COVER N. 465 - MONGOLIA

Postmark: CPO Nairobi Kenya 25.03.2024

Posted on the 25th March; received on the 5th June 2024

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A circuit from the land of the never ending steppes. How nice. How I would love one day to visit Mongolia with my photo camera...

Until that day arrives, if ever, I'll have to content myself with  an occasional cover from where the eagles fly and the horses run, like the one I got, which is quite beautiful too, in its airmail stripped envelope and red postmark over some pretty interesting stamps. Bayarlaa Баярлалаа, Dansran!

It is always a great joy to tick another box in the countries list!

Starting with the envelope, the nice logo on it dates from 2020, the year when India and Mongolia celebrated 65 years of diplomatic relations, an occasion that was honoured with a stamp issued by Mongol Post, which featured the same logo that can be seen on the envelope, presumably the official first day envelope. 

now on to the stamps, l to r:

- The 380th anniversary of the foundation in 1649 of the country's Capital, Ulaanbaatar, which until 1924 was known as Urga, was celebrated in 2019. The anniversary was the occasion for Монгол Шуудан  (Mongol Post) to issue a three 1000 stamp tögrög souvenir sheet, each of them illustrated with photographs of the capital in the late 19th century, 1870 to be more precise (the stamp on the cover); early 20th (1920) and in contemporary times. 

Interesting enough, the city, which only became the State Capital in 1911, was founded as a nomadic Buddhist centre, what led to the location of Urga, as it was then known, having changed for 28 times before finally setting on its current location, in 1778.

- Several Cultural traditions of Mongolia have been awarded Intangible Cultural Heritage Stratus by UNESCO, in fact 15, to be more precise. In 2019, Mongol Post issued a seven stamp set, plus two single stamp souvenir sheets, dedicated to this theme.

The 2000 tögrög stamp on the cover is the stamp included in one of the souvenir sheets, which highlights the "Traditional Music of the Morin Khuur”, which was inscribed in UNESCO's list of World Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008.

The  music produced by the Morin Khuur, a two stringed fiddle, is present in much of the Mongolian nomad's rituals and everyday life, and its design evokes the importance that horse raising has for the Mongolian nomad culture. 

This is obvious in the way the instrument itself is designed, with the fretless neck terminating in a horse head whose ears are the tuning pegs.

- "Modern National Costumes" was the theme chosen in 2012 for a six stamp set (100; 200; 300; 400; 500; 600 tögrög), issued on 24AUG2012, of which the 300 t stamp can be seen on the cover, illustrated like all the others with what I presume to be a modernist take on a traditional costume from one of the country's regions.

Unfortunately the red postmark that cancelled the stamps is not legible on the upper half, but for a final H.