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Korea-Mongolia research leads to UNESCO recognition of Xiongnu noble tombs
Tomb No. 160 of the Duurlig Nars tomb in Mongolia, where a joint Korean-Mongolian research is under way / Courtesy of National Museum of Korea
By Lee Hae-rin
Among the new items on the UNESCO World Heritage List were a major group of Xiongnu noble tombs in Mongolia, and a decades-long joint research with Korea has helped Mongolia win the UNESCO heritage status.
The National Museum of Korea said Monday that the cemetery complexes of the Xiongnu nobility, including the Duurlig Nars burial complex in eastern Mongolia, were inscribed on the UNESCO heritage site at the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee last weekend in Busan.
The recognition follows more than 30 years of collaboration between the Korean museum, the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and the National Museum of Mongolia.
Among the six sites listed, Duurlig Nars stands out as a key archaeological complex extensively studied by a Korea-Mongolia joint research team since 2006. Located in Khentii Province, the site contains around 300 tombs and is considered one of the largest Xiongnu burial clusters in the region.
Excavations have uncovered artifacts that point to wide-ranging exchanges across Eurasia during the Xiongnu Empire (3rd century B.C. – A.D. 2nd century), a nomadic power that once dominated the Eurasian Steppe and exerted significant influence over neighboring powers including Han China.
They left behind few written records, with much of their history reconstructed through archaeological evidence. Items found from the research include Roman glassware, silver ornaments, depicting Greek deities and lacquerware from China’s Han Dynasty (202 B.C. – A.D. 220).
These findings vividly demonstrate that Eurasia was interconnected even two millennia ago, the museum said.
The Korea-Mongolia joint research team reacts to news that a group of Xiongnu tombs they excavated in Mongolia has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, Saturday. Courtesy of National Museum of Korea
The joint research team has conducted 13 excavation campaigns at Duurlig Nars, including ongoing fieldwork this year. A major focus has been Tomb No. 160, one of the largest known Xiongnu graves, measuring an estimated 88 meters in length and 18 meters in depth.
Artifacts recovered from the site provide insight into Xiongnu burial practices and social structure. They include horse sacrifices, wooden chamber tombs with chariots places above them and bronze cauldrons containing animal remains.
A rare silver belt ornament shaped like a human face, found in subsidiary burial, offers clues about regional characteristics about Xiongnu culture.
The National Museum of Korea noted that its systematic excavation methods, including detailed documentation and aerial surveys, played a crucial role in building the academic foundation of the UNESCO listing. Research has also incorporated conservation science, DNA analysis and interdisciplinary studies.
Since 1997, the joint team has carried out 24 field surveys, published 19 research volumes and hosted multiple academic conferences and exhibitions, contributing to broader public and scholarly understanding.
The museum said the inscription underscores the significance of international cooperation in heritage preservation, adding that research on the Xiongnu also sheds light on ancient cultural links between the Korean Peninsula and the Eurasian Steppe.