FUTURE EXPEDITION to Mongolia 2011
GOBI DESERT EXPEDITION
In July 2011 Colonel John Blashford-Snell is planning to take a 16 day expedition to the Gobi desert in Mongolia. The aim will be to install a well to give clean drinking water to the people in a remote Oasis in the Khongor Sand Dunes. This will be followed by work with the eminent palaeontologist Professor Perle in ancient fossil beds where early dinosaurs have been uncovered.
The team will visit the ancient ruins of the Ongi Monastery and Karakorum and see the rare przewalski wild horses, that have been reintroduced when they neared extinction.
The expedition will also attend the traditional Naadam Festival of archery, riding and wrestling.
The team will move by 4WD vehicle and for several days will ride two humped Bactrian camels.
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NOTES FOR THE MONGOLIAN GOBI EXPEDITION 2011
The Mongolian Gobi, a vast zone of desert and semi-desert occupying almost 30 per cent of the country’s vast territory, is a well-renowned place. The Gobi is often imagined to be a place of unbearable heat and lifeless sand dunes, similar to the inhospitable and uninhabited Sahara desert. Whereas the reality is quite the reverse.
The great Mongolian Gobi has high mountains, springs, forests, sands, steppe lands and a rich animal life and has been inhabited since ancient times. To put it another way, the Mongolian Gobi has the vast plains of Europe, the majestic peaks and mountain ranges of Asia, the sand dunes and sandy valleys of Africa and thus, could be called the land of the three continents.
Furthermore, the Mongolian Gobi is not a single notion. There are no less than 33 different types of Gobi in Mongolia, of which sandy desert occupies only three percent of the total area. The Gobi is situated in the southern part of the country and it covers the provinces of East Gobi, Middle Gobi, South Gobi and Gobi Altai, all sharing the name of Gobi. Of these four Gobies the South Gobi occupies the biggest and southern most area, belonging to the territory of the South Gobi aimak.
Since ancient times the word “Gobi” meaning “desert” was referred to in literature as shamo. It is on account of the fact that the word “Gobi” is translated into many foreign languages as desert. Foreigners often imagine the Gobi is a desert. However, visitors to the Gobi are quickly persuaded that the word desert is a misnomer.
The Gobi houses enormous wealth including numerous rare animal species as for example the mountain sheep (argali), ibex, snow leopard, lynx, wild ass, gazelles, saiga, khavtgai (wild camel), mazalai (Gobi bear), fox, wolf, steppe fox, as well as different trees and plants: Khargana, tamarisk, red trees, and wild thyme to name but few. Equally there is a wealth of precious and semi-precious stones including turquoise, jasper, agate and crystal.
Above all you will see there an eternally clear skies, blue mirages, golden sands and boundlessly expansive steppe lands.
ALMAS
You may hear stories of wild men and almas said to live in the mountainous areas of Mongolia. The male is said to be 6-8ft tall and the females 5-6ft. Heads are somewhat pointed and body is covered in hair, described as reddish grey. The creature is said to walk upright and has enormously powerful back legs allowing it to leap 2-3ft vertically in a standing jump. The footprint is similar to a human’s, but is often larger and wider.
Those Mongolians who believe in the existence of the Almas claim it is a primitive human being, not an animal. It appears to be omnivorous. The body shape is human and females are said to have pendant breasts. It seems they are afraid of water, but not fire. There are stories of almas being found asleep in gers or warming themselves by abandoned fires. There are also tales of almas kidnapping children and female almas kidnapping male hunters! Although they do not appear to speak they are said to emit a high-pitched squeak or shrill cry.
Reports of almas in Mongolia are more numerous than in most areas of the world where similar creatures are alleged to exist and there are people here who admit to having seen them. They seem to be very shy and usually run away from humans.
In September 1990 a female almas was said to have been seen near the Hovd River Gorge in Western Mongolia. She was picking wild onions and fled when called to by some hunters. John Blashford-Snell interviewed a man who said he had seen her and obtained photographs of her footprints.
Although it may be a myth, the almas is very much part of Mongolian folklore and it is interesting that a number of eminent members of the Soviet and Mongolian Academy of Science have spent much time and effort researching the mystery. Thus it is worth having an open mind and keeping your eyes and ears open. Who believed there were giant elephants living in a remote part of West Nepal until our expedition filmed and photographed them in 1992?
GHENGHIS KHAN
Ghenghis Khan had 500 wives and concubines.
Nearly 20 million people were killed in his campaigns between 1211 and 1223.
His empire stretched from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Dnieper River (in White Russia, north of the Black Sea) in the west.
He died aged approx 66 in 1227 following a riding accident and was buried in a silver coffin, which rested on the 78 crowns of the rulers he had conquered. The site of his grave is unknown but is thought to be in the Burkan Kaldur range of mountains in the north east of Mongolia. Also placed in his coffin were his jewel encrusted weapons, a life-size jade tiger, a lion, horse and a manuscript of a Bible written by an English monk. Numerous expeditions have tried to locate the grave without success. The ghost of Ghenghis Khan is said to appear at the site of his tomb on the anniversary of his death to forecast world events for the following year.
