The Tuul River (Туул гол [gol]) [1] flows through central and northern Mongolia. Maybe one of the reasons for Ulaanbaatar (Улаанбаатар) [2] being at its location is the Tuul River for ample water supply and another reason might be the surrounding mountain sheltering the city from harsh winds. The Tuul Gol is sacred to the Mongols, so the river is also called Hatan Tuul (Хатан Туул), which means literally "Queen Tuul". It originates in the Khentii Mountains (Хэнтийн уулс) / Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area (Хан Хэнтийн дархан цаазат газар) and flows into the Orkhon River (Орхон гол), which itself discharges into the Selenge River (Сэлэнгэ мөрөн), which ends in Lake Baikal (Russian о́зеро Байка́л). It is 883 km long, which equals the Maas River or the Oder River, the better known Rhône River is a bit shorter.
Beyond the Ulaanbaatar suburb of Gachuurt (Гачуурт), the capital can no longer sprawl outward like an octopus due to the encroaching rocky terrain; consequently, our journey got off to a spectacular start. We drove through Ulaanbaatar early in the morning to a camp on the Tuul River—located past Gachuurt, yet far enough away that the city was no longer even visible. We spotted a rider crossing the wide ford, a feat impossible for our minibus. Next came a ride in an air boat—a flat-bottomed vessel powered by a rear-mounted propeller, much like those used in the Florida Everglades. We headed out into a golden morning.
Beyond the Ulaanbaatar suburb of Gachuurt (Гачуурт), the capital can no longer sprawl outward like an octopus due to the encroaching rocky terrain; consequently, our journey got off to a spectacular start. We drove through Ulaanbaatar early in the morning to a camp on the Tuul River—located past Gachuurt, yet far enough away that the city was no longer even visible. We spotted a rider crossing the wide ford, a feat impossible for our minibus. Next came a ride in an air boat—a flat-bottomed vessel powered by a rear-mounted propeller, much like those used in the Florida Everglades. We headed out into a golden morning.
I remember the 2023 inundations of Ulaanbaatar, but right now the rain hadn't been that bad.
The Tuul Gol meanders for long stretches through the country and I hope, that the river won't be rectified in the future. I could see the vastness of this river later at the town of Lün (Лүн) [3]. We reached the town across a bridge. Lün has about 2600 inhabitants and has been established in 1924.
The Tuul Gol meanders for long stretches through the country and I hope, that the river won't be rectified in the future. I could see the vastness of this river later at the town of Lün (Лүн) [3]. We reached the town across a bridge. Lün has about 2600 inhabitants and has been established in 1924.
One of the pictures I took a little after the start of the airplane taking me back to Germany. Whereas the boat ride had been in the Northeast, this had been to the Southwest of Ulaanbaatar. But it's the Tuul River, flowing constantly with grace and beauty.
Links and Annotations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuul_River and
https://mn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A2%D1%83%D1%83%D0%BB_%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%BB
[2] The city had been known in West as Urga, which comes from Örgöö (Өргөө). It had been established in 1639. Ulaanbaatar means Red Hero and the name had been given to honor Damdin Sükhbaatar (Дамдины Сүхбаатар) [2a], the central square of Ulaanbaatar is named after him and his statue is in front of the government building.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulaanbaatar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulaanbaatar
[2a] Damdin Sükhbaatar (1893-1923) was a Mongolian revolutionary, founder of the Mongolian People's Party, and leader of the Mongolian partisan army.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damdin_S%C3%BCkhbaatar
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCn
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