family2

Camp of a nomadic family.  Carts pulled by teme- bactrian or two-humped camels. It means that the camp is, of course, the temporary here! The carts are for moving to new site as well as for storage. There as a cart with a water container on it. Another cart is bringing fuel-argal or dried dungs of cow. There is no yaks in this region.

On the horizon is seen Darkhan Mountain. These plains around the mountain is the homeland of Mr. Choinom Rinchin\1936-1979\, one of the most talented poets of Mongolia. Eastern Mongolia's Hentii Province. Photo  taken by Bolod.

going somewhere

The soldiers of Chingis Khaan used to have spare horses while riding long distances. But this Mongol man of today certainly seems to be simply bringing the horses to a local race. Because the tail of one of his horses is seen bandaged in traditional way.

Most soldiers of Mongol cavalry armies of 13th century never returned to this homeland. They contributed their blood in extension and forming Kirgiz, Bashkirs, Tartars, Uzbeks, Persians, Russian and many others.

The biggest concentration of descendants of the Mongol cavalrymen are the most likely the mongol-looking Hazaras in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. Photo taken by Bolod.

summer in mongolia

Summer in Mongolia. June 21st, 2016. Photo taken by Bolod.

boro

It was raining today from 1 a.m  till late afternoon. Rain in June is good first of all for Mongolia's nomads. They are very happy with these rains. Mongolia is now more green than last several years. It was even snowing in mid-May. Mongolia's the most rainy season yet to come-June and August. Photo taken on June 21st, 2016 by Bolod.

manipu

Looking at the photo, you may think the Mongols worship Chingis Khaan a lot.

Unfortunately, you are fairly wrong. These people are pretending to "pray" to the greatest grand-father of the Mongols. A group of bureucrats standing in front of Chingis Khaan Monument in Ulaanbaatar for a show photo in the eve of incoming Parliamentary elections. The Mongols stopped praying to the greatest grandfather-Chingis Khaan since they in 16th century converted to Tibetan Buddhism. The Mongols pray to the portrait of Tibetan Dalai Lama instead of praying to the Statue of Chingis Khaan. Photo by Bolod.

togoo

Horkhog or Mongolian barbeque is ready in the herder's ger tent: hot stones are being taken out one by one, potatoes also, then pieces of goat meat. It smells delicious! I can't wait!  A vegan may want taste it. Let's have a dinner! It's already dark outside, it's evening.  But a solar panel outside and battery gives a good light in the herder's ger\tent\. Photo taken by Bolod.

encounter

Encounter with the herder in a valley of Mongolian countryside. The man whose ger\tent\ is in next valley is herding here his floak of sheeps and goats. Volves are his main concern. Who knows there can be a rare "volve or volves" with 2 legs too although penalty for stealing animals is fairly severe in Mongolia. Photo by Bolod.

inner mongol

Inner Mongols. 1912. On December 26th of 1912 Mongolia sent its cavalry army to liberate Inner Mongolia\southern Mongolia\ from China. By July of 1913, the joint forces of 10000 Outer and Inner Mongolian cavalrymen controlled almost all of Inner Mongolia, however Outer Mongolian forces retreated due to a lack weapons in the end of 1913. Tsar Russia refused to sell weapons and ammunitions to Outer Mongolian army. The southern Mongols who desperately wanted to be united with other Mongols, kept fighting after the withdrawal of Outer Mongolian army from Inner Mongolia at end of 1913...

tsaatan1

A son of a reindeer family in taiga forest of Huvsgul Province is making in his urts\ouke\ or tent gifts for foreign tourists who massively visit their campements. His mother is a Mongol and father is an Uigur. The Russians call the Uigurs who live in Tuva Republic in Siberia as Tuvans. The reindeer people whom the Mongols call  "Tsaatans"\reindeer people\ are indeed the descendent s of ancient Uigurs who once lived \745-840\ in central western Mongolia. Those mongol-looking Uigurs who now live in the north-western Xinjiang-Uigur Autonomous Region of China are ethnically related to the ancient Uigurs. Photo taken by Bolod.

drinking yogurt

Drinking tarag or yogurt in ger \felt tent\ of a herder in Mongolia. Photo taken by Bolod.

collecting bottles

A man carriyng a large bag filled with plastic bottles in a Ulaanbaatar's street. He is one of thousands of men, children and women engaged in this business for survival in Ulaanbaatar and other towns of Mongolia. Politicions, rich and salary men label them as lazy and stupid. At 4-5 o'clock in the morning, there are only 3 groups of people on Ulaanbaatar streets: street cleaners, young people returning home from night clubs\bars and these "lazy" ones-bottle collectors. Photo by Bolod.

cook

An employment in the middle of nowhere.  A chef of a 5-star authentic Mongolian food restaurant is working this hard every day. Photo taken by Bolod.

give me my horse

"-Give me my horse!" says younger brother. Every Mongol kid including Temujin was riding "modon mori" or wooden or stick "horses". I was riding theses "horses" too. Photo taken by Bolod.

yaks

The yaks called "sarlag" by the Mongols grazing in east of Ulaanbaatar. These yaks are "immigrant" animals in the central Mongolia's Hentii mountains. Although Hentii mountains geographically belong to eastern Mongolia, it's naively and politically regarded as central Mongolia's mountains. There were not yaks here till 40-50 years ago. When herders from western Mongolia settled in the Hentii mountains, some of them brought their yaks with them. They normally have a problem in adaptation in the new land. Local volves also have a problem in catching these fury animals with thick skin.

The overwelming majority of the Mongolia's 500 000 yaks inhabits 350-400 km west and north-west of Ulaanbaatar. Photo by Bolod.

drying meat

A nomadic way drying meat in ger\tent\ that's been practiced since time immemorial by the Mongols and by other Central Asians-the Kyrgyzs who are Kyrgyzs and Kazakhs since 1923, the Turks who are the Sakha-Yakuts in Siberia and the Uigurs who are now called the Tuvans. The Mongols call dryed meat-"borts".

Rs: Don't be confused ancient Turks and Uigurs with Turks\Ottomans\ from Turkey and Uigurs from Xingiang in China. Photo by Bolod.