Visiting Pastoralists in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia

Visiting Pastoralists in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia

Stories & photography by destination:

Indian subcontinent: Pakistan ◦◦ India ◦◦◦◦Bangladesh ◦◦ Bhutan ◦◦ Nepal ◦◦ Africa: Egypt ◦◦ Mauritania ◦◦ Morocco ◦◦ Algeria ◦◦ Togo ◦◦ Ghana ◦◦ Uganda◦◦ Rwanda Europe: Bulgaria ◦◦ Czech Republic ◦◦ Faroe Islands ◦◦ Russia ◦◦ Iceland ◦◦ Turkey ◦◦ Greece ◦◦ Slovenia ◦◦ Ukraine ◦◦ Italy Far East and South-east Asia: Mongolia ◦◦ Hong Kong ◦◦ Japan ◦◦ Indonesia ◦◦ China ◦◦ Thailand Central Asia: Turkmenistan ◦◦ Kazakhstan ◦◦ Uzbekistan Middle East: Iran ◦◦ Syria ◦◦ Oman ◦◦ Jordan

Stories & photography by photography type: Photo stories ◦◦ Places ◦◦ Documentary ◦◦ Black and White ◦◦ Limited Edition Fine Art Prints ◦◦ Unlimited Edition Fine Art Prints ◦◦ Seascapes ◦◦ Urban ◦◦ Thousand Voyages Video Collection

Most Mongolians outside the capital Ulaanbaatar are pastoralists who live in isolated yurts scattered across the vast Gobi Desert. As we drove past yet another solitary dwelling, far from civilization, a question lingered: "What do they do in the evenings?"

image

During our stay, we spent an evening and a night with a pastoralist family in the heart of the desert. They prepared a traditional Mongolian barbecue for us but left us to dine alone. Though they tried to hide it, they were visibly worried and exhausted. A middleman had arrived at their camp, and the entire family was busy helping with the selection, slaughter, and preparation of animals for meat.

About a kilometer from the yurts, one of the family's daughters had a motorcycle accident, hitting her head and becoming distraught. Her father brought her to us with blood covering her head. We discovered they lacked basic medical supplies—no disinfectants or even pain medication. We treated her injury and shared all our medicines with the family.

image

In the middle of the night, we were jolted awake by anxious voices. The sheep and goats in the nearby sheepfold were unusually restless and agitated. The disturbance lasted about half an hour. Come morning, we learned that predators had tried to attack the herd.

The pastoralists in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia

Purchasing Fine Art Unlimited Edition Prints, RM Licenses, and/or the Whole Publication

All images in the publication and/or photo gallery are available for purchase as Fine Art Unlimited Edition Prints and/or licensed using Rights Managed Image Licensing. The publication may also be available for purchase as a single unit, including the text, photos, videos, or music (if available), as one complete publication that you can use on your website, in a magazine (print or online), or on other platforms.

Please check the corresponding sections for more information:

Fine Art Unlimited Edition Prints

Rights Managed Image Licensing

Purchasing a Story or Publication

☘️ Social Media: Instagram / Facebook / BlueSky / Vero;

☘️ Call us: +359 888 420 160 (WhatsApp/ Viber); +359 887 260 744 (WhatsApp/ Viber)

☘️ Subscribe to our newsletter