Gobi Desert of Mongolia

Mongolia: A Nation Born On A Horseback

For hundreds and even thousands of year, horses play a large role in the daily and national life of the Mongols. And it is traditionally said that “A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without the wings.” Elizabeth Kendall, who travelled through Mongolia in 1911, observed, “To appreciate the Mongol you must see him on horseback,—and indeed you rarely see him otherwise, for he does not put foot to ground if he can help it. Mongolia holds more than 3 million horses, an equine population which outnumbers the country’s human population. The horses live outdoors all year at 30 °C (86 °F) in summer down to −40 °C (−40 °F) in winter, and search for food on their own. As author Elizabeth Kendall said, after traveling through Mongolia in 1911, to appreciate the Mongol you must see him on horseback, and indeed you rarely see him otherwise, for he does not put foot to ground if he can help it. More information at photosmongolia.com

Tsaatan People: Last Reindeer Herders in Mongolia

Japanese freelance photographer Madoka Ikegami, based in Beijing now, loves taking environmental portrait photography, and last year brought her portable studio lighting equipment to mountainous areas - the East Taiga region of Khovsgol province in northern Mongolia. That is the place that those narrative and delicate photos captured we can see. More information at madokaikegami.com

Bökh: Stunning Portraits of Mongolian Wrestlers

The grasslands on Inner Mongolia, an area of Northern China, are vast open spaces that run from the mountains of Inner Mongolia to the border of Outer Mongolia, and have been home to nomadic communities for centuries. On of their ancient traditions that when a boy is born in Inner Mongolia, his family pray for him to become a wrestler, is a key status symbol in the nomadic community and the central focus of many young men’s lives. Photographers Ken Hermann and director Gem Fletcher were interested in this lesser known form of wrestling only found and practiced by a small group of men in Inner Mongolia, and captured local wrestlers in their photographic series “Bökh” in the Grasslands of Inner Mongolia. “This strong cultural heritage and ritual of the sport intrigued us. We were particularly interested in how it governed status for young men within the community as well as defining manliness,” stated two photographers. More information at Kenhermann.dk and gemfletcher.com

Pious Workship

A girl stands near burning lamps to keep herself warm as she takes part in the "Bol Bom" (Say Shiva) pilgrimage in Kathmandu, Nepal at the end of July 2018. Photo by Navesh Chitrakar / Reuters