Bayan-Ölgii ( mn, Баян-Өлгий, ; xal, Байн-Өлгий, ; kk, Бай-Өлке / Bai-Ölke, ; "Rich region") is the westernmost of the 21
aimags (provinces) of
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
. The country's only
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
and
Kazakh-majority aimag, it was established in August 1940. Its capital is
Ölgii.
Geography
The aimag is located in the extreme west of the country, and shares borders with both
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. The border between the two neighbouring countries is very short here, though, and ends after about 40 km at the eastern end of
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
. Within Mongolia, the neighbouring aimags are
Uvs
Uvs (; mn, Увс аймаг, Uws aimag, ; xal, Увс әәмг, Uws äämg, ), is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. It is located in the west of the country, away from the national capital Ulaanbaatar. Its capital is Ulaangom whi ...
in the north east and
Khovd in the south east.
![Mongolia Lago Buzau](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Mongolia_Lago_Buzau.JPG)
Bayan-Ölgii is the highest Mongolian aimag. For the most part it is located in the Mongolian
Altay, at the transition point to the Russian Altay. About 10% of the territory is covered by forests, consisting primarily of
Siberian Larch
''Larix sibirica'', the Siberian larch or Russian larch, is a frost-hardy tree native to western Russia, from close to the Finnish border east to the Yenisei valley in central Siberia, where it hybridises with the Dahurian larch ''L. gmelinii' ...
.
The
Nairamdal Peak
Nairamdal Peak or Friendship Peak ( mn, Найрамдал оргил, Nairamdal orgil; ) is the one of five peaks of the Tavan Bogd mountain and it marks the border tripoint between Russia, Mongolia, and China. The Peak towers at the elevation ...
(also ''Friendship Peak'', Chinese: ''Youyi Feng'') of the
Altai Tavan Bogd (''five saints mountain'') massif mountain marks the corner between the three neighbouring countries. About 2.5 km further south on the Mongolian-Chinese border, the
Khüiten Peak
Khüiten Peak ( mn, Хүйтэн оргил, Hüiten orgil, ; "cold peak"), also known in China as Friendship Peak (), is the highest peak with 4,356 m above sea level and a permanent snow cap in the Altai Range, the international border ...
is the highest point of Mongolia at a height of 4,374 m. The massif includes several glaciers, such as the 19 km
Potanin Glacier
The Potanin Glacier is the longest glacier in Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It c ...
, and is only accessible to experienced climbers with local guidance.
The
Khovd River
Khovd River ( mn, Ховд гол, Howd gol, ) is a river in Mongolia. It flows from Tavan Bogd mountain of the Altai Mountains
The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central and East Asia, where Russia ...
(the longest in the western Mongolian
Great Lakes Depression
The Great Lakes Depression ( mn, Их нууруудын хотгор, ''Ikh Nuuruudyn Khotgor''), also called the Great Lakes' Hollow, is a large semi-arid depression in Mongolia that covers parts of the Uvs, Khovd, Bayan-Ölgii, Zavkhan and ...
) has its origin in this aimag. It is fed by the three lakes ''Khoton'', ''Khurgan'', and ''Dayan'', and in turn feeds the lake
Khar-Us in the Khovd Aimag. The
Tolbo Lake
Tolbo Lake (, zh, 陶勒博湖) is a freshwater lake in Mongolia. The lake is located about south of Ölgii, on the main road between Ölgii and Khovd.
Elevation is at high. The shoreline is treeless with few mosquitoes and a lot of people an ...
is a large saline lake about 50 km south of the aimag capital. It features clear and cold water on an elevation of 2,080 m.
Population
Most inhabitants of Bayan-Ölgii are
Kazakhs
The Kazakhs (also spelled Qazaqs; Kazakh: , , , , , ; the English name is transliterated from Russian; russian: казахи) are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group native to northern parts of Central Asia, chiefly Kazakhstan, but also parts o ...
(93%). The rest of the population is composed of
Uriankhai
Uriankhai ( traditional Mongolian: , Mongolian Cyrillic: урианхай; sah, урааҥхай; zh, t=烏梁海, s=乌梁海, p=Wūliánghǎi), Uriankhan (, урианхан) or Uriankhat (, урианхад), is a term of address appli ...
,
Dörvöd,
Khalkha
The Khalkha (Mongolian script, Mongolian: mn, Халх, Halh, , zh, 喀爾喀) have been the largest subgroup of Mongols, Mongol people in modern Mongolia since the 15th century. The Khalkha, together with Chahars, Ordos Mongols, Ordos and Tum ...
, Tsengel
Tuvans
The Tuvans ( tyv, Тывалар, Tıvalar) are a TurkicOtto Maenchen-Helfen, Journey to Tuva, p. 169 ethnic group indigenous to Siberia who live in Russia ( Tuva), Mongolia, and China. They speak Tuvan, a Siberian Turkic language. They are a ...
