The Naadam Festival in Mongolia - July 2013





Naadam is the one and only Big Event in Mongolia –a lively national festival, held every year from the 11th – 13th July.

 

Naadam means “three manly games”. Known as the world’s second-oldest Olympics, it celebrates what defined civilisation in the Steppes eight centuries ago; archery, wrestling and horse riding.

 

The competitors in the riding events are all children aged between five and twelve, many of whom have been in the saddle since the age of one. As they race along the plains for 20 kilometres, thousands of spectators line the remote track to watch up to 650 children sitting confidently astride their small but sturdy Mongolian steed. It is claimed that such equestrian skills won Genghis Khan an empire that stretched from the Sea of Japan all the way to Europe.

 

Join us as we photograph the Naadam Festival and other cultural highlights like legendary Tuvkhun monastery and surroundings, and Erdene Zuu, the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. It was built on the ruins of the 13th century capital of Karakorum.

 

Vast walls of 400 m in length with 108 stupas surrounding the monastery are the symbol of Karakorum. Time and history were not merciful to Erdene Zuu monastery but it still carries the traces of its former glory and provides a great insight into the rich religious and cultural past of Mongolia.

 

Ancient cultures, a proud people, vast picturesque landscapes await you in Mongolia in the summer of 2013... To learn more, please visit, http://www.photographers-lounge.com/international-workshops/2013-workshops/mongolia-photo-tour/

 

Only one spot remain, so please contact us and we will fill you in on all the destinations we will be visiting in Mongolia... from deserts... to monasteries, spending time with nomads... its going to be a great trip.