FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2023-126 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (July 11, 2023) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps from Steve Kovacs, we learn about the games of a cultural celebration in Mongolia.  

Genghis Khan

Today is Naadam National Holiday in Mongolia.

Naadam is celebrated by three games – wrestling, archery and horse racing.  All three are central to the Mongolian culture.

In wrestling, single elimination untimed matches cascade to the ultimate winner.  Interestingly, the one with the largest frame gets to pick his opponent.  Also, one loses when any part of his body touches the ground, other than feet and hands.

Archery is a team sport, with each team comprised of 10 people and each person having only four arrows.  To move on in the competition, they must hit 33 smallish targets.   Women aim from 65 yards away and men 75 yards away.

Horse racing is a long-distance, 15-30 km long event, depending on the horse’s age.  The jockeys are 5–13-year-old kids.

Mongolia is Genghis Khan country.  He ruled the Mongol Empire, which at its zenith in the 1220’s, was the largest, by area, empire in human history. Naadam traces to about the same period.

Also, about 8-20% of men in northern China to the Caspian Sea are believed to be related to Genghis Kahn – he had many wives. 

This 1831 Teesdale map shown most of China and points north in Asia, including Mongolia.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.