, and
Khoshuud
The Khoshut ( Mongolian: Хошууд,, qoşūd, ; literally "bannermen," from Middle Mongolian ''qosighu'' "flag, banner") are one of the four major tribes of the Oirat people. Originally, Khoshuuds were one of the Khorchin tribes in southeaste ...
. A significant portion of the population speaks
Kazakh as their mother tongue and the
Mongolian language
Mongolian is the official language of Mongolia and both the most widely spoken and best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residen ...
only as a second language, if at all.
After democratization, many inhabitants moved to their historical homeland,
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
, assuming they would find a better future there. The result was a noticeable loss of population in 1991-1993, when approx. 80 thousands were repatriated to Kazakhstan. A noticeable number of former immigrants have been returning, so that the population has risen again.
Culture
![Landscape in Bayan-Ölgii Aimag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Landscape_in_Bayan-%C3%96lgii_Aimag.jpg)
The culture of the Kazakh majority is strongly influenced by Islamic traditions. The mosque of Ölgii also houses the Islamic Center of Mongolia. It is placed at an unusual angle within the fabric of the city, because the building was oriented exactly towards
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
. There is also a ''
madrasah
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
'' (Islamic school) at the same place.
The aimag is famous for the traditional practice of
hunting with trained eagles. The captive eagles work in a similar way as hunting falcons do. While eagles are used for hunting in other parts of the world, particularly
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
and
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
, the practice is most common in Bayan-Ölgii, where an estimated 80 percent of the world's eagle hunters live. The annual
Golden Eagle Festival
The Golden Eagle Festival, or simply Eagle Festival ( mn, Бүргэдийн наадам / Bürgediin naadam, ; kk, Бүркіт той / Bürkıt toi, ), is an annual traditional festival held in Bayan-Ölgii aimag, Mongolia. In the eagle fes ...
is held in
Ölgii every October to display the skill of eagle hunters, with about 70 hunters participating per year.
[Soma, Takuya & Battulga, Sukhee. 2014. 'Altai Kazakh Falconry as Heritage Tourism: “The Golden Eagle Festival” of Western Mongolia', "The International Journal of Intangible Heritage vol. 9", edited by Alissandra Cummins, pp. 135-148. Seoul: The National Folk Museum of Korea]
/ref>
Traffic
The Ölgii Airport (ULG/ZMUL) has one runway, unpaved until 2011. It offers regular flights to Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north ce ...
and irregular flights to Ulaangom
Ulaangom (; mn, Улаангом, ; xal, Уланһом, ) is the capital of Uvs Province in Mongolia. It is located on the slopes of the Kharkhiraa mountain, southwest from the lake Uvs Nuur shore and south from the Russian border.
Descri ...
and Mörön in Mongolia and Almaty
Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to ...
in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
.
A road connecting to Russia starts in Tsagaannuur.
The border with China is open only for a short time in the summer.
National parks
The '' Altai Tavan Bogd National Park'' covers 6,362 km² and is located south of the highest mountain of Mongolia. It includes the lakes ''Khoton'', ''Khurgan'', and ''Dayan''. The protected area offers a home for many species of alpine animal, such as the Argali
The argali (''Ovis ammon''), also known as the mountain sheep, is a wild sheep that roams the highlands of western East Asia, the Himalayas, Tibet, and the Altai Mountains.
Description
The name 'argali' is the Mongolian word for wild sheep. It ...
sheep, Ibex
An ibex (plural ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa. ...
, Red deer
The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...
, Beech marten
The beech marten (''Martes foina''), also known as the stone marten, house marten or white breasted marten, is a species of marten native to much of Europe and Central Asia, though it has established a feral population in North America. It is li ...
, Moose
The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...
, Snow cock
The snowcocks or snowfowl are a group of bird species in the genus ''Tetraogallus'' of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are ground-nesting birds that breed in the mountain ranges of southern Eurasia from the Caucasus to the Himalayas a ...
, and Golden eagle
The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...
.
The ''Khökh Serkhiin Nuruu Protected Area'' (659 km²) and the ''Siilkhemiin Nuruu National Park'' (1,428 km²) are of similar character.
The ''Develiin Aral Natural Reserve'' (103 km²) is established around ''Develiin Island'' at the confluence of the rivers ''Lsan Khooloi'' and ''Khovd''. Since 2000 it has provided protection for various birds and animals including pheasant
Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family (biology), family Phasianidae in the order (biology), order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera na ...
s, boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is no ...
s, and beaver
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...
s.
The ''Tsambagarav Uul National Park
Tsambagarav National Park (also: Cambagarav Mountain) is a national park in Bayan-Ölgii Province of western Mongolia.
