The Kyrgyz komuz is a national musical instrument. Traditionally, komuz was made from a single piece of wood. The instrument has three strings, which were traditionally made from dried ram innards, but in modern times, fishing lines are often used instead.

The culture of the Central Asian steppes expresses itself vividly in the lifestyle of traditional nomadic practices. Mongolian culture has been in practice in the nomadic life and the traditions surrounding the nomad’s home (ger). And it is present in religious celebrations, national festivals, art and crafts, music and dance, language and literature, which form the backbone of Mongolian intangible cultural heritage of Mongolia. Mongolia is filled with valuable cultural properties and intangible cultural heritage of humanity that have been kept or practiced for thousands of years.\n\nGer, Mongolian Traditional Dwelling\nThe traditional architecture of the Mongols differed strongly from that of the settled peoples of Asia and other continents. Centuries ago, there the ger, also known as a yurt, appeared. It still offers shelter to nomads in particular places in Central Asia. Its development and fundamental principles are determined by the specific features of the way of life of Mongol tribes, which made it necessary to evolve a light and collapsible structure to be used as a dwelling or for public functions.\n\nMongolian Language and Literature\nMongolian is the language of most of the Mongolian population and inner Mongolia. By origin, Mongolian is one of the Altaic family of languages, and the history of the Mongolian language is long and complicated. Significant literary work of early Mongolia includes The Secret History of the Mongols, which was published in 1228).\n\nMongolian Religion and Beliefs\nThe Mongols have practiced several religions, of which Shamanism and Buddhism were the most common. The faith in Mongolia is Buddhism, though the state and religion were separated during the socialist period, but with the transition to the parliamentary republic in the 1990s, there has been a general revival of faiths across the country\n\nMongolian Art and Crafts\nMongolian arts and crafts have been passed down across generations from the Paleolithic times to today, leaving behind deep impressions on all facets of life and conscious, aesthetic, and philosophical thinking. Highly developed Mongolian arts and crafts come from the second millennium BCE. The works included sculptured heads of wild animals with exaggerated features. Other items include knives, daggers, and other items of practical and religious use.\n\nMongolian Music and Dance\nMusic is an integral part of Mongolian culture. Among Mongolia’s unique contributions to the world’s musical culture are the long songs, overtone singing, and morin khuur (the horse-headed fiddle). The music of Mongolia is also rich with varieties related to the various ethnic groups of the country. Among the most popular forms of modern music in Mongolia are Western pop and rock genres and the mass songs written by contemporary authors in the form of folk songs.\n\nHorse Culture of Mongolia\nIt is famously known that horses play a large role in the Mongols’ daily and national lives. Common sayings are, “A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without wings,” and “Mongols are born on horseback” these are arguably true words. Even today, horse-based culture is still practiced by nomadic Mongolians.\n\nVisit https://www.toursmongolia.com/tours for additional information about Mongolian culture.\n\nPhoto 1 : Prairie meadow grass inner Mongolia traditional clothing © Batzaya Choijiljav\nPhoto 2~7 : © Batzaya Choijiljav

- Children should not build a birdhouse in order to learn the Pythagorean Theorem.\n- Children should learn the Pythagorean Theorem in order to build a birdhouse.\n\nTouch. Feel the texture. Smell. Duplicate a shape, a pattern or a color. These are examples of what we call "action transmitted knowledge." A young lumberjack once stood quietly, observing the older man whose job it was to load the logs onto the long lumber sled and drive them to the mill. The older man had his own way of moving, he nearly danced with each log, lifting it, rolling it a little, using small motions to push it this way and that. Until quite suddenly everything was in place, ready to be transported on the sled. One day the young lumberjack saw that the older man had brought his five-year-old son with him. The boy walked behind his father, watching him and doing exactly what he did, easing a log, dancing with the load, mimicking each of his father's movements. At that moment, the young lumberjack realized that he was observing a transmission of knowledge from father to son.

Co-orgarnized by ICHCAP and Hue Monuments Conservation Centre (HMCC), this year’s Asia-Pacific ICH NGO Conference was held in Hue, Vietnam under the theme of ICH NGOs towards Sustainable Development of Communities.

When thinking of practices and expressions of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), traditional crafts making is perhaps the most tangible manifestation. However, when recognizing the potential of crafts making in empowering the individual, it is worth first looking beyond the physical craft objects to the processes behind them. Actually, to their very genesis. The act of making is ingrained in the beginnings of our human experience. It is essential to our nature and offers a deeper meaning and understanding of our humanity and identity. Furniture maker Peter Korn describes how craft making can be a holistic experience with the things around us, can invite a sense of meditation and self-transformation.1) As a maker, the individual is in control, the knowledge and skills are within you, and you can independently take ownership over your own development and production. Crafts making can as such be a liberating sensation and at the same time a meaningful bond or lineage to your geographical place, identity, culture and heritage. At its very roots, crafts making offers dignified, meaningful opportunities, the chance to do a job well done and make a product of quality in a world of disposable, low quality objects.

The yurt is not just a portable dwelling used by many nomadic peoples, but a pinnacle of nomadic creativity and a symbol of the national identity of the Kyrgyz people. Yurts have a plain construction, can be quickly assembled and dismantled by a few people, protect from the cold or from the heat of sun, and most importantly are entirely made of natural materials. This makes the yurt one of the best options for the promotion of eco-tourism and centuries-old traditions and crafts. No big life event in Kyrgyzstan goes without installing a yurt. Births, weddings, and funeral rituals are traditionally held in yurts. They are an integral part of all festivities, ceremonies, and important events from the local to national and international levels.

A yurt is a traditional dwelling of many nomadic people, including the Kyrgyz. The yurt consists of a circular wooden frame covered with felt and wrapped with ropes. A standard yurt has a diameter of 6 m, with a total area of 30 m². The average height is up to 3 m, and the diameter of the tündük (the roof of the yurt) can be as wide as 2 m. It is portable and can be easily assembled and dismantled within a short period of time. Yurts are characterized as easily transportable, compact, ecological, and practical. Their use has been a part of Kyrgyz nomadic culture for millennia. Making a yurt is a complex craft in its own right, bringing together almost every other traditional Kyrgyz handicraft, including woodworking, felt-making, weaving, embroidery, mat-making, and many others.