Mongolians have a rich cultural heritage. Manuscripts and books from different eras, reflecting the story and unique culture, are today kept with the greatest care in the libraries and museums.
                The large personnel library of Bogd Jebzundamba Khutugtu (1869-1924), the head of both state and religion, was founded by Ondor Gegeen Zanabazar (1635-1723), and contained books in Mongolian, Tibetan, Indian, Manchu, Chinese and other languages.
                The largest book repository is the State Public Library, on whose shelves are more than two million manuscripts and books. These are valuable source for the study of the history of book-making in Mongolia, and include a book made from tree bark, which experts assess as being about 2,500 years old.
                Other priceless and rare masterpieces in the State Public Library are three copies of the sacred book Jadamba. According to legend, the first copy of this was used by the Indian philosopher Nagarjuna.
                The second copy is from a later period, dating back to the 11th century, and one cannot but admire the gold lettering beautifully traced out on the black paper by some unknown master scribe.
                The title page is embellished with gold representations of Buddha and Maidar (God).
                Although the third copy of the Jadamba is the most recent, it is still a masterpiece of Mongolia book-making. The paper was coated with a special mixture of soot, and the brains and spinal cord of a sheep, polished to smoothness.
                The writing was on glossy black sheets with an unusual ink, and the book is made of materials that include the "treasures"--pearl, coral, turquoise, azurite, mother of pearl, gold, iron, copper and silver, all ground to powder.
                Naiman Myangat or Jadamba (poetry of 8,000 stanzas) was known to have been used by Nagarjuna, the Indian scholar who lived over 2,000 years.
                The library's Tibetian section contains the works of ancient scholars, invaluable materials for modern students of the culture and history of the Asian people.
                At the Central Public Library you may see the Ganjur, an extremely rare Tibetan book from the 11st century. This sets forth the fundamentals of ancient Indian sciences such as philosophy, medicine, art, logic, grammar and astronomy; but that is not its only value. It shows that books were printed in Mongolia a thousand years ago. It was printed in a xylographic method in Sanskrit, Tibetan and Mongolian.
                The Mongolian translation of Ganjur is in 108 volumes, and that of the Danjur is in 226 volumes.
                An ancient Mongolia recipe book is an object of research by physicians and biologists. Mongolian historians looking into the 17th century begin their work with the Alt page bears a relief of Buddhist gods and is embellished with coral and pearl. The ten volumes of this work weigh almost half a tonne.
                The State Library has another unique book, Itgel (Belief), which is embroidered in yellow silk thread on a black background, with letters no more than 7 mm high.
                One of the most important historical and literary monuments is the Mongoliin Nuuts Tovchoo (The Secret History of the Mongols), written in 1240 on the banks of the Onon river.
                A great number of books on history, philosophy and belles-lettres were collected in the libraries of such representatives of feudal nobility as Zaya Pandid, Tusheet Khan and Tsetsen Khan and intelligentsia such as Dandar Agramba, Damdin Gabj etc.
                Sayings such Erkhem Bayan Erdem (the greatest wealth is knowledge), Sursan dalai, Suraagui balai (a learned man is as a bright day, an unlearned one is a dark night) and 'what is an ocean to a sighted person is darkness to a blind man' and 'water cleanses things, learning cleanses the mind' are Mongolian proverbs.
(to be continued)