From Old Yarmag to the New City Center…

Yarmag, now regarded as the landmark of Ulaanbaatar’s new city center, has been an important area for the capital’s residents for over a century. Following the 1911 revolution for national independence, the Bogd Khan government was established with five ministries, and from 1912, the national festival—known as the “Festival of Ten Ministries”—was held on the Yarmag hillside. What we now refer to as the Naadam festival was celebrated under that name from 1912 to 1922, and later as the Military Parade and the Anniversary of the People’s Revolution from 1922 to 1958, all taking place at Yarmag. It wasn’t until 1958, with the construction of the Central Stadium, that the festival site moved to its current location.