Last updated 8 months ago by Jessica Brooks | Published: July 27, 2021
The Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes in Mongolia, locally known as Duut Mankhan or the Singing Sands, are the largest sand dunes in the Gobi Desert. Despite their size, they account for only 3-5% of the Gobi Desert’s vast expanse of 500,000 square miles. These majestic dunes are part of the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park, the largest national park in Mongolia. (Bayanzag, also known as The Flaming Cliffs, is part of the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park.)
The sand dunes extend approximately 180 km in length and 12 km in width, situated in a valley between the Bayan Tsagaan Mountains to the north and the Zoolon and Sevrey Mountains to the south. The tallest dunes, located near the northwestern end of the dune field, rise around 200 meters from the valley floor.
The dunes align with the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan and the Sevrey mountain ranges. The prevailing wind funnels through the corridor created by these mountain chains, sweeping lighter grains from the surrounding desert and piling them into a great wall along the lowest section of the outwash plains, with lower dunes behind it, similar to a rain shadow. The dunes are not static; their constituent parts move while the overall form remains permanent. Digging into the dunes reveals dampness beneath the surface, indicating that the surface sand must be constantly renewed to prevent drying out.
The sands mostly sing when the wind blows from the east to the west – when the grains of sand with a layer of silica are set moving by the wind, vibrating together to make a deep hum.
Long ago, when animals could talk, the camel had magnificent antlers and a long, thick tail. One day, while drinking from the river and admiring his reflection, a deer approached him.
“Hello, Camel,” said the deer. “I have been invited to an assembly of animals this evening, but my forehead is so bare. I wish I could go with beautiful antlers like yours. Could you lend me your antlers for tonight? I’ll return them tomorrow when you come for a drink.”
The camel, proud but kind-hearted, took pity on the deer’s situation. He gave his antlers to the deer, saying, “Return them tomorrow when I come for a drink.”
On the way back, the deer met a horse and explained how he got the antlers. The horse then approached the camel, still at the river, and said, “I’m going to a horse race, and I’m sure I’d win if I had your tail.”
“No,” said the camel. “I have already lent out my antlers and can’t loan out my tail as well.”
“Don’t worry, brother. I’ll bring it back tomorrow after the race,” the horse replied.
“Alright, but make sure you bring it back,” said the camel, handing over his long, bushy tail.
Many months and years passed, but neither the deer nor the horse returned the antlers or the tail. The camel repeatedly asked for them back, but the deer always replied, “I’ll give you back your antlers when the goat’s horns have grown to heaven, and the foolish camel’s tail has grown down to the earth.”
This is why the camel sadly shakes his head when he drinks. Sometimes you’ll see him stretching his neck and gazing longingly, hoping the deer and horse will return his antlers and tail. The deer must change his antlers yearly because the luck of having antlers did not belong to him but to the camel. As for the horse, he shies away whenever he meets a camel.
Jess @ Eternal Landscapes