ABOUT URAN TOGOO MOUNTAIN<hr>The Uran Togoo and Tulga Mountain is Natural Monument is a national protected area in the Bulgan Province of Mongolia. All four mountain names allude to their volcanic past with designations borrowed from around the fireplace. Uran means “Artistic”, Mongols named it so because its ridge of the crater is one of many examples of circles that arise in nature resembled a nice creature of a craftsman. &nbsp;It was designated as a Natural Monument with an area of 5,800 hectares in 1995. &nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Furan_togoo.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=9e10aa7e-78d2-4c45-8629-a5be00be01b6"></figure>

The Uran Togoo and Tulga Mountain is Natural Monument is a national protected area in the Bulgan Province of Mongolia. All four mountain names allude to their volcanic past with designations 

URAN TOGOO MOUNTAIN

ABOUT KHOVSGOL LAKE<hr>Known as “The Dark Blue Pearl” Lake Khovsgol is the Mongolia’s largest and second-most voluminous freshwater lake in Asia and 1% of all the fresh water in the world. This lake is located about 900 km (560miles) northwest of Ulaanbaatar.&nbsp; The lake is habitat for nine different types of fish, including the Siberian grayling, Arctic cisco, freshwater cod and Siberian catfish. As well as the area is home to argali sheep, ibex, bear, sable, moose and a few near-sighted wolverines. It also has more than 200 species of bird, including the Baikal teal, bar-headed goose, black stork and Altai snowcock. Khuvsgul lake is said to be linked to Baikal Lake by an umbilical cord. Another wonder of the Khuvsgul region are deer stones left behind by bronze-age men. The locals can say many legends about those steles of stags which stands in a place called Uushgiin uvur 20 km from the aimag centre Murun.&nbsp; Khuvsgul is home to the southernmost indigenous reindeer herding people in the world, the Tsaatan who originated from Tuva in Siberia. The Tsaatan’s unique lifestyle, and the taiga environment in which they live, represent one of the most distinct cultural and ecological pockets of Mongolia. Residing in the rugged taiga ecosystem of Huvsgul Sayan Mountains, the Tsaatan are Mongolia’s smallest ethnic minority with less than 300 individuals living in the taiga ans only couple of hundred more living in towns and cities. They are highly nomadic, reindeer herding people who have moved throughout Mongolian-Siberian border region for millennia. Unlike their steppe dwelling counterparts, the Tsaatan live in a teepees, which are better suited for their forest environment, and which are more portable than Gers allowing the Tsaatan to move with their reindeer as often as 10 times per year.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fkhuvsgul_lake_winter.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=cb6ccaf6-21ce-4ecb-a59c-a09523810d76"></figure>&nbsp;GOOD TO KNOW<hr>GEOGRAPHYLake Khuvsgul is located in the northwest of Mongolia near the Russian border, at the foot of the eastern Sayan Mountains. It is 1,645 metres (5,397 feet) above sea level, 136 kilometres (85 miles) long and 262 metres (860 feet) deep. It is the second-most voluminous freshwater lake in Asia, and holds almost 70% of Mongolia’s fresh water and 0.4% of all the fresh water in the world. The town of Hatgal is at the southern end of the lake. Lake Khuvsgul’s watershed is relatively small, and it only has small tributaries. It is drained at the south end by the Egiin Gol, which connects to the Selenge and ultimately into Lake Baikal. Between the two lakes, the water travels a distance of more than 1,000 km (621 mi), and falls 1,169 metres (3,835 feet), although the line-of-sight distance is only about 200 km (124 mi). Its location in