Crafts that began as tools
Most of what visitors see described as Mongolian handicraft started as equipment for a mobile life. A felt covering kept a home warm, a saddle let a rider cover distance, a bowl held milk, and a robe kept out wind. Decoration came on top of function rather than instead of it. That is a useful way to read almost everything in this cluster: ask what the object does first, and the shape and materials usually make sense.
The raw materials come mostly from animals. Sheep supply wool, goats supply cashmere, camels supply long fiber, horses supply hair for rope and instrument strings, and cattle and other animals supply hides. The idea of the five animals that herders keep explains why the craft tradition leans so heavily on wool, hair, leather and bone, and so lightly on pottery or woven cloth made from plants. In a household that moves with the seasons, light, durable and repairable objects have a clear advantage.
The main craft traditions
Felt. Felt is probably the single most important craft material. Wool is beaten, laid out, dampened and rolled into thick sheets that cover the walls and roof of a ger, line the floor and make blankets, saddle pads, boots and hats. Our article on felt making describes the process in more detail.
Textiles and fiber. Sheep wool and goat cashmere are both gathered each spring, and the cashmere in particular has become well known beyond Mongolia. The story of cashmere and wool is closely tied to herding practice and to weather, including the severe winters known as dzud winters, which can affect animals and the fiber they produce.
Clothing and footwear. The long robe called the deel, the sash, the felt-and-leather gutal boot and the many styles of hat show how climate and riding shaped what people wear. Styles vary by region and by ethnic group, and some of the most elaborate pieces are saved for festivals and weddings.
Leather, silver and metalwork. Leather workers produce saddles, bridles, bags and containers. Metalworkers and silversmiths make stirrups, bowls with silver linings, knife sets, fire steels and jewelry. These objects often carry patterns that people read as wishes for long life, protection or good fortune.
Music and instruments. The morin khuur, a two-stringed fiddle topped with a carved horse head, is the best-known instrument. Making one is a craft in itself, combining woodworking, carving and horsehair. It often accompanies the slow vocal style called long song.
Writing and painting. The vertical traditional script, practiced as calligraphy, and the painted scrolls known as thangka belong to a more scholarly and religious side of Mongolian art, closely linked to Mongolian Buddhism and its monasteries.
Who keeps the crafts alive
For much of history, crafts were not a separate profession for most people. Households made felt together, often with neighbors helping, because the work needs many hands. Women commonly handled sewing, felt decoration and much of the clothing, while men often worked with wood, leather, rope and horse gear, though these roles were never rigid and vary by family and region. Some people specialized, especially smiths, silversmiths, saddle makers, instrument makers and painters, and their skills were often passed from teacher to apprentice or within a family.
Today, the picture is mixed. Herding families still make a good deal of what they use, particularly felt and everyday leather and rope. Other crafts have moved into workshops, cooperatives and small studios, where makers sell to local customers and visitors. Machine-made goods and imported clothing have replaced some handmade items in daily life, and the amount of surviving craft knowledge differs a lot from one place to another. In general, you should expect a lively scene in the capital and in tourist areas and a quieter, more practical one in herding districts.
Seeing crafts in context
The best experiences usually come from watching crafts as part of ordinary life rather than as a performance. If you stay with a herder family, you may see how a Mongolian ger is furnished with felt and painted wood, or notice horse gear hanging near the door. Festivals are another window: at the Naadam festival you will see riders in elaborate saddles and people in their best clothing, and the Tsagaan Sar new year is a time when the deel and gifts such as a khadag scarf come out. Museums and monasteries in larger towns show older and finer work than you are likely to find in a shop.
Buying with care
If you want to bring something home, a few habits help. Ask the maker or seller what the item is made of and where it was made, and be aware that labeling is not always precise. Prices vary and bargaining customs differ by venue, so there is no useful figure to quote here. Antiques, religious objects and items made from protected animals may be restricted for export, and the rules change, so check current customs and export guidance from official sources before buying anything old or unusual. Treat religious items such as thangka and statues with respect, and remember that buying directly from makers or cooperatives usually keeps more of the money with the people who did the work.
A last point on manners: objects such as hats, boots and instruments carry social meaning, and some are not meant to be placed on the floor or stepped over. Following what your hosts do is the safest guide, and basic Mongolian etiquette will cover most situations you are likely to meet.