The Altai yatga - Music workshop in Western Mongolia / Manchan soum

The Altai yatga / Altai - bow harp ( 7-8th century ) This instrument has used 1400 years ago The original Altai Yatga (Altai - bow harp) musical instrument was found in 2008, in Mankhan soum of Khovd province, Mongolia. It lay beneath the head of a person of some rank in a cave high on Jargalant Khairkhan Mountain. The instrument was in remarkable condition having lain undisturbed for an estimated 1400 years. It is the only musical instrument of its kind ever found. Mongolian cave burials are mainly found in the Altai Mountains, although they are quite rare. When burials are found, the grave artifacts are often in extraordinarily fine shape owing to the region´s low humidity. Wood, cashmere, leather, bark, silk, bone, snakeskin and metals also show minimal biodegrading as the dry caves are usually located as Mongols say, “in the sky” – well above the level of local flora and reach of wild animals. Soon after discovering the Altai Yatga from information given by a local herder, Mongolian archeologists collect