Mongolia is amongst the oriental countries with an ancient and unique culture. The Mongolian script created by Mongols is one of the 6 most recognised alphabets used in the contemporary world. The earliest monument, which scientists call "Chinggis' stone inscription", was created in 1225. It was dedicated to Esunkhui, a hero who managed to shoot all the targets from a distance of 500 meters during an archery competition to celebrate Chinggis Khaan's victory over the Sartuul tribes. In 1204 by the order of Chinggis Khaan, the Mongolian script was the official script of the state. The Mongols developed their alphabet many centuries ago, but because of their nomadic way of life and continuing wars, very few ancient literary monuments have actually survived.
All the best works of history, culture, philosophy and literature, written in Mongolian, are kept in the Mongolian Central Library with great care to preserve them. From the 1990s the renaissance of Mongolian script began by teaching it in all secondary schools. As a result, nearly half of all Mongols can now write and read in traditional script. It should be noted that the State Ikh Khural approved the Law on State Official Language. After the revolution of 1921, the Mongolian script was used in the MPR until 1941, when a Cyrillic alphabet was adopted. This helped to almost totally eradicate illiteracy by the end of the 1950s. The new Mongolian script has 35 letters.