northern Mongolia forms one part of the southern border of the great Siberian taiga forest, of which the dominant tree is the Siberian Larch (Larix sibirica), The lake is surrounded by several mountain ranges. The highest mountain is the Bürenkhaan / Mönkh Saridag (3,492 metres (11,457 feet)), which has its peak north of the lake exactly on the Russian-Mongolian border. The surface of the lake freezes over completely in winter. The ice cover in winter is strong enough to carry heavy trucks; transport routes were installed on its surface as shortcuts to the normal roads. However, this practice is now forbidden to prevent pollution of the lake from both oil leaks and trucks breaking through the ice. It is estimated that 30-40 vehicles have sunk into the lake over the years. There is a roughly elliptical shaped island in the middle of the lake, named Wooden Boy Island, measuring 3 km east-west and 2 km north-south. It is located about 11 km from the lake’s eastern shore, and 50 km north of the town of Hatgal.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fkhuvsgul_lake_horse.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=7828e764-f5ce-41ce-94a8-7aac2af7990c"></figure>ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCEKhuvsgul is one of seventeen ancient lakes in the world, being more than 2 million years old, and the most pristine (apart from Lake Vostok), as well as being the most significant drinking water reserve of Mongolia. Its water is potable without any treatment. Hovsgol is an ultra oligotrophic lake with low levels of nutrients, primary productivity and high water clarity (Secchi depths &gt; 18 m are common). Hovsgol’s fish community is species-poor compared to that of Lake Baikal. Species of commercial and recreational interest include Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis), burbot (Lota lota), lenok (Brachymystax lenok), and the endangered endemic Hovsgol grayling (Thymallus nigrescens). Though endangered by poaching during its spawning runs, the Hovsgol grayling is still abundant throughout much of the lake. The Lake area is a National Park bigger than Yellowstone and strictly protected as a transition zone between Central Asian Steppe and the Siberian Taiga. Despite Hovsgol’s protected status, illegal fishing is common and prohibitions against commercial fishing with gillnets are seldom enforced. The lake is traditionally considered sacred in a land suffering from arid conditions where most lakes are salty. The Park is home to a variety of wildlife such as ibex, argali, elk, wolf, wolverine, musk deer, brown bear, Siberian moose, and sable. The Hövsgöl (Khövsgöl) Long-term Ecological Research Site (LTERS) was established in 1997 and an extensive research program began soon thereafter. Now part of an international network of long-term study sites, the Hövsgöl LTERS provides a stage for nurturing Mongolia’s scientific and environmental infrastructures, studying climate change, and developing sustainable responses to some of environmental challenges facing the lake and its watershed. Recent studies has identified high levels of plastic pollution (esp. microplastics) in the lake, showing that even small rural populations can cause high plastics pollution levels, as high as elsewhere around the world.&nbsp;ETYMOLOGY AND TRANSLITERATIONSThe name Khövsgöl is derived from Turkic words for “Khob Su Kol, means Lake with Great water” Nuur is the Mongolian word for “lake.” There are a number of different transcription variants, depending on whether the Cyrillic “х” is transliterated to “h” or “kh,” or whether the “ө” is transliterated to “ö,” “o,” or “u.” Transcriptions from the name in the classical Mongolian script, like Hubsugul, Khubsugul etc. may also be seen.

