Mongolia

The best items in the Mongolian collection represent Hun culture -- from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD -- found in burials of Hun chiefs in the Noin-Ula Mountains, near the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator. They illustrate everyday and religious life, and tell us much about relations with other tribes and kingdoms. Small wooden tables, pottery, domestic articles and bronze cauldrons provide us with some idea of the household utensils used by the Huns. Due to the dry climate in Central Asia, articles made of organic materials have survived well, such as Hun clothing, felt carpets, silk objects and embroidery.

This collection is unrivalled both in terms of quantity and the state of preservation of the objects.

Tibet

Tibetan art is represented by a most significant collection, with approximately 5,000 paintings, sculptures and ritual objects from various parts of Tibet, from north-eastern India, Kashmir, Nepal, and also from those parts of central Asia where the Tibetan form of Buddhism - Lamaism - was widespread. Chronologically, the collection covers over a thousand years of Buddhist art in Central Asia – from the 8th to the early 20th century.

If you enjoyed this collection, you might want to also visit the other collections at the State Hermitage Museum.

Oriental Coins