The UB Post-Leading English News

Judith McHale, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, announced the grants during her visit to Mongolia last month.

The largest grant will support preservation and protection measures at Amarbayasgalant Monastery, including fire and theft security systems, and the restoration of the roof of the magnificent main temple building. At US$575,000, this grant represents the largest single contribution from the US government to a cultural project in Mongolia.  Added to a 2009 US$86,000 grant for Amarbayasgalant Monastery, the total US contribution to this premier cultural site equals nearly MNT1 billion.

The second grant for US$27,000 will support preventive conservation of the collections of the National Modern Art Gallery, providing quality display cases to protect the objects from environmental threats. The objects at the Gallery include a unique and valuable range of sculptures and handicrafts produced by Mongolian artists since the early twentieth-century.

The third grant of US$18,000 for the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts will support the conservation of recently discovered heritage objects from a seventh-century Turkic-era burial mound. The collection of objects consists of very unique clay human and animal figures, clothing, flags, and stone megaliths with Chinese script. This project will ensure that these rare and precious objects, exposed to the open air for the first time in over 1300 years, will be preserved in their original condition.

These grants are provided through the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, established by the U.S. Congress in 2001 to support the preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects and collections, and forms of traditional cultural expression in more than 130 eligible countries around the world. During her visit to Mongolia, Under Secretary McHale noted that “Mongolia has a long and rich cultural history. The United States is pleased to have a role in helping to preserve that heritage, so that Mongolians and the entire international community will be able to experience and enjoy these wonderful and unique treasures for many years to come.”