Known as “The Dark Blue Pearl” Lake Khovsgol is the Mongolia’s largest and second-most voluminous freshwater lake in Asia and 1% of all the fresh water in the world. This lake is located about 900 km (560miles) northwest of Ulaanbaatar. 

KHOVSGOL LAKE

ABOUT UUSHIG DEER STONE MONUMENT<hr>Uushig Deer Stone Monument – A deer-decorated stones in Uushigiin uver of Khuvsgul province considered as most clearly depicted deer stones in Mongolia. These deer stones were aligned from north to south in a single column. Each stone is 3-20m distant from each other and made of tetrahedral granite stone in reddish color. A deer, an arch, a shield, a horse, a knife, the moon, the sun and a mirror figured belt were engraved on the stones.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fuushig_dear_stone_khuvsgul.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=484800e4-6aea-4bd2-b8b2-160b023fb972"></figure>&nbsp;GOOD TO KNOW<hr><figure class="image image_resized image-style-side" style="width:18.62%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2FReindeer_Detailing.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=e9ece4d5-862f-4fe1-97f3-47f2b89a2086"><figcaption>DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS OF ORNATE ANTLER DETAILING</figcaption></figure><figure class="image image_resized image-style-side" style="width:18.48%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2FClassic_Mongolian1.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=fabd1dce-2074-45ad-b564-7a9652c1007b"><figcaption>CLASSIC MONGOLIAN</figcaption></figure>CONSTRUCTIONDeer stones are usually constructed from granite or greenstone, depending on which is the most abundant in the surrounding area. They have varying heights; most are over 3 feet tall, but some reach a height of 15 feet. The tops of the stones can be flat, round or smashed, suggesting that perhaps the original top had been deliberately destroyed. The stones are usually oriented with the decorated face to the east.The carvings and designs were most usually completed before the stone was erected, though some stones show signs of being carved in place. The designs were pecked or ground into the stone surface. Deep-grooved cuts and right-angle surfaces indicate the presence of metal tools. Stone tools were used to smooth the harsh cuts of some designs. Nearly all the stones were hand carved, however some unusual stones show signs that they could have been cut with a primitive type of mechanical drill.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized image-style-side" style="width:18.29%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fsayan-altai1.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=43b8eb11-0c1a-47ed-9267-0f9adc08d8a8"><figcaption>CLASSIC MONGOLIAN</figcaption></figure><figure class="image image_resized image-style-side" style="width:17.82%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fwest-asia1.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=1b3264d7-b645-4209-a543-ed826adaa669"><figcaption>WEST ASIAN EUROPEAN</figcaption></figure>TYPES OF STONESV. V. Volkov, in his thirty years of research, classified three distinct types of deer stones.&nbsp;CLASSIC MONGOLIAThese stones are fairly detailed and more elegant in their depiction methods. They usually feature a belted warrior with a stylized flying reindeer on his torso. This type of stone is most prominent in southern Siberia and northern Mongolia. This concentration suggests that these stones were the origin of the deer stone tradition, and further types both simplified and elaborated on these.&nbsp;WEST ASIAN EUROPEANThese stones feature a central region of the stone, sectioned off by two belts, horizontal lines. There are also earring hoops, large circles, diagonal slashes in groups of two and three known as faces, and necklaces, collection of stone pits resembling their namesake.