Western Mongolia History

History

The Mongol Altai Nuruu (commonly referred to as the ‘Altai Mountains’) once stood as the easternmost territory inhabited by the Scythians, a vast empire of nomadic pastoralists who dominated Central Asia from around 700 BC to AD 300 – some of their tombs and rock carvings have been located in Mongolia and neighbouring Tuva.

Prior to Mongol domination in the 13th century, western Mongolia was a stronghold of the Oirads, a warrior tribe that initially resisted the expansionary tactics of Chinggis Khaan, but later submitted. Following the collapse of the Mongol empire, the Oirads reasserted their domination over the area and expanded to the Volga. These pioneers became known as Kalmyks and still inhabit the Caspian shores of Russia.

Manchu military outposts were created in Khovd city and Uliastai during the Qing dynasty. Both capitulated soon after the fall of the Manchu empire in 1911. The fighting was particularly bloody in Khovd, where a mystic Kalmyk named Dambijantsan (also known as Ja Lama) gathered an army of 5000 Oirads and Mongols, razed the fortress to the ground and skinned the Chinese soldiers inside.

Under Ulaanbaatar rule, western Mongolia was called Chandmandi until it was broken up into three aimags (provinces) in 1931. One of the three, Bayan-Ölgii, was designated as a homeland for ethnic Kazakhs living in the region.