Weatherford’s innovative take on Mongolian history reveals his deep understanding of the culture, customs, and way of life here. In his beautiful home, overlooking the city of UB, I experienced his and his wife’s gracious hospitality.

Overlooking UB from Jack Weatherford's Home

Their years of living in and studying Mongolia, its environment, and rich culture, have clearly made this place another home for them. As I spoke with Mr. Weatherford about MEC’s upcoming expedition and my recent visit to the Tuul River, it was apparent that his research has given him a great understanding of the historic and ongoing importance of water in this country. I am honored to say that after my visit to the Weatherfords’ home, Jack Weatherford provided MEC with this short piece that highlights the continuous concerns over this vital resource in Mongolia.

Chinggis Khaan and Water, by Jack Weatherford

Chinggis Khaan recognized that the quality and quantity of water was the crucial factor in survival of the nomadic Mongol society; therefore many of his early laws regulated the use of water.  In order to avoid pollution, people could not bathe or wash their clothes in rivers or lakes; instead they had to remove the water and wash away from the source of the water.  Gers and buildings could not be erected adjacent to the water, but had to be a good distance removed.  Similarly, animals could be brought to the river or lake each day for drinking, but they could not be kept there for long periods of time.

When the Mongol armies moved south of the Gobi and into new countries, they found rivers much larger than anything seen in the Mongol homeland.  Chinggis Khaan recognized the power contained in the great rivers of the agricultural kingdoms, but he saw an important tactic that could turn dams and dikes into weapons of war.  Starting with his invasion of the Tangut Nation, he broke through dikes and river embankments in order to divert the water and flood the cities.  His first such efforts caused more damage to his own army than to the cities of his enemies, but his engineers soon perfected the method.  The most infamous example of this technique came when his grandson Hulegu broke down the walls of Baghdad in 1258 by flooding them with water from the Tigris River and then quickly conquered the city.  In this way the embankments, dikes, and dams built by agricultural people became the instruments of their own destruction.

Once having broken through them, Chinggis Khaan did not allow dams, irrigation sytems and embankments to be rebuilt.   He saw that irrigation was used to transport water into grasslands that did not have enough rainfall to sustain farming.  With the irrigated water, the farmers could produce bountiful crops, but they destroyed good pastureland and drove the animals to graze in ever more marginal lands.  As a herder, he always valued animals over crops, and wherever he went his army destroyed the irrigation systems that threatened the pastureland.

Whenever Chinggis Khaan granted power over an area to one of his officials, he did not describe the area as “lands.”  He always granted control over the “people and waters” of the area. Such grants of power reinforced the Mongol emphasis on preserving the rivers and lakes of all territory under their control.  Chinggis Khaan’s emphasis on water in his laws illustrates one of the ways in which his way of thinking far surpassed that of other rulers in his time.

My initial concern was the state of water resources. The Tuul River is Ulaanbaatar’s primary source of water and is in serious threat of depletion. The city’s demand for water has increased significantly as industry and population continues to grow. Additionally, this precious water resource is not being taken care of by its users. Piles of garbage lie only a few yards from the banks of the river, contaminating the city’s drinking water.

The Mongolian government has taken great strides to address water related issues by improving coordination amongst various ministries, while the Netherlands and Japan have also partnered with the government to support more effective water resource management. These efforts have been integral in ensuring the sustainability of this critical water resource, but it is clear that more must be done. As we move forward with this expedition, we aim to uncover the additional efforts and stakeholders needed to ensure a healthy future for the Tuul River and the millions of people who depend on it.

Stay up-to-date on my findings and adventures in Mongolia by keeping up with this blog! Meetings with prominent individuals and visits to critical environmental and cultural sites are just ahead. Follow our progress and give us your input and support as we move forward with this program!