10 best things to buy from Mongolia
When we travel to another country, we want to buy something that reminds us about the trip or buy presents for our friends when we get back home. Sometimes we are stuck in front of the shelves and wonder what we should choose, and it takes a lot of time. So we want to help you with the ideas of gifts that you can buy while in Mongolia.
1. Cashmere and woolen products
As Mongolia is the second biggest cashmere producer in the world, there are plenty of cashmere stores and factories in Ulaanbaatar and the price is reasonable in the home country rather than in exported ones. Mongolia provides the ideal cold and dry conditions for producing high-quality fiber If you are from a country with winter, cashmere is also the best choice for you to buy. Cashmere is fine and dense, but light, warm, and premium. The finer it is, the softer it is
2. Felt & Wool products
Another choice is wool products made with yak and camel wool. You can find a variety of products made from felt and wool. Woolen various clothes, felt shoes, teapot or cup bases, felt toys, souvenirs shaped like animals, keyholders laptop cases, and so on. Felt souvenir designs are super cute so it will eye-catchy thing in your home. And for the best part, you don’t have to spend big bucks on most of the felt souvenirs and products.
3. Ger souvenir
Mongolian traditional ger is raveled culture to Mongolians and also ger resembles nomadic life. Mongolia Ger shaped souvenirs are made of felt, wood, and sometimes plastic. You could buy one of this ger-shaped box which contains chocolates or other items. For those who like puzzles, there is another puzzle game, called ‘Mimo Ger’ by building a ger. The puzzle consists of all parts of Ger with a furniture set.
4. Horse head fiddle – Morin Khuur
This is a traditional musical instrument with only two strings and the head is carved as a horse head. As a people with high gratitude and respect towards the horses, many locals put the instruments or their mini replicas in the most honored place where they put their preciousness. So that all kinds and sizes of decorated horse head fiddle souvenirs are on the souvenir shop shelves from keychains to wall hangings with gorgeous frames in many colors.
5. Leather products
Mongolian Leather is well-made material that can last for many years. This is also a supreme gift for both men and women. Leather has a unique smell and feels so different from any other material and is eco-friendly. Those products are often seen as expensive, but not always the case. There are enough designs and sizes. So, I bet you can find something nice with your budget.
6. Deel – Traditional clothes
Collecting cultural items is a good idea for you to keep the travel memories. And why not buy traditional clothes? There are even dignified deels made of silk and sometimes wool. The shirt length comes to the ankle or knees and has multiple layers depending on the season. The deel can become a blanket at night and a narrow mat in the steppe. Nowadays modern deel design is getting famous with shorter lengths and becomes more stylish. There are several traditional clothing brands selling different styles of deel in shopping malls. Furthermore, the traditional hat and shoes having gorgeous designs are also good choice along with the deel.
7. Kazakh embroidery
Kazakh is the largest ethnic group with over 100,000 people in Mongolia, which composes 4% of the population. Kazakhs are traditionally pastoral nomads, dwelling year-round. And they are one of those who kept up with hand embroidery for a long time. Needles and thread are used to design fabric and other materials. Embroideries are commonly seen in home decoration, textiles, accessories, and fashion. Souvenir shops sell beautifully embroidered crossbody bags, backpacks, purses, carpets, pillowcases, pot pads, and so on.
8. Skin care product
For centuries, Mongolians use their animals’ by-products and wild plants for their food, traditional medicine, and skin care. For example, livestock outcomes like horse oil, sheep tail oil, and mare milk along with wild organic plants like nettle, thyme, sea buckthorn, rock salt, charcoal, and oatmeal have lots of benefits and are still used for good upshots recognized by people. There are hair treatments, shampoo with nettle, soap with animal oil, peeling masks with charcoal, etc. To mention some Mongolian skin care brands: Goo brand, Lhamour brand, Gilgerem, Biomon, Moil brand, Seaberry (only using seabuckthorn) and Suulkhen brand (only using sheep tail oil).
9. Instants (milk tea, sea-buckthorn juice, aarts)
In every country, there is a special traditional drink as a country brand. So why not buy some instant milk tea or juices? Milk tea is a very famous beverage in Mongolia and is consumed hot or cool respective on the season. During office breaks, it gives instant energy and freshens up. The sea-buckthorn juice is very good for cold if it’s served hot. As its’ lightweight, it comes in handy during long journeys.
10. Silver cutleries
Silver has played an integral part in Mongolian culture. Mongolian craftsmen used them from kitchen utensils to luxuriously designed decorations for men, and women and even on a saddle. From ancient time, silver has been used in a wide variety of everyday objects. Today most common usages in Mongolia are jewelry, silver bowl, teapot, and knife, etc. People believe that the silver bowl is a precious gift in any occasion. If you are interested, there is a central market where gold and silver cutleries are sold, which is called ‘Mungun Zaviya’. It is near to the Sukhbaatar square and easy to find.