&nbsp;SAYAN ALTAIThe Sayan-Altai stones feature some of the West Asian-European markings, including free-floating, straight-legged animals, daggers and other tools. The appearance of deer motifs is markedly diminished, and those that do appear often do not emphasise the relationship between reindeer and flying. The Sayan-Altai stones can be sub-divided into two types:<ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li style="text-align:justify;">The Gorno-Altai stones have simple warrior motifs, displaying tools in the belt region of the stone. Reindeer motifs appear but are few.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">The Sayan-Tuva stones are similar to the Gorno-Altai but contain fewer images of animals. No deer motifs are present. The artistic style is much simpler, often consisting of only belts, necklaces, earrings and faces.</li></ul>REINDEER<hr>Reindeer feature prominently in nearly all of the deer stones. Early stones have very simple images of reindeer, and as time progresses, the designs increase in detail. A gap of 500 years results in the appearance of the complicated flying reindeer depiction. Reindeer are depicted as flying through the air, rather than merely running on land. Piers Vitebsky writes, The reindeer is depicted with its neck outstretched and its legs flung out fore and aft, as if not merely galloping but leaping through the air. The antlers, sometimes appearing in pairs, have become extremely ornate, utilizing vast spiral designs that can encompass the entire deer. These antlers sometimes hold a sun disc or other sun-related image. Other artwork from the same period further emphasizes the connection between the reindeer and the sun, which is a very common association in Siberian shamanism. Tattoos on buried warriors contain deer tattoos, featuring antlers embellished with small birds’ heads. This reindeer-sun-bird imagery perhaps symbolizes the shaman’s spiritual transformation from the earth to the sky: the passage from earthly life to heavenly life. As these deer images also appear in warrior tattoos, it is possible that reindeer were believed to offer protection from dangerous forces. Another theory is that the deer spirit served as a guide to assist the warrior soul to heaven.&nbsp;OTHER ANIMALSParticularly in the Sayan-Altai stones, a multitude of other animals are present in deer stone imagery. One can see depictions of tigers, pigs, cows, horse-like creatures, frogs and birds. Unlike the reindeer, however, these animals are depicted in a more natural style. This lack of ornate detailing indicates the lack of supernatural importance of such animals, taking an obvious backseat against the reindeer. The animals are often paired off with one another in confrontation, e.g. a tiger confronting a horse in a much more earthly activity.&nbsp;WEAPONS AND TOOLSWeapons and tools can be seen throughout all the stones, though weapons make a strong appearance in the Sayan-Altai stones. Bows and daggers crop up frequently, as well as typical Bronze-Age implements, such as fire-starters or chariot reins. The appearance of these tools helps date the stones to the Bronze Age.&nbsp;PATTERNSChevron patterns crop up occasionally, usually in the upper regions of the stone. These patterns can be likened to military shields, suggesting the stones’ connection to armed conflict. It has also been suggested that chevron patterns could be a shamanic emblem representing the skeleton.&nbsp;HUMAN FACESHuman faces are a much rarer occurrence and are usually carved into the top of the stone. These faces are carved with an open mouth, as though singing. This also suggests a religious/shamanistic connection of the deer stone, as vocal expression is a common and important theme in shamanism.&nbsp;GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTIONArchaeologists have found over 900 deer stones in Central Asia and South Siberia. Similar images are found in a wider area, as far west as Kuban, Russia; the Southern Bug in the Ukraine; Dobruja, Bulgaria; and the Elbe, which flows through the Czech Republic and Germany.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Uushig Deer Stone Monument – A deer-decorated stones in Uushigiin uver of Khuvsgul province considered as most clearly depicted deer stones in Mongolia. These deer stones were aligned from north to south in a single 

