Mongolian archery
Three traditions — Khalkh, Buriad, Uriankhai — one composite bow, and judges who sing the score.
Mongolian archers shoot at sur — small woven leather cylinders stacked on the ground — from 75 metres for men and 65 for women in the Khalkh style. The bow is the ancient composite recurve of horn, birch and sinew that once ruled the steppe battlefield; arrows are birch with vulture-feather fletching.
Three regional traditions compete at Naadam. Khalkh archery is the most widespread and open to men and women; Buriad archery has its own targets and rhythm; Uriankhai archery, from Mongolia's far west, remains men-only by custom. Teams alternate shots in a long, meditative rhythm punctuated by the uukhai — the rising praise chant the judges sing while raising both arms when an arrow strikes home.
Archery is held on the National Archery Field beside the main stadium across all three festival days, and it is completely free to watch. Stand close, listen for the uukhai, and you are experiencing a scoring system older than any scoreboard.
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History of Naadam
From military training of the khans' warriors to a UNESCO-inscribed national festival — eight centuries of the three games.
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512 wrestlers, nine elimination rounds, no weight classes, no time limit. The eagle dance, the zodog and shuudag, and titles that follow a man for life.
Read more →Horse racing at Khui Doloon Khudag
Not a racetrack — the open steppe. Races of 12 to 26 km, thousands of horses, and the giingoo song of young riders at dawn.
Read more →Planning your trip?
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