TheSoyombo symbol[a] is a special character in theSoyombo script created by theMongolianBuddhist monkZanabazar in 1686. The name "Soyombo" is derived from Sanskritsvayambhu "self-born". The Soyombo symbol serves both as a traditional symbol ofMongolia,Buryatia andKalmykia, and as a national symbol ofMongolia, to be found on theFlag of Mongolia, theEmblem of Mongolia, and on many other official documents.
In the Soyombo alphabet, the two variations of the Soyombo symbol are used to mark the start and end of a text. It is thought to be possible that the symbol itself may predate the script.[citation needed]
The Soyombo has ten elements in the columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric symbols and patterns. They are fire, sun, crescent moon, two triangles, two horizontal rectangles, theTaijitu (yin and yang), and two vertical rectangles. The elements in the symbol are given the following significance (from top):
The Soyombo symbol has appeared on the nationalflag of Mongolia since itsindependence in 1911 (except between 1940 and 1945). It served as theEmblem of Mongolia from 1911 to 1940, and was included in the design again in 1960.Mongolian Armed Forces vehicles bear the symbol as a marking.
The symbol is seen all over the country, especially on a hillside outside ofUlaanbaatar.[clarification needed]
The flag and coat of arms ofBuryatia as well as theflag of Agin-Buryat Okrug inRussia, and that of theInner Mongolian People's Party display the top elements (Flame, Sun, and Moon).
The Soyombo symbol is available inUnicode, where it is encoded in theSoyombo block (added to Unicode version 10.0 in June 2017) as a script-specific punctuation mark:
These three head marks are usable along with two other related terminal marks (keeping only the two lateral vertical rectangles and replacing the central symbols):