UUSHIG DEER STONE MONUMENT

ABOUT MONGOLIAN SHAMANISM<hr>People in Khuvsgul most commonly practice shamanism and some of the most powerful shaman live in this area. The shamanism rituals is based on the view that besides the visible world the shaman interacts with many other worlds or universes, and that contacting the spirits is an imporant part of shamans’ work. Every day, month, and year shamans constantly do their work with poetic invocation, music, dance, and creative arts. Today northern Mongolian groups Darkhad, Tsaatan, Hotgoit, and Buryat ethnic group’s shamans still maintain the ancient shamanic traditions. Mongolian shamanism, more broadly called the Mongolian folk religion, or occasionally Tengerism, refers to the animistic and shamanic ethnic religion that has been practiced in Mongolia and its surrounding areas (including Buryatia and Inner Mongolia) at least since the age of recorded history. The Mongolian endonym is Böö mörgöl (In Mongolian cyrillic: Бөө мөргөл). In the earliest known stages it was intricately tied to all other aspects of social life and to the tribal organization of Mongolian society. Along the way, it has become influenced by and mingled with Buddhism. During the socialist years of the twentieth century it was heavily repressed and has since made a comeback.Yellow shamanism is the term used to designate the particular version of Mongolian shamanism which adopts the expressive style of Buddhism. “Yellow” indicates Buddhism in Mongolia, since most Buddhists there belong to what is called the Gelug or “Yellow sect” of Tibetan Buddhism, whose members wear yellow hats during services. The term also serves to distinguish it from a form of shamanism not influenced by Buddhism (according to its adherents), called black shamanism.Mongolian shamanism is centered on the worship of the tngri (gods) and the highest Tenger (Heaven, God of Heaven, God) or Qormusta Tengri. In the Mongolian folk religion, Genghis Khan is considered one of the embodiments, if not the main embodiment, of the Tenger. The Mausoleum of Genghis Khan in Ordos City, in Inner Mongolia, is an important center of this worship tradition.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fshaman_mongolia_p.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=25e3ad2b-8988-47ee-a8ff-9686c754c75d"></figure>&nbsp;GOOD TO KNOW<hr>FEATURESMongolian shamanism is an all-encompassing system of belief that includes medicine, religion, a reverence of nature, and ancestor worship. Central to the system were the activities of male and female intercessors between the human world and the spirit world, shamans (böö) and shamanesses (udgan). They were not the only ones to communicate with the spirit world: nobles and clan leaders also performed spiritual functions, as did commoners, though the hierarchy of Mongolian clan-based society was reflected in the manner of worship as well.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fshaman_p.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=da2f7341-abae-4d77-b538-8e007b82be60"></figure>DIVINITIES AND THEIR CLASS DIVISIONSKlaus Hesse described the complex spiritual hierarchy in clan-based Mongolian society based on sources that go back to the 13th century. The highest group in the pantheon consisted of 99 tngri(55 of them benevolent or “white” and 44 terrifying or “black”), 77 natigai or “earth-mothers”, besides others. The tngri were called upon only by leaders and great shamans and were common to all the clans. After these, three groups of ancestral spirits dominated. The “Lord-Spirits” were the souls of clan leaders to whom any member of a clan could appeal for physical or spiritual help. The “Protector-Spirits” included the souls of great shamans (ĵigari) and shamanesses (abĵiya). The “Guardian-Spirits” were made up of the souls of smaller shamans (böö) and shamanesses (udugan) and were associated with a specific locality (including mountains, rivers, etc.) in the clan’s territory.The difference between great, white and small, black (in shamans, tngri, etc.) was also formative in a class division of three further groups of spirits, made up of “spirits who were not introduced by shamanist rites into the communion of ancestral spirits” but who could nonetheless be called upon for help—they were called “‘the three accepting the supplications’ (jalbaril-un gurban)”. The whites were of the nobles of the clan, the blacks of the commoners, and a third category consisted of “the evil spirits of the slaves and non-human goblins”. White shamans could only venerate white spirits (and if they called upon black spirits they “lost their right in venerating and calling the white spirits”), black shamans only black spirits (and would be too terrified to call upon white spirits since the black spirits would punish them). Black or white was assigned to spirits according to social status, and to shamans “according to the capacity and assignment of their ancestral spirit or spirit of the shaman’s descent line.”&nbsp;REVERENCE FOR GENGHIS KHANNationwide reverence of Genghis Khan had existed until the 1930s, centered on a shrine which preserved mystical relics of Genghis, that was located in the Ordos Loop of the region of Inner Mongolia, in China. The Japanese, during the occupation of China, tried to take possession of the relics in order to catalyse a pro-Japanese Mongol nationalism, but they failed.Within the Mongolian People’s Republic (1924–92) the Mongolian native religion was suppressed, and Genghis’ shrines destroyed. In Inner Mongolia, otherwise, the worship of the cultural hero persisted; the hereditary custodians of the shrines survived there, preserving ancient manuscripts of ritual texts, written partially in an unintelligible language called the “language of the gods”.With the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese rallied Mongol nationalism to the new state and constructed the Shrine of Genghis Khan (or Shrine of the Lord, as it is named in Mongolian) in Ordos City, where they gathered the old sanctuary tents, confirmed the guardians of the groups in office, and subsidised annual sacrifices.The shrine in Ordos has since then become the focal point of a revival of Genghis Khan’s reverence throughout Inner Mongolia. The Han Chinese, the major ethnic group in Inner Mongolia, pay themselves homage to him as the spiritual foundation of the Yuan dynasty. Various other temples of Genghis Khan, or branches of the shrine in Ordos, have been established in Inner Mongolia and northern China.&nbsp;OVOOOvoos or aobaoes (Mongolian: овоо, Traditional Mongol: ᠥᠪᠥᠭᠭᠠ) are sacrificial altars of the shape of a mound that are traditionally used for worship in the indigenous religion of Mongols and related ethnic groups. Every ovoo is thought as the representation of a god. There are ovoos dedicated to heavenly gods, mountain gods, other gods of nature, and also to gods of human lineages and agglomerations.In Inner Mongolia, the aobaoes for worship of ancestral gods can be private shrines of an extended family or kin (people sharing the same surname), otherwise they are common to villages (dedicated to the god of a village), banners or leagues. Sacrifices to the aobaoes are made offering slaughtered animals, joss sticks, and libations.

People in Khuvsgul most commonly practice shamanism and some of the most powerful shaman live in this area. The shamanism rituals is based on the view that besides the visible world the shaman interacts with many other worlds or universes.

