Mongolia: Rise and fall of an empire | DW Documentary

 Mongolia. For most of us, a name that brings to mind the powerful empire of Genghis Khan. This film is a journey through Mongolian history and into modern Mongolian culture. It offers fascinating insights into the little-known central Asian nation.

Mongolia, a country rich with forests, deserts and steppes, borders Russia to the north and China to the south. But its chief influences today come from South Korea and the West.

Protests in Mongolia bring thousands out onto the streets

 Thousands of people are protesting in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar.

They are demanding justice after government officials were implicated in a scandal involving stolen coal.

Lady of the Gobi: trucking coal across the desert to China

On Mongolia’s coal highway to the Chinese border, truck driver Maikhuu dreams of a better life and financial security for her three children. However, the road from the mines to China is riddled with accidents, toxic pollution, poor hygiene and now,  amid the Covid crisis, drivers face days of quarantine on the border. Trapped in a hazardous industry, Maikhuu's journey reflects the human and environmental costs of Mongolia’s mining boom

Mongolia: From the Steppe to the Slum

 

As mass livestock deaths threaten Mongolia’s nomadic culture, we meet the herders trying to survive and those who’ve abandoned their traditional ways.

Weather conditions on Mongolia’s steppes are notoriously extreme, with temperatures ranging from minus 40 degrees Celsius in the northern hemisphere winter to 35 degrees Celsius in summer.

Mongolia: Born To Ride

In Mongolia, child jockeys are dying and suffering painful injuries in some of the world's longest horse races.

Mongolia's horse races are long, fast and furious.

And their riders are incredibly young.

Five-year-old Babu is excited to join the ranks of 30,000 other child jockeys who take part in races across the country. He's been training for months for his debut.

The law requires jockeys to be at least seven years old and wear safety equipment. But in rural areas, this is rarely enforced. 

And it comes at a cost. When the children fall, they suffer painful injuries and sometimes, even death.

Mongolia: The Last Eagle Hunters

101 East ventures into the freezing wilderness to meet the traditional eagle hunters of Mongolia.

101 East takes a spectacular journey into the wilds of Mongolia to search for an ancient lifestyle that's in peril - the traditions of the Kazakh golden eagle hunters.

With perhaps only 60 eagle hunters left in the remote mountains of the country's northwest, it's feared the tradition could die out within a generation.

As boys from the far-flung villages head to the city for jobs and the chance of a better life, saving their traditions could now be left in the hands of young girls.

Mongolia: The nomads risking it all

Mongolian herders shift their entire lives across frozen rivers and through 2,000 metre-high mountain passes.

"We're the generation that's been abandoned since the end of communism."

Like many other former gold and jade hunters in Mongolia, Lagva is struggling to make a living since mines across the country have been shut down.

Lagva is sitting on a treasure - owning jade stones worth between $14,000 and $19,000 - but he has yet to receive permission to sell the precious stones.

"I hide the stones in the basement; it's where we used to hang the meat before", says Lagva.

While waiting for the government's permission, Lagva scrapes a living, renting his small, 35-year-old truck to nomadic herdsmen.

Mongolia: Born To Ride

In Mongolia, child jockeys are dying and suffering painful injuries in some of the world's longest horse races.

Mongolia's horse races are long, fast and furious.

And their riders are incredibly young.

Five-year-old Babu is excited to join the ranks of 30,000 other child jockeys who take part in races across the country. He's been training for months for his debut.

The law requires jockeys to be at least seven years old and wear safety equipment. But in rural areas, this is rarely enforced. 

And it comes at a cost. When the children fall, they suffer painful injuries and sometimes, even death.