bird

Freedom in Mongolia. 

The eagle is free to fly wherever he wants to. Because he is not captured by eagle hunters.

The nomad family is free to move wherever they want to. Because pasture land is not privatised in Mongolia which is the 19th biggest country in the world by size of its land mass. Unfortunately, in some areas, foreign and Mongolian mining companies started dusturbing this centuries-long freedom. In 2015, Mr. Munkhbayar Tsetsegee, the 2007 Goldman Environmental Prize winner who was sentenced for 7 years jail term his struggles against dustructive mining opertations has been freed from prison after serving 2 years behind bars.

Photo by Bolod.

horseriding

A Mongolian mother and her son are aiding a French tourist to pack one of horses that he and his friend bought in Bulgan Province for horseriding. The mother was sewing and the son was repairing. Today is May 22nd, 2013. Horses are still very weak after long winter and windy spring in Mongolia. 

As the Frenchmen got ready to start a long horseriding, I left them and returned Ulaanbaatar. Surprisingly, in about 10 days, the Frenchmen called me from somewhere in other countryside asking me to translate their bargaining with some nomads about a motorcycle... Photo taken by Bolod.

gazelles running through Eastern Mongolian steppes

Gazelles running through eastern Mongolian steppes.

Gazelles which totalled 4-5 mln in 1940-s, were instead 2 mln in 1997 and only 0.5 in Sukhbaatar, Dornod and Hentii provinces in 2009. Series of snow storms, butchering for needs of military units in 1970-1980s and massive hunting in 1990-2000s were the main causes in reduction of gazelle populace. Photo by Bolod.

monst

Photo: a view from right outside the Parliament House in Ulaanbaatar.

Yes, there is a horrible monument in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. A monument to Stalin's \Jughashvili Joseph Vissarionovich\ bloody "brother" is standing comfortably today in front of the Mongolian State University in Ulaanbaatar. The Monument to Choibalsan Horloo\1895-1952\ who in 1934-1938 conducted bloody massacres of 30 000 mongols. The Mongolia's horrible monster did not even spare several pregnant women including Mrs. Dungarjid and Navchaa who were pledjing to save the lives of their would -born children. Only the Mongols are able to "explain" how this tyrany who tortured and killed their grandfathers is a good person. Photo by Bolod.

chatting

Senior nomads chatting while they wait for arrival of horses during Naadam Festival in Yusenzuil or "Nine Things" county, Uvurkhangai Aymag, Mongolia. They have a time. Horses with jockey-kids the first have to reach the starting line which is at 15-28km depending on ages and then start racing towards the finish line. Being spread throughout a large territory of their county, the most nomads don't meet too often, some meet hardly once a year- during Naadam festival in village. The Mongols say "to live in order to see Naadam of next year". They live nostalgically waiting for a next Naadam. Date taken: July 7th, 2015. Photo by Bolod.

wre

-You, boy, be careful with the axe!!! I hope it's not so sharp.
Father and his little sons. The man is a champion of national wrestling of his Delgerkhaan county in Hentii Province. He got the title of Sumiin zaan or "County's Elephant" for his victory in Naadam festival's wrestling tournament of the native county. The herder trains horses too. Tomorrow, it's September 1st. School year starts in whole Mongolia! He and his wife are going to bring their older son who is now 6 to village school. Photo taken by me, Bolod.

sim

 A page of 1908 Chinese edition of The Secret History of the Mongols" which was written in 1240 at Aurug, the first capital of Chingis Khaan's kingdom located in Hudo Aral steppe near Herlen River in eastern Mongolia. It's a page of the Chinese-character phonetic translations of the original Mongolian texts. The first to discover SHM for west and offer a translation from Chinese glossary was the Russian sinologist Pallady Kafarov\Pyotr Ivanovich Kafarov\ in 1866...

Content of the book:

-genealogy of Temujin's family-

-Temujin's early life with difficulties after the death of his father-Esukhei and plots against him.

-battles and wars against his enemies.

-Temujin becomes Chingis Khaan in 1206.

-Conquests by Chingis Khaan and his 3-rd son Ogodei throughout Europe and Asia.