It covers more than in a glacial region which includes Tsambagarav mountain of Mongolia. It has a notable population of snow ...
'' includes 1,115 km² of land around the glaciers near the Khovd aimag and protects the snow leopard
The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a Felidae, felid in the genus ''Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia, Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red ...
s living there, among others.
Administrative subdivisions
* - Tsagaannuur including
Governors
First secretaries
# Şımşırulı Noğay kk, Шымшырұлы Ноғай (1940-1942)
# Düzelbayulı Jeñishan kk, Дүзелбайұлы Жеңісхан (1942)
# Ş.Vançinhüü arslan mn, Ш.Ванчинхүү арслан (1943)
# Mälikulı Qaşqınbay kk, Мәлікұлы Қашқынбай (1943-1952)
# Muhamädïulı Qurmanhan kk, Мұхамәдиұлы Құрманхан (1952-1953)
# Juwanğanulı Rım kk, Жуанғанұлы Рым (1953-1954)
# Mälikulı Qaşqınbay kk, Мәлікұлы Қашқынбай (1954-1957)
# Qamatjanulı Musahan kk, Қаматжанұлы Мұсахан (1958-1962)
# B.Dulamragçaa mn, Б.Дуламрагчаа (1962-1966)
# B.Dejid mn, Б.Дэжид (1966-1970)
# Ya,Jigjid mn, Я.Жигжид (1970-1976)
# L.Hürlee mn, Л.Хүрлээ (1976-1980)
# Bayatazaulı Qurmetbek kk, Байтазаұлы Құрметбек (1980-199)
Chairmen of executive committee
# Bäjiulı Qabï kk, Бәжіұлы Қаби (1940-1942)
# A.Begzjav mn, А.Бэгзжав (1942-1943)
# Düzelbayulı Jeñizhan kk, Дүзелбайұлы Жеңісхан (1943-1950)
# Muhamädïulı Qurmanhan kk, Мұхамәдиұлы Құрманхан (1950-1952)
# Ç.Şagdar mn, Ч.Шагдар (1952-1953)
# Muhamädïulı Qurmanhan kk, Мұхамәдиұлы Құрманхан (1954-1955)
# Şäbiulı Qabdıl kk, Шәбіұлы Қабдыл (1955-1958)
# Juwanğanulı Rım kk, Жуанғанұлы Рым (1959-1970)
# Asqanbayulı Saray kk, Асқанбайұлы Сарай (1970-1978)
# Qusbekulı Qızırhan kk, Құсбекұлы Қызырхан (1978-1989)
# T.Davaajav mn, Т.Даваажав (1989-1990)
After 1991
# Küntuwğanulı Mïzamhan kk, Күнтуғанұлы Мизамхан (1990-1996)
# Qadırulı Meyram kk, Қадырұлы Мейрам (1996-2000)
# Qabdısilämulı Bädelhan kk, Қабдысіләмұлы Бәделхан (2000-2004)
# Omarulı Ğabsattar kk, Омарұлы Ғабсаттар (2004-2007) ( mn, Омарын Хабсатар
# Säkeyulı Qabıl kk, Сәкейұлы Қабыл(2007-2012)
# Quzkeyulı Därmen kk, Құзкейұлы Дәрмен (2012-2016)
# Ayıpulı Ğılımhan kk, Айыпұлы Ғылымхан (2016-2020) ( mn, Айпын Гылымхан
References
Further reading
* Soma, Takuya & Battulga, Sukhee. 2014. 'Altai Kazakh Falconry as Heritage Tourism: “The Golden Eagle Festival” of Western Mongolia', "The International Journal of Intangible Heritage vol. 9", edited by Alissandra Cummins, pp. 135–148. Seoul: The National Folk Museum of Korea
* Soma, Takuya. 2014. 'Current Situation and Issues of Transhumant Animal Herding in Sagsai County, Bayan Ulgii Province, Western Mongolia', E-journal GEO 9(1): pp. 102–119
* Soma, Takuya. 2015. Human and Raptor Interactions in the Context of a Nomadic Society: Anthropological and Ethno-Ornithological Studies of Altaic Kazakh Falconry and its Cultural Sustainability in Western Mongolia. University of Kassel Press, Kassel (Germany) .
* 相馬拓也 2014 「モンゴル西部バヤン・ウルギー県サグサイ村における移動牧畜の現状と課題」『E-Journal GEO vol. 9 (no. 1) 』: pp. 102–189
External links
Bayan-Olgii Tourism Website
Bayan-Ulgii blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayan-Olgii Province
Bayan-Ölgii Province,
Provinces of Mongolia
States and territories established in 1940
1940 establishments in Mongolia