The morin khuur—the Horse Head Fiddle—is one of Mongolia's most recognizable traditional musical instruments and symbols: a bridge between the nation and the horse, a tool that invokes the Khiimori, and much more.

Ethnomusicologist Kip Hutchins, author of A Song for the Horses, breaks all of these aspects down. Kip has spent years documenting something older and stranger: music performed not for human audiences but for horses themselves. We speak with Kip about the morin khuur as a living tool in herding practice; the bond between music and animal response; and what the instrument's fate might tell us about Mongolia's ecological and cultural future—from the open steppe to Hustai National Park, where the wild takhi has been reintroduced, to the conservatories shaping the next generation of players. Follow Kip on BlueSky.

If herding disappears, does the morin khuur go with it? Or does it become something else entirely?

This is our very first video podcast — and we hope you enjoy watching as much as we enjoyed hearing Kip talk and, yes!, play the morin khuur.

Artists mentioned during the conversation:

• Story of the Weeping Camel (film)

• ⁠Bayan Mongol Variety Group⁠: Жалам хар (A Black Horse)

• The Hu

• ⁠Soyol Erdene⁠

• ⁠Altan Urag⁠

• Bold: Mongol Pop

• ⁠Aryuna Nimaeva⁠: Эрбэд соохор (Erbed Sokhor)

• Jonon

• ⁠Namgar⁠

• ⁠Altai-Khangai⁠

• ⁠Khusugtun⁠

If you have any suggestions for our show, please get in touch with us at info[at]agulamedia.com

And if you are a supporter of us at Buy Me Coffee, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Great State Mural⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can listen to extra recordings as we briefly discuss the current status of the MPP's infighting and how it came about.

Winter is over; the smog has lifted—but what's emerged from the melting snow isn't pretty. In this edition of Little State Mural: Mongolia Updated, Anand breaks down the three issues currently plaguing Mongolia's capital city.

First: the kiosks are back. After the city decommissioned over a thousand street stalls last year, Prime Minister Uchral's speech about his "Chuluulye" business liberation initiative gave vendors the go-ahead they needed to reclaim the streets.

Second: the e-bikes. Injuries from scooters and e-bikes have surged from 50 in 2022 to nearly 3,000 by 2025. The city isn't keeping pace with the world, and rules for new tech can be slow, but they are there. But enforcement is another story.

And third, Mayor Nyambaatar, who wants to build the 39-kilometer ring road expressway through the city—across the Tuul River—despite protests, environmental concerns have lost the battle. Prime Minister Uchral issued an order to halt the construction of this mega project until further notice, a rare win for the people, but is it permanent?

Recently Julian visited Mongolia, mainly Ulaanbaatar, in late March and early April. We discuss the things he noticed during his latest visit to the coldest capital in the world—Ulaanbaatar.

These are some of the recommendations for you, the listeners, from his latest visit:

1. Street Artist Ochirone https://www.instagram.com/ochirone
2. Four artists exhibiting in the Mongolia pavilion at the Venice Biennale, part of exhibit at Khaan Art Gallery
3. The room, a cafe next that showcases lots of contemporary art https://www.instagram.com/room_ave
4. Khukhnar Contemporary Arts Space https://www.instagram.com/khukhnar.cab
5. For music the Magnolian and Enji
6. Bird Jazz Cafe as little brother to Fat Cat? https://www.instagram.com/birdjazzcafe
7. "OI Heritage" is a heritage workshop for young people keen to learn more about and experience their roots, both antique and contemporary.
8. Design: Olympic uniform from Goyol cashmere and Zanbaazar Ger lamp.

If you have any suggestions for our show, please get in touch with us at info[at]agulamedia.com

And if you are a supporter of us at Buy Me Coffee, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Great State Mural⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can listen to extra recordings as we briefly discuss the current status of the MPP's infighting and how it came about.

Ulaanbaatar's mayor wants to build a $1 billion highway along the Tuul River—the city's last remaining river and the primary source of water for 1.7 million people. The mayor contends that the project is essential to alleviate Ulaanbaatar's congestion issues, and he has thoroughly evaluated all environmental risks. But experts can't get the data for the project. Where are the environmental impact assessments? Why wasn't the public consulted before approving the project?

In this episode, we sit down with urban governance expert and civil engineer Anu-Ujin Lkhagvasuren, who has spent five years working with the municipality and the World Bank on Ulaanbaatar's transportation challenges. She breaks down why building more roads has never solved traffic congestion anywhere in the world, why the mayor's own numbers don't add up, and what she believes is really driving 24

simultaneous mega-projects in a city that can barely keep its lights on. We also get into Belt and Road debt traps, forged signatures on environmental documents, and whether the #SaveTuul movement can win.

If you have any suggestions for our show, please get in touch with us at info[at]agulamedia.com

And if you are a supporter of us at Buy Me Coffee, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Great State Mural⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can listen to extra recordings as we briefly discuss the current status of the MPP's infighting and how it came about.

Mongolia ranks poorly on some of the world's most cited democracy indices. But what do those rankings actually measure—and do they tell the real story of how the country operates?

In this episode, we break down how international democracy indices score Mongolia. Are those scores misleading? And whether Mongolian leaders are using these benchmarks as genuine governance tools or political cover. We try answer all of those in this episode.

If you have any suggestions for our show, please get in touch with us at info[at]agulamedia.com

And if you are a supporter of us at Buy Me Coffee, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Great State Mural⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can listen to extra recordings as we briefly discuss the current status of the MPP's infighting and how it came about.