A Mongolian hoard descended on Hawick last week, to sing and dance their Edinburgh Tattoo routine, and treck on a cashmere trade mission.

The 70-strong Central Orchestra of the Mongolian Armed Forces from Ulaanbaatar, appearing at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo until August 24, told the story of Chinggis Khan through the medium of dance and traditional throat singing at the Heart of Hawick last Wednesday, watched by bemused Teries.

Mongolian Ambassador Tulga, Tattoo chief executive David Allfrey and Scottish Secretary Michael Moore accompanied the troupe to Hawick Cashmere, where they watched how the cashmere goat’s fine, supersoft undercoat is turned into luxury knitwear in Scotland, and also discussed how the fabric’s supply chain can be improved between the two countries.

“It was an initial meeting to exchange contacts, and see how Scotland and Mongolia can work better in the future,” a spokesperson for Michael Moore MP explained.

Hawick Cashmere’s managing director David Sanderson added: “Clearly, we are hugely interested in all the components that go into high quality cashmere goods. Indirectly we have strong links with Asia and its cashmere supply routes and this visit offers us the opportunity to explore direct contacts with the cashmere supply from Mongolia.”