Celebrities in Mongolia

Unknown abroad

The country is too far away, too isolated, receives too little media coverage and is still too confidential for you to be able to give the name of a single Mongolian who is known and recognised beyond the borders of their country. Whether before, during or after your trip to Mongolia it will still be difficult for you to know and especially to retain the name of a famous Mongolian. The few who are well known are only recognised inside their own country and their fame has never managed to reach as far as us in the West. Only the true specialists of a certain specific area or the real enthusiasts of the country will be able to name one or more celebrities. It will be impossible for the general public.

Of the past

The first historically recognised Mongolian was born in 1162. After a life of misery, Temujin managed to unify the different tribes who were at war with each other. He was proclaimed universal leader and made a name for himself as Genghis Khan. It is mostly under this name that you will hear him about during your travels in Mongolia.

Roman Fedorovich von Ungern-Sternberg was not of Mongolian nationality but it is in Mongolia that he became famous. He was a cruel military general who conquered the capital, Ulaanbaatar, in 1920. His personality won him the name of the "Bloody Baron" or the "Mad Baron". He served as an inspiration to Hugo Pratt for his "Corto Maltese in Siberia".

Khorloogiin Choibalsan was nicknamed "the Mongolian Stalin". Under the reign of this tyrant, almost all the clergy disappeared and he destroyed all the monasteries of the country.

Dumdin Sükhbataar remains the national hero for all Mongols, as it was he who freed the country of Roman Fedorovich von Ungern-Sternberg. His portrait still figures on the banknotes today.

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Flickr@EvgeniZotov

The living

Jugderdemidiin Gurragchaa is well-known by all the fans of space conquest. This air force general and aeronautical engineer was the first Mongolian to be sent into space.

Similarly, but with his feet firmly on the ground, Tserendeleg was the first Mongolian to go to the Arctic. He worked there as an engineer in aerology for more than a year.

Halfway between the Earth and space, Gotovdorj Usukhbayar was the first Mongolian to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the highest peak of the world.