Arkhangai, Mongolia
Khungai Nuruu National Park

Established in 1996, the Khangai Nuruu National Park is located in the west-central highlands of Mongolia, within the mountain range of the same name. Unlike the grassy steppe and deserts that define much of the country, the region's higher elevation and rainfall are able to support patches of forest dominated by Siberian larch. Most of the park rangers are multi-generational stewards within the park's boundaries, whose families have herded domestic animals nomadically for centuries, based on communal and non-privatized land rights.

Open edition prints available through our gallery store.

Suggested reading:

When Things Get Dark: A Mongolian Winter's Tale by Matt Davis, St. Martin's Press, 2010. A Peace Corps volunteer's memoir, which also provides a concise description of the country's modern history, culture, and public health issues, particularly male alcoholism. Amazon

Suggested viewing:

Cave of the Yellow Dog,  (2005) directed by Byambasuren Davaa, dir. photography, Daniel Schönauer. Filmed as a contemporary folktale, this "girl and her dog" story is simply and classically told, while functioning equally well as an ethnography of rural Mongolia. IMDb