Homeland : A New Anthology Brings Together 140 Poets of Mongol Heritage

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — October 2026

A major new poetry anthology bringing together 140 poets from across the Mongol world has been published under the evocative title Ekh Nutag (“Homeland”), creating a remarkable collective literary portrait of Mongolian cultural memory, identity and poetic heritage.

Published in early August 2026, the volume brings together poetic voices from Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Upper Mongolia, Kalmykia and Buryatia, alongside international contributors, including Egyptian poet and writer Dr. Ashraf Aboul-Yazid and Syrian poet Hani Nadeem.

The publication forms part of the wider cultural and literary celebrations surrounding the 120th anniversary of the birth of Dashdorjiin Natsagdorj, one of the foundational figures of modern Mongolian literature.

The Silk Road Today has followed the international celebrations of Natsagdorj’s 120th anniversary throughout 2026, including coverage of the Ekh Nutag international poetry programme and the publication of multicultural literary works. Its June report noted that Homeland brought together writers from Mongolia, Kalmykia, Buryatia, Xinjiang, Upper Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, as well as Egypt and Syria. (The Silk Road Today)

A homeland expressed through many voices

The title Ekh Nutag, meaning “Homeland,” carries particular resonance in Mongolian poetry. Rather than presenting homeland as a single geographical concept, the anthology gathers voices from different Mongol communities and regions, allowing the idea of homeland to emerge through multiple languages, landscapes, memories and poetic experiences. The book therefore represents both a literary anthology and a cultural map.

Its 140 poets give expression to a broad understanding of Mongol heritage, crossing contemporary political borders and bringing together communities whose literary traditions share historical and cultural roots.

The publication is issued by the World Union of Mongolian Nomadic Heritage, with the project initiated by P. Gerelt-Od, whose continuing work has focused on bringing together poets, writers and cultural representatives from different parts of the Mongol world.

Editorial team

The anthology was published under the auspices of the World Union of Mongolian Nomadic Heritage.

The project was initiated by Pürevjavyn Gerelt-Od, with sponsorship from the Baganuur District Citizens’ Representative Khural and Nandir LLC.

The editorial structure brings together literary figures from Mongolia and the wider Mongol cultural sphere.

Editorial Board Chair:
Chimediin Tumendemberel

Editor-in-Chief:
Tsedendambyn Battuya

Producer:
Pürevjavyn Gerelt-Od

The anthology was compiled by:

• Togoоchiin Oyun-Erdene — Mongolia
• Dashцogtyn Tuya — Mongolia
• Shagdarjavyn Mendbayar — Inner Mongolia
• Ishjamtsyn Yalalt — Inner Mongolia
• Duudagch Ulaanchimeg — Inner Mongolia
• Oydovyn Ochingal — Upper Mongolia
• Lhachinyn Sukhbaatar — Upper Mongolia
• Osorin Utnasun — Kalmykia
• Tatyana Badakova — Kalmykia
• Nina Artugaeva Toktokhoevna — Buryatia
• Sergey Dalievich Dorzhiev — Buryatia
• Nikolaeva Darima — Buryatia

The text preparation was undertaken by Tsedendambyn Battuya, and the volume was printed by Nandir LLC.

Part of a wider Natsagdorj centenary programme

The appearance of Homeland is particularly significant because it forms part of a much wider international effort to commemorate 120 years since the birth of Dashdorjiin Natsagdorj.

The Silk Road Today reported in June that the anniversary programme was conceived as a major literary initiative, linking Natsagdorj’s legacy with contemporary international cultural exchange. The publication of Homeland was identified as one of several books emerging from this programme. (The Silk Road Today)

In August, the celebration continued with the “Ekh Nutag” International Poetry Festival, where poets and cultural figures gathered in Mongolia. The Silk Road Today reported that the programme connected literary events with Mongolia’s landscapes, historical monuments and cultural memory. (The Silk Road Today)

The anniversary celebrations also included the presentation of the Golden Papyrus Award during the Ekh Nutag festival. According to The Silk Road Today, the award ceremony placed Egyptian papyrus and Mongolian poetic heritage in symbolic dialogue, emphasizing the role of literature as a bridge between civilizations. (The Silk Road Today)

Egypt and Mongolia meet through poetry

The inclusion of Dr. Ashraf Aboul-Yazid of Egypt in Homeland gives the anthology an important international dimension.