MONGOLIAN SHAMANISM

ABOUT AMARBAYSGALANT MONASTERY<hr>Amarbaysgalant is beautiful monastery located northwest of the centre of Sant sum in the valley of the Iven River. It is said that construction work lasted 16 years, at the end of which over 50 temples were built, with as many as 6000 resident lamas able to recite scriptures in the main hall. The monastery is dedicated to prince Zanabazar and built by the order of Enkh Amgalan Khan of Manchu empire. During the political purges, most of the temples and statues were destroyed. Many ruins found in the surrounding areas of today’s Amarbaysgalant monastery prove the site was once huge construction in earlier times. After three centuries, only 28 temples survived to date. It has been protected in 1943 and was a registered in the world’s cultural heritage by UNESCO in 1996. Presently, 30 monks reside in the newly restored monastery ranging in age from 7 to 90. The monastery was established and funded by order of Manchu Yongzheng Emperor (and completed under his successor the Qianlong Emperor) to serve as a final resting place for Zanabazar (1635–1723), the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, or spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism for the Khalkha in Outer Mongolia and a spiritual mentor to both emperors’ ancestor, the Kangxi Emperor. Tradition holds that while searching for an appropriate site to build the monastery, the exploratory group came across two young boys, Amur and Bayasqulangtu, playing on the steppe. They were inspired to build the monastery on that very spot and to name it after the two children, Amur-Bayasqulangtu. More likely, the location was chosen because it stood at the place where the lama’s traveling Da Khuree (his mobile monastery and prime residence) was encamped at the moment of his death. Construction took place between 1727 and 1736 and Zanabazar‘s remains were transferred there in 1779.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Famarbayasgalant_temple.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=e98ecfc7-c4be-4889-92e9-f5e15402fe6f"></figure>&nbsp;GOOD TO KNOW<hr><figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Famarbayasgalant_monks.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=69e0a87d-1d76-4b33-a0fd-5f6fa9b157df"></figure>ZANABAZAR'S MAIN TUTELARY DEITYAmarbayasgalant monastery is dedicated to Zanabazar’s main tutelary deity, Maitreya. Unlike Erdene Zuu Monastery, which is an ensemble of temple halls of different styles, Amarbayasgalant shows great stylistic unity. The overriding style is Chinese, with some Mongol and Tibetan influence. The monastery resembles Yongzheng’s own palace Yonghegong in Beijing (converted by his son the Qianlong Emperor into a Buddhist monastery). Originally consisting of over 40 temples, the monastery was laid out in a symmetrical pattern, with the main buildings succeeding one another along a North-South axis, while the secondary buildings are laid out on parallel sides.&nbsp;STALINIST PURGES OF 1937Amarbayasgalant was one of the very few monasteries to have partly escaped destruction during the Stalinist purges of 1937, after which only the buildings of the central section remained. Many of the monks were executed by the country’s Communist regime and the monastery’s artifacts, including thangkas, statues, and manuscripts were looted, although some were hidden until more fortunate times.&nbsp;UNESCOToday, only 28 temples remain. Restoration work began in 1988 with funds provided by UNESCO and private sources and some of the new statuary was commissioned in New Delhi, India.

Amarbaysgalant is beautiful monastery located northwest of the centre of Sant sum in the valley of the Iven River. It is said that construction work lasted 16 years, at the end of which over 50 temples were built,

