The Pastoral Nomadic Life

  Traditional Clothing & Jewelry  

The national dress, worn both by men and women, is a form-fitting robe known as a del. The del was often woven out of silk frequently imported from China.

A group of woment wearing the del
Photograph by Kikutake Yuji
Courtesy of VisitMongolia.com

During festivals or celebrations, women wore a variety of headdresses, including the traditional elaborate boghtagh.

A headdress in the traditional style for married women (front and back views), Early 20th century
Photograph by Ruben Blædel from the book Mongol Jewelry, by Martha Boyer
© Rhodos International Science and Art Publishers | www.rhodos.com This headdress was collected by Henning Haslund-Christensen in Chakhar, Inner Mongolia, in 1938, and belongs to the National Museum of Denmark.

Elite women often had exquisite jewelry such as the examples below, which constituted a considerable quantity of the family's wealth. Small but valuable items such as jewelry were ideal means of preserving wealth, as they could readily be carried during the Mongols' frequent migrations.

Jewelry: Ear ornament Early-20th-century example of a traditional style. Photograph by Ruben Blædel, from the book Mongol Jewelry, by Martha Boyer, © Rhodos International Science and Art Publishers | www.rhodos.com. This object was collected by Henning Haslund-Christensen in Chakhar, Inner Mongolia, in 1938, and belongs to the National Museum of Denmark.

Jewelry: Breast ornament Early-20th-century example of a traditional style. Photograph by Ruben Blædel, from the book Mongol Jewelry, by Martha Boyer, © Rhodos International Science and Art Publishers | www.rhodos.com. This object was collected by Henning Haslund-Christensen in Chakhar, Inner Mongolia, in 1938, and belongs to the National Museum of Denmark.

• See photographs from a traditional Mongol cultural festival as it is still celebrated today

→ NEXT: Shelter (The Ger)