The year 2006 will mark the 800th anniversary of the establishment of the Mongolian Empire, the largest empire documented in history. On June 16, the exhibition Genghis Khan and his Heirs, The Empire of the Mongols will open at the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn . It will not only depict the Mongolian Empire at the height of its power, but will also reflect the life of its predecessors and successors, reviving the mythos of the ancient empire and its leader Chinggis Khan.
The exhibition will feature more than 400 items including recent archeological discoveries of weapons, armor, historic maps, textiles and ceramics, illustrating the state, military and social order maintained by Chinggis Khan and his successors.
The focus will be on exhibits that were discovered in the legendary former capital of Karkorum that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Excavations have been carried out since 2000 in cooperation with the German Institute of Archaeology, the Friedrich-Wilhelm University in Bonn and the Mongolian Academy of Science.
The treasures to be shown in Bonn represent a sophisticated organization that was unique for Eurasia steppe empires, due to the steady exchanges of political, economic and social ideas between the Middle East, China, Russia and nomadic groups in the steppe. Findings, uncovered by French and Turkish archaeologists, of forerunners like the Xiongnu (third century B.C. to first century A.D.) and the Turk Empire (sixth and seventh century A.D.) will be on display as well as exhibits from a period after the Mongolian Empire ruled by Chinggis Khan. Buddhist art like crafts, paintings and bronzes will exemplify the role of Buddhism and documents will show the political changes within the country during the 20th century.
As well as the exhibition, there is a large supporting program of events on the theme of the Mongolian Empire including conferences, lectures, workshops and performances of Mongolian artists. There will even be three gers set up to give visitors an impression of life in Mongolia. Some of the Mongolian artwork will be lent by museums in Teheran, Paris, St. Petersburg, Tokyo and Taipei. The exhibition will be held until September 25 and will then move on to Munich in October.
Resourse: THE UB POST newspaper
