Standards of Chinggis Khan (at the Museum
of History, Ulaanbaatar) Photograph by
Morris Rossabi

Standards of Chinggis Khan

These horse-hair battle standards are among the few artifacts associated with Chinggis Khan that have been preserved to this day. Planted atop a hill, a mountain, or other lofty location, a standard such as one of these would have signaled the beginning of a battle.

Nine of these standards are currently held in the building housing the Mongolian Khural (parliament) and brought out every July at the beginning of the Naadam festival. Naadam means "to have a good time" in Mongolian, and this annual summer festival highlighting the three traditional Mongol sports of wrestling, archery, and horse racing has been a part of Mongolian culture for centuries.

See photographs from a Naadam festival in contemporary Mongolia