Cooperations and Funding

The Mongolian Academy of Sciences

The Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS) is the oldest scientific institution in Mongolia. The Institute of Scripture, the first scientific institution in Mongolia, was founded on 9 November 1921 by a resolution of the People’s Government Assembly and approved by the Bogd Khan on 22 November of the same year. This historic decision laid the foundation for the development of science in Mongolia and over the course of 100 years, the Institute of Science has developed into the Institute of Science of the Republic of Mongolia and finally into the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia. In the meantime, an entire science and technology system based on international standards has been established around the Academy and continues to develop. Currently, 14 research institutes and 2 professional academies report directly to the MAS. In accordance with Resolution No. 159 of the Mongolian government of 9 August 2002, the Institute of Archaeology was established under the supervision of the MAS. The Institute of Archaeology is the main professional institution exclusively conducting archaeological research in Mongolia. The institute is active in several main areas, such as research, protection and promotion of archaeological monuments in Mongolia and the region, creation of an inventory, development of guidelines for archaeological heritage management, conducting joint research with foreign countries, and conducting archaeological surveys and excavations. The institute currently has a structure of 6 academic branches and works with more than 40 researchers. Since 1998, the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia and the German Archaeological Institute have been successfully implementing a project on the archaeology of the Orkhon Valley. Since 1999, the field work of this joint project has been focused on Karakorum, the capital of Great Mongolia, and since 2007, it has been carried out on a large scale in Khar Balgas, the capital of the Uighur Empire, and the surrounding areas. In 2000, the presidents of Mongolia and Germany recognised the scope and scientific significance of the research and granted their patronage.

The National University of Mongolia

The National University of Mongolia was founded on October 5, 1942 as the first university in the Mongolian People’s Republic. Until the early 1960s, almost all teaching staff were trained here. It was initially called the State University of Choibalsan, named after Marshal Chorloogijn Choibalsan. In the academic year 1942/43, the number of students enrolled was 90. Twenty years later, this number had risen to 2,200. The first subjects were education and veterinary medicine. These were later followed by human medicine, agriculture, natural sciences, foreign languages and Mongolian studies. Some faculties subsequently developed into independent universities through spin-offs, such as the: Mongolian State University of Agriculture (1958), Mongolian National University of Medicine (1961), Mongolian University of Science and Technology (1982). Today, the National University of Mongolia has over 10,000 students. In addition to the main campus in Ulaanbaatar, it also has branches in the provinces of Dzavchan, Khovd and Dornod Aimak. On November 20, 1995, the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology was founded at the National University. Over the past 30 years, this department of the NUM has contributed to Mongolian archaeology with many new archaeological finds, scientific publications and national and international projects. In 2014, the German Archaeological Institute and the NUM signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of archaeological research. With this agreement, the NUM was confirmed as an official cooperation partner of the Mongolian-German Karakoram Expedition (MDKE), which has been running since 1998, and the Mongolian-German Orkhon Expeditions (MONDOrEX), which began in 2007.

The German Archaeological Institute

The German Archaeological Institute (DAI) is an internationally active scientific research institution. It was founded in Rome in 1829 as the Instituto di corrispondenza archeologica and today, as a federal institution under public law with its headquarters in Berlin, is part of the Federal Foreign Office’s portfolio. Its more than 350 employees work at 20 locations worldwide and carry out excavations and research in the fields of archaeology, antiquity and cultural studies.The Commission for Archaeology of Non-European Cultures (KAAK) was founded in 1979 under the name Commission for General and Comparative Archaeology (KAVA) as an independent research department of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI). This new institution was to be dedicated to archaeological research outside Europe and the Near and Middle East. The KAAK thus covers archaeological research in regions of the world not covered by the other departments. Accordingly, the department’s research focuses on South and Southeast Asia, South America, Oceania and Africa. In 2007, at the suggestion of the Mongolian Academy, a research centre of the Commission was opened in Ulaanbaatar, which offers scientists living and working opportunities for research stays in Mongolia. The Commission’s projects in collaboration with Mongolian and other international cooperation partners in Mongolia include excavations in the so-called palace district of the ancient Mongolian capital Karakorum, the excavation of an ice kurgan in the Mongolian Altaj (Olon Guuriin Gol) in summer 2006 and, since 2007, work in the ancient Mongolian capital Harbalgas in the Orkhon Valley.

The Kharakhorum-Museum

In 1997, the Mongolian government established a protection zone of 9.69 km² for the ruins of the old city of Karakorum. In 2004, the “Cultural Monuments of the Orkhon Valley”, including the ruins of the former Mongolian capital of Karakorum, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In order to present the significance of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and the old Mongolian capital in a sustainable way, the Kharakhorum Museum was established with the support of the Japanese government. The museum’s mission is to preserve, research and communicate the historical and cultural heritage of Karakorum and the Orkhon Valley. After years of cooperation between Japan and Mongolia, the Kharakhorum Museum opened its doors to the public and began operations on June 14, 2011.

The museum was built to international standards and has two exhibition halls – one for the permanent exhibition and one for temporary exhibitions. The permanent exhibition shows exhibits from the Stone Age to the heyday of the Mongolian Empire in the Middle Ages. The temporary exhibition includes artifacts recovered from the tomb of Shoroon Bumbagar in the Bajannuur soum of the Bulgan Aimag.

The Kharakhorum Museum aims to preserve, document, research and exhibit the historical and cultural monuments of the Orkhon Valley and Karakorum and make them accessible to the general public. In addition, the museum is working to expand its collections, build a comprehensive database of artifacts and exhibits, and organize educational programs. The museum currently employs 31 people who work on site in the Charchorin soum of Öwörchangaj province.