I explored a few Ulaanbaatar museums while in Mongolia—the National Museum, Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs, and Zanabazar Museum of Fine Art. For being the capital of a country with such rich history and culture, these museums’ collections and displays were rather meager. However, what they had was, for the most part, of the highest quality despite the aging buildings their housed in.
National Museum
The National Museum tells rather succinctly the story of Mongolia. Seeing that the Mongolian empire was once the largest in the world and that extensive histories were recorded of that, this museum just scratches the surface. The story begins thousands of years ago. It introduces the Mongolian Empire’s predecessors and then delves into the empire. Exhibitions in the museum showcase Mongolia’s culture including the spectacular outfits of different nomadic groups and cultures and parts of the nomadic lifestyle shared by them all. The final, small hall of the museum brags of the country’s modern accomplishments and history including its democratic reform in the 1990s.
Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs
The Gobi Desert’s fossil record rivals that of much larger and powerful nations. In addition to visiting the place where much of this paleontological research began, I wanted to visit a dinosaur museum. I like dinosaur museums. They bring out the child-like wonder in everyone who visits. The Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs only has three small exhibition halls. Two of them display spectacular specimens.
Zanabazar Museum of Fine Art
Housed in a historic Ulaanbaatar building, the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Art’s collection is colorful and cultural. It focuses on traditional Mongolian art, particularly religious art. The name comes from a Mongolian monk who pioneered a special method of casting seamless bronze statues with fine details. Other highlights include paintings depicting Mongolian culture in its full detail including birth, death, sex, and more. The final space showcased contemporary Mongolian art. A couple of artists even had tables where you could buy some of their work. All of these museums required an additional fee for photography. The fee at this museum was, in my opinion, ridiculously high, especially compared with the others. That’s why there are no photos of what I saw inside.
