ceremony of Naadam was a fabulous event.� Of the 100+�images I shot today, this is�the only one I have processed so far.� The Nine White (yak-tail) Banners were paraded into the stadium with much pomp and ceremony and cheering from�the huge crowd.� They will remain in the Stadium, protected by four guards, until the closing ceremony.
The Honor Guard in their fabulous uniforms - shot late this afternoon in Sukhbaatar Square . Tomorrrow these horsemen will carry the nine State White Banners to the Central Stadium where they will stay for the duration of Naadam.
The dress rehearsal for the grand Naadam parade was held in the Central Stadium yesterday, it was an incredibly colourful event with people wearing their beautiful national costumes, practicing their dances to the accompaniment of several hundred musicians playing stirring Mongolian music on traditional instruments.
Some of the sports competitions start today and I will be out there once again with my camera, watch this spot for more.
We are only 4 days away from Naadam, the big festival held every year. This year marks the 800th Anniversary of the founding of Chinggis (Gengis) Khan’s Empire in 1206. The city is being spruced up and preparations are underway at the National Stadium for the celebration, which promises to be quite spectacular.
This portrayal of the nation’s most famous warrior was recently built on one of the hills south of the city.
After our walk on Sunday we went into the city for lunch and were sitting at one of the sidewalk cafes enjoying a cold beer and lunch of Shashlik (yummy meat kebabs cooked over an open fire) when a cavalcade of motor cycles carrying banners advertising one of the local beers came roaring up the main street - Hells Mongols!!! There were all kinds of bikes, from look alike Harleys, a little red ‘wannabe a real bike’ and a massive silver bike carrying what looked like the whole family - Dad who was the only one wearing a safety helmet, Mum on her cell phone and 2 kids tucked in between them. It appears that helmets are not compulsory here, but quite a few of the riders did wear them, the flashiest being a shiny chrome helmet and studded goggles.
Our last stop of the day was at the Archery Stadium where once again the archers were out competing. Ray got talking to some of the men who explained how the bows and arrows are made and tried one out.
Yesterday was one of those perfect weather days - blue skies, puffy clouds, a gentle breeze and temperature around 28C with no humidity. We went for a walk in the hills on Bogd Uul, the mountain just south of the city. The hillside was covered in wildflowers and lush greenery but eventually the bugs forced us to turn back.
We then visited the nearby Zaisan Memorial - built to honour the Russian and Mongolian soldiers who died in the struggle against Nazi Germany. The monument is perched atop a hill and features a large circular mosaic depicting scenes from the struggle, and offers a great view over the sprawling city of Ulaanbaatar.
