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The Depository documents 14 techniques in Mongolia; by risk level: 5 critically endangered, 7 endangered, 2 vulnerable. Each record opens with a public summary; the full research record is free to view once registered.
The toono (тооно) is the carved circular crown wheel at the apex of a Mongolian ger — the only carved wooden element in the entire structure, and the most symbolically loaded: it is simultaneously the smoke hole, the skylight, the compass…
The khana (хана) is the folding lattice wall panel that forms the structural sidewall of a Mongolian ger — the most engineered component of the world's most sophisticated demountable dwelling system.
The uni (уни) are the bent roof poles that radiate from the toono crown wheel to the top of the khana lattice wall, forming the conical roof structure of the ger.
The khökhüür (хөхүүр) is the Mongolian leather vessel used for the production and storage of airag — fermented mare's milk, the central beverage and ritual substance of Mongolian nomadic life.
Mongolian gutuls (гутал) are the upturned-toe boots of the Mongolian nomadic tradition — their distinctive curled toe is not decorative but functional: the upturned toe allows the foot to slip easily into and out of a stirrup at a gallop,…
The Mongolian num (нум) — the composite recurve bow — is the most technically complex portable object in the nomadic craft vocabulary: a laminated structure of wood core, sinew backing, and horn belly that stores and releases energy more…
The making of the morin khuur — the two-stringed, horse-head-carved bowed fiddle considered Mongolia's national instrument and, since 2003, recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
The deel (дээл) is the Mongolian wrapped robe worn by both men and women — the primary garment of nomadic life, adapted across four seasonal specifications (summer cotton, spring/autumn quilted, winter sheepskin, ceremonial silk) that…
Mongolian esgii (эсгий) is the primary structural and insulating material of nomadic life — used for ger wall panels, floor coverings, sleeping mats, saddlery, and winter clothing.
The Mongolian urga (уурга) — the catching lasso pole — and the nogto (ногт) — the halter and bridle rope — are made from braided horse tail hair, the strongest and most water-resistant natural fiber available to steppe nomads.
Mongolian silver saddle hardware (эмээл чимэглэл) is the tradition of producing the repoussé silver panels, silver bridle fittings, and engraved silver buckles that adorn the Mongolian wooden saddle (emeel).
The Mongolian khuurtsag (хуурцаг) — snuff bottle — is the primary Mongolian miniature collectible: a small (50-80mm tall) carved bottle of agate, jade, amber, serpentine, or bone with a fitted stopper and internal spoon.
The painting of Buddhist devotional scroll images (thangka) in a distinctly Mongolian visual style that developed rapidly from the 18th century onward and achieved a recognizably independent regional idiom by the early 20th century,…
Tsam (цам) is the Mongolian Buddhist masked ritual dance tradition performed at monasteries — the Mongolian expression of the Cham masked dance found across the Himalayan Buddhist world.