Mongolian President
Enkhbayar met with representatives of the Arts Council of Mongolia on
Wednesday. During the meeting,
Arts Council head N. Jantsannorov noted that the Arts Council continues
to promote the nation’s culture and art as well as preserve the
cultural heritage of the Mongolian people. In December, the
Arts Council of Mongolia will celebrate five years since its creation in
2002. Funded by the Soros Foundation, the Council has distributed
over $207,000 USD to 84 Mongolian art organizations and 48 artists.
Also, the Council will soon be opening art information centers in
Aimags. Peter Morrow, Khan Bank Executive Director and Deputy Head of the Arts Council of Mongolia, spoke
with the President about the Council’s
project to create a database on monasteries and temples of Mongolia.
The project is funded by a great variety of donors, both domestic and
international, amongst others: the U.S. Embassy in Mongolia, the Khan Bank, and a range
of private donors collected through the efforts of former Tibet
Foundation representative Sue Byrne. The data collecting phase of the project has already been concluded. Digital pictures of Mongolian monasteries and temples was stocked and
information gathered on history and
legends about the monasteries and temples. In the second phase the data will be entered in online database and made available to the public. Also, archival and
present-day information is being incorporated into the database,
project consultant Guido Verboom noted.
President Enkhbayar
told the group that the independence of Mongolia is not only
safeguarded by the state’s borders, but also is ensured by its
national language, culture, and history. Praising the archival
project, Mr. Enkhbayar recommended incorporating old
pictures of monasteries along with new ones and including the
registration of historical monuments concerning the history of
Mongolian monasteries preserved abroad. These all will make a
significant contribution to the cultural heritage of Mongolia, the
President said.
