Traditional weaving

Mongolian nomads have come to now and still producing various felt crafts such as ger canvas, felt-door of ger, floor cover, mat, saddle-cloth, saddle-rug, winter and summer socks, stockings, bag for new born lambs, bag for summoning prosperity, bag for cup, felt-boots, and so on. It is vital and practical in that the felt is used as a covering for the ger which can withstand the harsh weather conditions of Mongolia’s landscape and as material for devjee (mattress) olbog (cushions) or gifts for guests. Nowadays, various felt-made household needs, traditional felt crafts and souvenirs are being produced widely and becoming popular among foreign tourists.

One of the uniqueness of Mongolian wrestling is wrestling costumes which consist of a hat, zodog (jacket), shuudag (briefs), boots, stockings and boots’ bindings. Zodog (jacket) and shuudag (brief) are a traditional costume of Mongolian wrestlers. The costimes made of silk, textiles and stitched with pliable and strong threads afford a wrestler the ability to hold his opponent during the wrestling bout. Zodog and shuudag adapt themselves to the shape of wrestler’s brawny body. This tight costume greatly affords a wrestler’s comfort to move as well. Only a few specialized masters craft the zodog and shuudag by their hands.

Zeegt naamal or hemmed appliqué is a complex of diverse needlework techniques and is one of the monumental forms of needlework in Mongolia. To create hemmed appliqué, two black-and-white versions of design are prepared, while one version is cut out in detail and the other is painted with different colours. Carefully marking the details such as borders, lines and ornaments on the draft, the various silks and textiles are prepared with different sizes, colours and features of the pattern draft and following with a starch applied to each part. The cut-out draft is pasted with folded edges on the material, employing careful attention and meticulous hands. The hemmed appliqué is a creation of a meticulous team work of embroiderers each of them mastered in different techniques.

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