Ulaanbaatar
Exhibition of Mongol Chest Features 19th–20th Century Traditional Mongolian Chests
Art & Culture
Ulaanbaatar, July 8, 2025 /MONTSAME/. Ulaanbaatar, July 8, 2025 /MONTSAME/. In celebration of the National Naadam Festival, the special exhibition “Mongol Chest” opened yesterday at the National Museum of Mongolia.
The Mongolian chest, traditionally
placed at the honored spot of the ger is a valuable household
item, often used to store treasured belongings and hold sacred icons atop.
During nomadic travel, chests were carefully packed onto carts or camels,
reflecting their cultural and spiritual importance. With sturdy design suited
for mobility, the chests vary in size, color, motifs, and decorations,
showcasing the Mongolian worldview, artistry, spiritual beliefs, and values. In
some cases, the contents of a chest can reveal the personal histories of
families and even trace broader historical narratives of tribes or regions.
Mongolians, like other cultures,
have a rich tradition of woodworking, crafting various household items using
over 30 species of trees, most commonly larch, cedar, pine, sandalwood, and fir
for making chests.
The exhibition features over 100 chests and related items from the museum’s collection, highlighting a diverse range of unique types and styles.
B. Uuganbayar, researcher at the National Museum of Mongolia, noted, “When people think of Mongolian chests, the image of a lion-decorated chest often comes to mind. But historically, our ancestors used chests in various styles, sizes, and colors. The exhibition displays about 40 items from the late 19th to mid-20th century, including small chests used to store women’s jewelry. Chests can also be categorized by region and ethnicity. For instance, although the Barga people's chests are smaller, their design is a classical representation of Mongolian craftsmanship. Rare types such as the ükheg chest are also on display.”
In addition to chests, the exhibition displays a variety of traditional Mongolian locks, keys, storage cabinets, altar tables, scroll containers, book boxes, cup holders, and more. The exhibition will run until July 29, 2025.
Throughout history, humans have crafted furniture to suit their domestic needs. Among them, the chest has remained a fundamental household item for centuries. For Mongolian nomads, the chest is a versatile, simple, and portable piece of furniture categorized not only by function (e.g., flat-lid, raised-lid, open-top) but also by material (leather, wood) and craftsmanship (engraved, painted, or inlaid). Influenced by trade and religion, Tibetan and Chinese-style chests have also been widely used in Mongolian homes.
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