The knuckle-bone shooting which is popular team-based game in Mongolia has been registered in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A decision about it was made at the 9th session of the Intergovernmental Committee of the UNESCO held in November, 2014.
Knuckle bone shooting is especially popular during the Naadam or Mongolian national holiday that takes place in July.
The rules of the game are following:
Teams of six to eight players flick thirty domino-like marble tablets named “Hasaa” laid on a smooth wooden surface into the target zone named as ''Zurhai'' from a distance of 9 elbows or 4.72 m. The target is consisted of sheep and goat ankle bones that are arranged in the given orders. The shooting technique demands high accuracy and precision as well as high tolerance and endurance and might seem somewhat similar to bowling.
Each tournament lasts for 2 or 3 hours depending on the scale and type of the competition. Knuckle-bone shooting provides a favourable environment in which each member contributes to the team’s success by supporting and learning from others. It also brings team members closer together, encourages a respect towards elders and each other.
Mr Ya.Batsuuri, President of the Knuckle-bone shooting Federation
This game is considered to be originated in the 13th century and was popular only among the kings and dignitaries. Afterwards, the game has become popular among ordinary people. Knucklebone shooting became one of the tournaments of the Naadam festival in 2001. Currently, there are over 6000 shooters who are the members of Mongolian Federation of Knucklebone Shooting.