Eagle Hunting Festival

Introduction.

Professional hunters came to the Terelj National Park to the east of Ulaanbaatar, the red star on the map opposite, from the Bayan Olgii aimag (province) in the far west of Mongolia, transporting with them their golden eagles and horses. The hunters are Kazakhs who make up almost 90% of the aimags population.

The day the photographs were taken the temperature in the park was below -20 deg C and although the sun was shining brightly, 30 mins is all I could endure outside before having to go and warm myself by a stove in a ger.

David Whitworth