Blurs

At first glance, Mongolia's Gobi Desert seems almost entirely inhospitable. There are enormous distances of bare rock and gravel, towering cliffs, shifting sands and mountains rising from an otherwise austere landscape. Water can be scarce and temperatures can swing dramatically between extremes. Yet the Gobi contains one of the world's extraordinary fossil archives. Hidden within its rocks are the remains of animals and plants that lived tens of millions of years ago, when parts of what is now Mongolia looked nothing like the desert we see today. There were rivers and floodplains. Lakes and wetlands existed in some regions. Dunes migrated across increasingly dry landscapes. Vegetation supported huge herbivorous dinosaurs, while predators followed them. Beneath the feet of these giants lived a much less conspicuous population of mammals, lizards, birds and insects. The fossils of the Gobi therefore tell us something considerably more interesting than which dinosaurs once lived ...

Few fossils have captured the imagination of scientists and the public quite like the famous “Fighting Dinosaurs” specimen from Mongolia.  Discovered in the Gobi Desert in 1971, this extraordinary fossil appears to preserve the final moments of a deadly struggle between a Velociraptor and a Protoceratops. More than 70 million years after their deaths, the two dinosaurs remain locked together in what looks remarkably like a fight to the death. For palaeontologists, the specimen is far more than an impressive display piece. It provides one of the clearest snapshots of dinosaur behaviour ever discovered, offering rare evidence of predator-prey interaction preserved in stone. A Discovery in the Gobi Desert The fossil was unearthed during a joint Polish-Mongolian expedition at Tugriken Shireh in the Djadokhta Formation, a region of the Gobi Desert renowned for its exceptionally preserved dinosaur remains. The area was already famous for discoveries such as Velociraptor, Protoceratops an...

Across the vast, windswept sands of Mongolia's Gobi Desert, stories have circulated for generations about a creature so deadly that merely touching it could mean instant death.  Known as the Mongolian Death Worm, this mysterious beast has become one of the world's most famous cryptids—a creature whose existence remains unproven yet continues to inspire fear, fascination, and expeditions into some of the harshest landscapes on Earth. Whether it is a misunderstood animal, an enduring legend, or something still undiscovered, the tale of the Death Worm remains one of Asia's greatest mysteries. The Creature Called Olgoi-Khorkhoi The Mongolian Death Worm is known locally as Olgoi-Khorkhoi, a name often translated as "large intestine worm" due to its reported appearance.  Witnesses describe it as a thick, red, sausage-shaped creature measuring between 60 centimetres and 1.5 metres (2–5 feet) long. Its body is said to resemble a blood-filled intestine, giving rise to its ...

Deep within the rugged Altai Mountains of Central Asia lies one of archaeology's most remarkable treasures: a collection of ancient burials so perfectly preserved by ice that they have survived for over 2,000 years.  Known as the Frozen Tombs of the Altai, these extraordinary burial mounds have revealed a vivid snapshot of life, death, art, and belief among the nomadic peoples of the Eurasian steppes. Unlike most ancient graves, where organic materials decay long before archaeologists arrive, the Altai tombs were protected by a unique combination of permafrost and ingenious burial construction. The result is an archaeological record unlike any other—containing textiles, wooden objects, leather goods, weapons, horse equipment, and even tattooed human remains preserved in astonishing detail. The Mystery Beneath the Mounds The frozen burials are primarily associated with the Pazyryk culture, a group of Iron Age nomads who lived in the Altai region between roughly the 6th and 3rd centu...

For many people, the word mummy immediately conjures images of ancient Egypt, gilded tombs and pharaohs wrapped in linen.  Yet some of the world's most astonishing preserved human remains have been discovered thousands of miles away on the windswept steppes and mountains of Mongolia. Hidden beneath layers of ice, buried in remote caves and protected by one of the harshest climates on Earth, Mongolia's ancient mummies offer an extraordinary glimpse into lives that ended centuries—or even millennia—ago.  These remarkably preserved individuals have become invaluable to archaeologists, revealing secrets about ancient cultures, trade routes, beliefs and daily life across Central Asia. But beyond the science lies a deeper mystery: how have these bodies survived so intact for so long, and what stories are they still waiting to tell? Nature's Perfect Preservation Chamber Unlike the carefully embalmed mummies of Egypt, many Mongolian mummies owe their preservation largely to Nature....

Deer Stones of Mongolia: Who Created Them, and What Did Their Elaborate Carvings Represent? Scattered across the windswept steppes of Mongolia stand some of the world's most intriguing prehistoric monuments.  Known as Deer Stones, these towering carved monoliths have puzzled archaeologists for more than a century.  Decorated with elegant images of flying deer, weapons, belts, and mysterious symbols, they offer a rare glimpse into the beliefs of Bronze Age nomadic peoples who left no written records behind. More than 1,500 Deer Stones have been identified across the Eurasian steppe, with over 80 percent found in Mongolia. Most date to between approximately 1200 and 600 BC, making them around 3,000 years old.  They are among the most distinctive surviving monuments of the Late Bronze Age and were recognised as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023. Who Created the Deer Stones? The exact identity of the people who erected the Deer Stones remains uncertain.  Archa...

The Almas of Mongolia: The Mysterious Wild Humanoids of Central Asia Deep within the mountains, forests, and remote valleys of Central Asia lies one of the world’s most intriguing legends: the Almas, a mysterious wild humanoid said to inhabit the wilderness of Mongolia and surrounding regions.  Similar in some ways to the North American Bigfoot and the Himalayan Yeti, the Almas has fascinated explorers, folklorists, and cryptozoologists for centuries. Described as a large, hairy, human-like creature living far from civilisation, the Almas occupies a strange space between mythology and possible zoological mystery.  While no scientific evidence has confirmed its existence, reports from local communities and explorers have kept the legend alive. Origins of the Almas Legend The word Almas (also spelled Alma or Almasty) comes from Mongolian and Central Asian folklore. Traditional stories describe the creature as a wild, hairy person living in remote regions such as the Altai Mounta...