AMARBAYSGALANT MONASTERY​

ABOUT DARKHAD VALLEY REINDEER HERDERS<hr>Darkhad Basin lies 50 km west of Lake Khuvsgul. There are over 200 lakes in the area, the largest of which is Lake Tsagaan. The lake is well-known for the famous white fish that live in it. The lake is surrounded by high mountains covered with forest and extensive marshland, which are an ideal environment for reindeer breeding. Most of the Tsaatan minority, or the reindeer breeders, live in this region. This ethnic people’s lifestyle and traditions are of special interest not only to tourists, but also to researchers and scholars from all over the world as they are very isolated in their remote and difficult to reach homeland. Shamanism, the worship of nature, is the main religion of the reindeer breeders.The Dukha, Dukhans or Duhalar (Mongolian: Цаатан, Tsaatan) are a small Tuvan (Tozhu Tuvans) Turkic community of reindeer herders living in northern Khövsgöl Aimag of Mongolia. The name Tsaatan, which means ‘those who have reindeer’ in the Mongolian language, were originally Tuvinian reindeer herders.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fdukha_family.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=f1cf053f-5f4f-4a40-a230-fc3ce204fce7"></figure>&nbsp;GOOD TO KNOW<hr>LANGUAGEThe Dukhan language (SIL International dkh) is an endangered Turkic variety spoken by approximately five hundred people in the Tsagaan-Nuur county of the Khövsgöl region of northern Mongolia. Dukhan belongs to the Taiga subgroup of Sayan Turkic (Tuvan, Tofa).&nbsp;ORIGINOriginally from across the border in what is now Tuva Republic of Russia, the Dukha are one of the last groups of nomadic reindeer herders in the world. As the reindeer populations shrink, only about 40 families continue the tradition in the year 1998.&nbsp;SETTLEMENT IN NORTHERN MONGOLIATuva became independent in 1921, when Mongolia gained its independence. At that time, the reindeer herders were able to cross the border freely between Tuva and Mongolia. However, when Tuva was annexed to the Soviet Union in 1944, the border was closed. In 1944, Russia was involved in World War II. So the Dukha people fled from Tuva to settle in Mongolia mainly for the following reasons:<ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li style="margin-left:40px;text-align:justify;">Since the border zone was their original territory, they had good trade relationships with the Mongolian herders in the Mongolian steppes.</li><li style="margin-left:40px;text-align:justify;">There were food shortages in the Soviet Union due to World War II.</li><li style="margin-left:40px;text-align:justify;">Domestic animals were requisitioned by the Soviet government during the war.</li><li style="margin-left:40px;text-align:justify;">Many schoolchildren died from the spread of diseases they had little resistance to.</li><li style="margin-left:40px;text-align:justify;">People were afraid of losing their domestic animals due to collectivization.</li></ul>At first, the Mongolian government repeatedly deported them back to Tuva. In 1956 the government finally gave them Mongolian citizenship and resettled them at Tsagaan Nuur Lake on the Shishigt River.&nbsp;DUKHA WAY OF LIFEDukhas live differently from most other people in the world. The Dukha’s sense of community is structured around the reindeer. The reindeer and the Dukha are dependent on one another. Some Dukha say that if the reindeer disappear, so too will their culture. The reindeer are domesticated and belong to the household. In many ways they are treated like family members and shown respect. The community’s chores and activities are centered around the care and feeding of their reindeer. Dukha communities on the taiga are usually a group of tents of two to seven households that move camp to find optimum grazing for the reindeer. Herding tasks are shared amongst the camp with children at a young age learning to care for the reindeer and keeping them safe. The girls and younger women do the milking and make yogurt, cheese, and milk tea. Young men and women and elders help with herding. A few of the men stay with the reindeer in the winter months, living in the open air with their herds to protect them from wolves and other predators. The men also make and repair their hunting tools and reindeer saddles and carts. Since they rarely kill a reindeer, they supplement their diet of reindeer milk products by hunting wild animals from the forest.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Freindeer_herders_mongolia_page.