Bayan-Olgii
Bayan-Olgii is the westernmost province of Mongolia, in the Altai Mountains, and the only one with a Kazakh majority. It is the best-known home of Kazakh golden eagle hunting and hosts the Golden Eagle Festival at Ulgii and the Sagsai festival.
The story of Bayan-Olgii
Bayan-Olgii was established in August 1940, with Olgii as its capital, and lies in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia. It is the only Mongolian province with a Kazakh majority, and about 93 percent of residents are Kazakhs.
Many Kazakhs had come to the area during the Soviet period, leaving Kazakhstan to avoid forced collectivisation and to keep a nomadic way of life. The population stood at 38,800 at the 1956 census.
After the political changes of the early 1990s, roughly 80,000 people moved to Kazakhstan between 1991 and 1993, and many have since returned. The 2020 census counted 108,530 residents. Estimates for 2024 and 2025 are close to 110,000.
Olgii, the provincial centre, is the base for the province's festivals and for travel into the surrounding mountains.
Falconry in Bayan-Olgii
Bayan-Olgii is closely tied to Kazakh eagle falconry, and one estimate puts about 80 percent of the world's eagle hunters in the province. Hunters ride out with golden eagles, mainly after foxes in winter.
The first Golden Eagle Festival (the Ulgii Festival) was held on 6 October 2000 at Khal-Tolgoi, about 18 km from Olgii. A second event, the Sagsai Festival, began in September 2002 and has been held each September since, in Uujim, the centre of Sagsai district.
The festivals are organised with the Mongolian Eagle Hunters Association. Contests include the best eagle at hunting prey, the best eagle responding to its handler and the best traditional attire, alongside horse racing, archery and bushkashi.
Mongolia is among the states on the UNESCO list for falconry as a living human heritage.
The first Golden Eagle Festival, held on 6 October 2000 at Khal-Tolgoi near Olgii, brought together 60 eagle hunters, five from each district (sum) of the province.
International Journal of Intangible Heritage: Altai Kazakh falconry as heritage tourismList your business on the pages of the events you attend, so buyers and partners find you before the show.
- Wikipedia: Bayan-Olgii Province
- Wikipedia: Golden Eagle Festival
- International Journal of Intangible Heritage: Altai Kazakh falconry as heritage tourism
- Wikipedia: Eagle hunting
- UNESCO decision 16.COM 8.B.14 (falconry)
Facts on this page come from the sources below, checked on the date of writing. Check with the organiser before travelling.