Aboul-Yazid travelled to Mongolia in August to participate in the international Motherland poetry celebrations marking Natsagdorj’s 120th anniversary. During the journey, he visited the poet’s birthplace and cultural landmarks, met Mongolian writers and poets, and participated in literary and cultural activities. (The Silk Road Today)

He also presented Natsagdorj’s celebrated poem “My Homeland” in both English and Arabic, marking a new stage in the poem’s international journey. The Silk Road Today described this work as part of a broader effort to introduce Mongolian literature and cultural memory to Arabic-speaking readers. (The Silk Road Today)

The connection between Egypt and Mongolia has continued beyond the anniversary celebrations. In September, Mongolian Ambassador to Egypt H.E. Donijchimbuu Byambadorj received Aboul-Yazid in Cairo, where they discussed his recent Mongolian literary journey and his encounters with Mongolian writers, poets and cultural institutions. (The Silk Road Today)

From Natsagdorj to the contemporary Mongol world

Natsagdorj’s legacy provides the historical foundation for the anthology, but Homeland is firmly a contemporary project.

The 140 contributors demonstrate that Mongolian and Mongol-related literary culture remains a living and evolving tradition. Their geographical diversity illustrates how poetry can preserve connections among communities separated by borders while allowing each community to retain its own particular voice.

The anthology consequently places Natsagdorj’s literary legacy in conversation with contemporary poets from across the Mongol cultural landscape.

This is especially appropriate to Natsagdorj’s own literary importance. As The Silk Road Today has noted, although his life lasted only 31 years, he played a formative role in the renewal of modern Mongolian literature and worked across poetry, theatre and journalism. (The Silk Road Today)

His famous poem “My Homeland” remains deeply embedded in Mongolian cultural consciousness, with its evocation of mountains, plains, rivers and landscapes transforming geography into poetry and cultural memory. (The Silk Road Today)

A literary bridge across the Mongol world

Homeland is significant not simply because of the number of poets it contains, but because of the cultural geography represented by those poets.

From Mongolia to Inner Mongolia, Upper Mongolia, Kalmykia and Buryatia, the anthology gathers literary expressions of a heritage that extends beyond contemporary national boundaries.

The participation of poets from Egypt and Syria adds another dimension, showing how Mongolian literature can enter into dialogue with Arabic poetry and other international traditions.

In this sense, the anthology continues the philosophy behind the broader Silk Road literary project: literature is not confined by geography. It travels through translation, publication, friendship and direct encounters between writers.

Literature as cultural memory

The publication of Ekh Nutag arrives at a moment when Mongolia is celebrating one of its most important literary figures, but its significance extends beyond a single anniversary.

The anthology demonstrates how a historical literary legacy can generate new forms of collaboration among contemporary writers.

It also illustrates the continuing power of poetry to preserve homeland, landscape, memory and identity, while simultaneously opening those experiences to readers beyond their original cultural boundaries.

For the 140 poets gathered in this volume, “Homeland” is therefore both a place and an idea: a landscape remembered, a culture inherited, a language carried forward and a poetic space shared across generations.

A book born from a historic literary year

The publication of Homeland adds a substantial new chapter to the international literary programme surrounding the 120th anniversary of Dashdorjiin Natsagdorj.

From the Ekh Nutag poetry festival to international literary encounters, new translations, cultural awards and publications, the anniversary has become an opportunity not only to remember Natsagdorj but also to demonstrate the continuing vitality of Mongolian literature.

The Silk Road Today has documented this journey across several reports, from the June announcement of the multicultural Homeland volume to the August celebrations in Mongolia and the subsequent cultural dialogue between Mongolia and Egypt. (The Silk Road Today)

With 140 poets gathered between its covers, Ekh Nutag stands as a collective poetic statement: the homeland can be many landscapes, many memories and many voices, yet poetry can bring them together in a single book.

In celebrating Natsagdorj, the anthology also celebrates the contemporary poets who continue to carry the Mongol literary heritage forward — from the heart of Mongolia to communities across the wider Mongol world and, through international participation and translation, to readers beyond it.