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=815d8d15-3dad-4cb2-ac5c-774313da3e1a"></figure>DAILY LIFEDukha raise their reindeer primarily for milk. Reindeer milk, reindeer yoghurt and reindeer cheese are the staples of the Dukha diet. Only a few reindeer are slaughtered during the year for meat and pelts. The reindeer also provide transportation. Because the taiga area is typically hilly and covered with forest, reindeer are not used for pulling sledges, but for riding and as pack animals. They take the Dukha for daily grazing, hunting, the collection of firewood, seasonal migrations, visiting relatives and friends, and traveling to the sum for shopping and trade. A 1.5 m long thin stick in the right hand is used as a whip. A rider gets on a tree stump and jumps onto the reindeer from the left side with the stick in the left hand, then transfers the stick to the right hand once the rider is mounted. The Dukha begin training reindeer for riding when the reindeer (called dongor at this age) are two years old. Adults are too heavy for dongor, so it is usually the children’s job to train them. Adults ride on hoodai (three-year-old reindeer) or older ones. They regularly ride on zari (castrated males). Special training is not necessary to train the reindeer as pack animals. The male reindeer usually carry loads weighing about 40 kg (88 lbs.), while females carry up to 30 kg (66.1387 lbs.). Reindeer pelts are used for making winter coats. Bags, mats for traveling, and shoes are also made from the skin. Material for shoes is taken from the skin on the reindeer’s shin. Reindeer antlers are ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine and have been supplied to China since 1975. During the summer, the antlers are cut off. The reindeer’s two front legs are tied to one hind leg to make the animal fall. The Dukha cut the antlers with a small saw. Because reindeer cannot properly regulate their body temperature when they lose their antlers and easily become exhausted, pregnant female reindeer never have their antlers removed.&nbsp;SEASONAL MIGRATION AND RESIDENTIAL GROUPSDukha today continue their nomadic life, moving from one place to another without establishing any permanent settlements during the year. A residential group consisting of several families is called olal-lal (meaning ’them’ in the Tuva language). They usually refer to a specific group by the name of a representative member. Families of the same olal-lal set up tents close to one another (within a few kilometers) and collaborate in livestock herding.<ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li style="margin-left:40px;text-align:justify;">Summer</li></ul>Dukha move to their summer camp in the middle of June. Its altitude is around 2300 m, and there are fresh breezes.Because of the cold climate throughout the year, open grasslands spread across the high steppe. Reindeer cannot handle heat well, so they must be pastured in high plains in the summer.<ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li style="margin-left:40px;text-align:justify;">Fall</li></ul>The beginning of August is the time for Dukha families to move down to different camp sites to spend the fall season. When it begins to snow in mid-September, since there are no insects, the reindeer regain their vigor; and the young males are castrated. From the end of September to early October is mating season for reindeer. The gestation period for a reindeer is about seven months.<ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li style="margin-left:40px;text-align:justify;">Winter</li></ul>Dukha usually settle down in the deep forest at an altitude of about 1800 m where they can avoid the frigid winds. During winter camp, people remain in one area for a month at the longest, and then move on to another place, especially when there are wolves nearby. Snow is not an obstacle for reindeer to find and eat moss because they can dig in the snow with their hooves and find moss easily. Several residential groups band together and set out for “otor” (the herding of livestock by young men in distant areas). During otor, the reindeer are free to move about and can find moss and grass easily.<ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li style="margin-left:40px;text-align:justify;">Spring</li></ul>Groups cannot move as quickly to spring camps because they must accompany the pregnant female reindeer. This is the time when weather tends to be harsh, with strong winds, so they settle in a place that shelters them from severe winds. Reindeer give birth between late April and mid-May.&nbsp;SHELTERDukha lives in yurts made primarily of birch bark that resembled the tepees of Native-Americans in appearance. A large yurt may take the bark from up to 32 trees to make; a medium-sized yurt is made from the bark of 23-25 trees. An opening of 2–3 meters in height allows access to the yurt. A bag that houses the guardian spirits of a shaman rests in the rear of the yurt. On the right side, the Dukha family will keep its hunting equipment, saddles, tools and utensils. A traditional Dukha yurt will not have a bed, but rather skins covering the ground, upon which the family sleeps. A stove sits in the middle of the yurt.&nbsp;CLOTHING​Dukha dress is characterized by hats like those of the Khalkh people, and wide deels (traditional Mongolian overcoats). They wear strong, warm boots fashioned from the hides and sinew of their reindeer. These boots are known for their quality of workmanship and are very expensive to purchase.

Darkhad Basin lies 50 km west of Lake Khuvsgul. There are over 200 lakes in the area, the largest of which is Lake Tsagaan. The lake is well-known for the famous white fish that live in it. 

URAN TOGOO MOUNTAIN

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KHOVSGOL LAKE

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