Mongolia Photos

Mongolian Man

Photograph by Charles Meacham, My Shot

A man in western Mongolia wears a fur-trimmed hat as protection from the bitter cold of winter. Sprawled across mountains and plateaus, Mongolia has an average elevation of 5,180 feet (1,580 meters).

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Buddhist Monastery, Ulaanbaatar

Photograph by Dave McCoy, My Shot

A young boy chases pigeons in the courtyard of a Buddhist monastery and temple in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital. About half of Mongolians are Lamaist, or Tibetan, Buddhists. Minority religions include Islam, Christianity, and Shamanism.

Gobi Desert

Photograph by Erdenebayar Erdenesuren, My Shot

Bactrian camels make their way across dunes in the Gobi desert, a vast expanse between southern Mongolia and northern China. The world’s third largest “hot” desert, the Gobi is home to some of Earth’s largest dunes, as well as unique wildlife like the endangered Gobi bear.

Pageant Contestant

Photograph by Christopher De Bruyn, My Shot

A young woman in an elaborate traditional headdress participates in a beauty pageant in Darhan, one of Mongolia’s largest cities. Nearly half of all Mongolians live in cities; a third (about one million) live in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar.

Nomadic Herders, Darhad Valley

Photograph by Gordon Wiltsie

When fall comes to northern Mongolia’s Darhad valley, hundreds of families load up their oxen and move their sheep, goats, and cattle over 10,000-foot (3,000-meter) mountains to winter pasture. The twice-yearly trek has shaped nomadic life here for centuries.

Wrestlers, Darhad Valley

Photograph by Gordon Wiltsie

Judges keep a close watch as one wrestler trounces another during a premigration festival in the Darhad valley. Mongolian legend claims wrestlers began wearing open-chested shirts after a woman won competitions disguised as a man.

Gobi Desert

Photograph by Bradley E. Clift

A Mongolian man cycles toward a campsite in the Gobi desert. The felt tents—called gers—are portable, and nomadic herdsmen and their families are able to move quickly according to the weather and the availability of resources like water. On the harsh desert terrain, horses are preferred to bicycles for the daily job of counting and herding animals.

Family Ger

Photograph by Bradley E. Clift

A man greets his family after a morning spent tending to his herds. About a third of Mongolia’s work force is involved in agriculture. Some Mongolians returned to the herding life when socialism ended in 1990 and the Soviets withdrew subsidies, eliminating state jobs.

Meat Dumplings

Photograph by Lynn Johnson

A woman prepares dozens of traditional meat dumplings called buuz, one of Mongolia’s most popular dishes. In a land poorly suited to agriculture, meat and dairy make up a large portion of the diet.

Students, Ulaanbaatar

Photograph by Lynn Johnson

In the capital, students work together to complete a math lesson. Until 1990 the Soviet Union had Mongolia in a tight lock for more than six decades, imposing bureaucratic strictures on a people who had rarely lived by clock or ledger. But Soviet aid also built schools across Mongolia and brought virtually 100 percent literacy.

Nomad Tent

Photograph by Felipe Ordonez, My Shot

Sunlight enters a traditional ger through gaps in the roof. Also called a yurt, the circular ger can be assembled quickly by nomadic herders making camp in harsh terrain. The wooden frame is covered with felt, and a woodstove warms the interior.

Water Collection

Photograph by Alexandr Drozdov, My Shot

A man in northern Mongolia collects water in the falling snow. Nomadic herdsmen must often cope with the country’s extreme climate, including the dzud, a harsh winter that follows a dry summer.

Nadaam Festival

Photograph by Vanessa Richards, My Shot

Young boys race horses at the annual Nadaam festival, a midsummer celebration of nomadic athleticism that also includes wrestling and archery competitions. Hundreds of children—both boys and girls—participate as jockeys in the horse racing event.