Bayan-Ölgii

Introducing Bayan-Ölgii

Travelling to Mongolia’s westernmost province gives one the distinct feeling of reaching the end of the road, if not the end of the earth. High, dry, rugged and raw, the isolated, oddly shaped province follows the arc of the Mongol Altai Nuruu as it rolls out of Central Asia towards the barren wastes of the Dzungarian Basin.

Many peaks in the province are more than 4000m and permanently covered with glaciers and snow, while the valleys have a few green pastures that support about two million livestock, as well as bear, fox and wolf. These valleys are dotted with small communities of nomadic families enjoying the short summer from mid-June to late August, as well as some beautiful alpine lakes.

Ethnic groups who call Bayan-Ölgii home include the Kazakh, Khalkh, Dorvod, Uriankhai, Tuva and Khoshuud. Unlike the rest of Mongolia, which is dominated by the Khalkh Mongols, about 90% of Bayan-Ölgii’s population are Kazakh, almost all of them Muslim. The remaining 10% are mostly small minority groups.

The Kazakhs who live here hold little allegiance to Ulaanbaatar and increasingly find business, cultural and educational contacts in Russia, China and Kazakhstan. More than 10, 000 people left for Kazakhstan in the 1990s, though some have returned.

The aimag has a rich collection of archaeological sites, with many balbals (Turkic stone figures believed to be grave makers), bugan chuluu (deer stones), kurgans (burial mounds) and a remarkable collection of 10, 000 petroglyphs near the Russian border at Tsagaan Sala (also known as Baga Oigor). If you are particularly interested in these remote and obscure sites, contact the Mongol Altai Nuruu Special Protected Areas Administration (Manspaa) in Ölgii.

Last updated: Mar 24, 2009