MONGOLIA

MONGOLIA

Mongolia is a country which is really mysterious to me. In Asian history, the word Mongol is very popular but in the modern world al that we see is a country with the least population density and barren landscapes which most people don't even know to exist. But Mongolia has more to it than what we see today.

Mughals in India are believed to have originated from Mongols but Mughals are just one of the Mongol tribes I guess. Mughal Emperor Babar was born in present day Uzbekistan. Genghis Khan, the first Great Khan was born in a town close to Ulaanbaatar and his empire became one of the largest empires ever in the world. What the Romans conquered in 4 centuries was conquered by Genghis Khan in 25 years. Genghis Khan was defeated by Aladdin Khalji on attempting to conquer India and that is believed to be one of his major setbacks.

Mongol history is more than what I can say over here. Yuan dynasty in China was also Mongol in origin with Peking as capital. Gobi Desert, the largest desert in Asia lies mostly in Mongolia. Mongolia is home to two humped Bacterian camel and the only surving wild horse species in the world. Animals like horses and sheep outnumber humans by 10s and 30s in Mongolia. Mongolian horsemen travelling through Gobi desert are believed to be inventors of ice cream. 

 One third of the world's snow leopards live here. Ulaanbaatar is the world's coldest capital and Mongolia is the world's second largest landlocked country. Naadam festival is the biggest sporting event in Mongolia which involves archery, wrestling and horse racing. What is present day Mongolia is just outer Mongolia. Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region in China. 

Regarding mail, Mongolia is believed to be the first country to practice something similar to pony postal service. Mail was carried on horseback to long distances. This was practiced till the previous century. My good friend Robert (Bob) sent me the postcard I have showing Bogd Khairkhan Mountain, Ulaanbaatar. Ulaanbaatar is the only place where modernism is seen in the country. The yellow roof building seen is the circus in the capital city.

Bogd Khairkhan mountain, Ulaanbaatar

Postmarked at Ulaanbaatar on 13/09/2019