-Ogodei's views.

hentii tal

Historically significant Hudo Aral Steppe streches from the shores of the eastern Mongolia's Herlen River which is the longest river in Mongolia.  The site of Aurug- the first capital of Mongols which was set up by Chingis Khaan is located in this steppe. "The Secret History of Mongols"-the most important Mongolian language chronology book of Mongolian history was completed written 1240 in this capital. Photo taken on August 04th, 2012 by Bolod.

paysage

A paysage in Darkhad Valley\Дархадын Хотгор\ of the north-western Huvsgul Aymag\province\ which is geographically a Siberia in Mongolia. It's 160km long 40km wide valley inhabited by Darkhad Mongols and some Tuvan people of Uigur ancestry. The Darkhads speak an Oirad dialect of Mongolian. Permafrost occupies almost two thirds of territory of Mongolia, predominantly in the Hentii, Huvsgul, Hangai and Altai mountain areas. For example, Bogd Uul Mountain near Ulaanbaatar is in deep permafrost. Photo taken on September 11th, 2013 by Bolod.

tsagaan nuur

It's Tsagaan Nuur or "White Lake" in the north-western Huvsgul Aymag\province\ of Mongolia. September 06th, 2013. The view is from Tsagaannuur Village inhabitad by the Mongols of Darkhad tribe and Uigurs\Tuvans\ whom we, in Mongolia call the Tsaatans or "people with reindeers". Photo taken by Bolod.

hasslund

"Men and Gods in Mongolia" by Henning Haslund, a Danish-Swedish explorer who in 1923 visited Inner and Outer Mongolia. First published in 1935 by Kegan Paul of London.

Haslund joined an expedition led by a Danish physician named Carl Crebs who aimed to set up a dairy farm in northern Mongolia, close to Russia. The expedition travelled via China to Mongolia. They settled in what is today Erdenebulgan Sum\county\ in Huvsgul Aymag\province\. However, the project failed due to Mongolia coming under heavy Soviet influence and Haslund left Mongolia in the mid-1920s. Fashinated by the Mongol way of life, Haslund remained in Inner Mongolia which was under Chinese control instead for the following years, e.g. joining Sven Hedin for Sino-Swedish Scientific Expedition of the late 1920s.

The book by Haslund takes you to the lost city of Hara Khoto\"Black City"\in the Gobi desert in Inner Mongolia. You meet Dambin Jansang, the dreaded warlord of the "Black Gobi"... This rare and exciting book is now back in print!  It's online too!!

middle gobi

07.8.2015. In Dundgovi Aymag or Middle Gobi Province. No camel caravan here. There are just wandering camels. In past, the ancesors of these camels used to be in caravan for centuries. Mongols supplied Central Asians such as Kazakhs with their bactrian camels. Caravan roads through Mongolia linked important commercial centres in the country with Chinese and Russian towns. Furthermore, they were used by European merchants for their trade with China. Photo by Bolod.

home

A family that lives in underground heating pipeline is getting ready for another day for survival. As I saw the family was of three persons: a man with canes, a woman and a child. It's burning hot, warm or warmer along these pipes underground. In winter, homeless and poor people also sleep in accesses of apartment buildings in case security personnel let them in. Mongolian politicions and rich people like labelling poor people as lazy ones or "zalkhuchud". For example, when an earthquake recently struck a part of Japan, many Mongols allegedly could not sleep feeling so sorry for Japanese people and immediately raced to generously help them jumping over own fellow "lazy and helpless" guys sleeping in access of their appartments. Photo taken by Bolod.  

ub

Ulaanbaatar City is too crowded like Hongkong or Manhatten. Although Mongolia is the 19th biggest country in the world, almost 60% of its 3 mln. population are now living in a single valley of Tuul River- in Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia today controlls only 40% of original land of the Mongols. Most land of the Mongols is now in China and Russia. The Mongols who once occupied a half the world's land masses, they returned it back long centuries ago. For example, in 1258, Mongols of Hulagu Khaan was sacking Bagdad. Remember, during American invasion in 2003, Saddam Hussein compared George Bush to Hulagu Khaan, a grandson of Chingis Khaan. From 1990, "Refugees" of Mongolia are "sacking and flooding" their own capital-Ulaanbaatar, leaving the rest of the country fairly empty. Foreign and local mining companies are probably very happy with this emptiness. Photo by Bolod.

comfortin

May 15th, 2015. A camp of Mongolian herder's family. An American girl is conforting a newly born ishig-a baby goat. Although the most baby sheeps and goats are traditionally born March and early April in Mongolia, a few of them are still born these late days. It's not too cold today-March. But older babies were born earlier, in March. March with its frozen nights and days is the most responsible time in nomadic calendar. Photo taken by Bolod.