Mongolian eagle hunger Khaiyr Galym offers an insight into his nomadic life. Photo: Charukesi Ramadurai
Mongolian eagle hunger Khaiyr Galym offers an insight into his nomadic life. Photo: Charukesi Ramadurai
Mongolian eagle hunger Khaiyr Galym offers an insight into his nomadic life. Photo: Charukesi Ramadurai
Mongolian eagle hunger Khaiyr Galym offers an insight into his nomadic life. Photo: Charukesi Ramadurai

Living with a Kazakh eagle hunter: A journey into the heart of nomadic life in western Mongolia


  • English
  • Arabic

In the remote valleys of western Mongolia, near the snow-capped Altai mountains, I meet Khaiyr Galym, a traditional Kazakh eagle hunter.

Despite the language barrier, I am given a holistic insight into the nomadic life, influenced by nature and rhythm of the seasons, and warmly welcomed into his home that he shares with his family.

When I first meet Khaiyr, he is sitting on a low stool in his winter home, his cowboy outfit is complete with boots and wide-brimmed hat. He doesn’t understand or speak a word of English, but smiles often, making the skin on his weather-beaten cheeks crack with the effort. His wife Shynat serves us endless cups of weak milky tea, along with aaruul, a salty hard cheese.

With me is Shokhan, an English-speaking guide, who translates and helps make sense of this new, fascinating world. It’s a land where the people are few and far between, and vastly outnumbered by the grazing horses, sheep and yaks. Our driver has scaled mountain passes and forded rivers, based, it seems, on pure instinct, before pulling up at Khaiyr’s isolated home in a low valley.

It is still early in Mongolia’s short summer season, and the world outside this little two-roomed house is just beginning to turn green, with the distant hills still covered in splashes of white. On this trip to Mongolia, I have chosen to travel west towards the imposing and remote Altai mountains, located along the border with Russia, Kazakhstan and China. And here I am, in a yurt in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by strangers who have welcomed me into their homes.

Families of Mongolian eagle hunters live nomadically in yurts, round tents also known as ger. Photo: Charukesi Ramadurai
Families of Mongolian eagle hunters live nomadically in yurts, round tents also known as ger. Photo: Charukesi Ramadurai

Staying in a yurt – a round tent also known as ger in some parts of central Asia, which serves as the summer home of nomadic shepherd families – is part of the attraction. But the main draw is a chance to spend time with the patriarch Khaiyr, who practises the traditional Kazakh art of berkutchi, hunting with golden eagles. And while eagle hunting is a winter sport, this is a rare opportunity to get a close glimpse into this rapidly vanishing tradition.

Although berkutchi dates back several centuries and spans across the central Asian steppes, it has waned in popularity in recent times, with only about 250 eagle hunters to be found in Mongolia. Khaiyr’s forefathers migrated to Mongolia in the mid 1800s, and like many other ethnic Kazakhs, he continue to speak in their native language, and follow other Kazakh customs and rituals. Berkutchi, somewhat similar to falconry in the Middle East, is a treasured sport, one in which the eagle is trained to hunt for small prey such as red fox and marmots, with the hunters using the skin as fur to line their hats and coats.

“It is simply a way of staying in touch with my roots,” Khaiyr says, adding that he hopes his kids will take it forward after him.

Khaiyr Galym's 10-year-old son, Seruen. Photo: Charukesi Ramadurai
Khaiyr Galym's 10-year-old son, Seruen. Photo: Charukesi Ramadurai

The couple live with their two younger children, the older two having moved to big cities for higher education. Seruen, aged 10, is an expert horseman – he learnt to ride even before he could walk, says the proud father – and teen daughter Arujon, who captivates me with her quick smile and confident movements. Morning and evening, I see her at her mother’s side, milking the sheep, rounding up the horses, feeding the yaks and riding her father’s motorbike to fetch and carry heavy loads. She gives a shy nod when I ask if she would like to take over from her father. I am thrilled, the world could certainly use another rare eagle huntress.

Although I am completely cut off from the outside world, with no mobile phone or internet access, the days fall into an easy and pleasing rhythm. In the mornings, after a hearty breakfast, I ride out into the hills along with Khaiyr, Seruen and Shokhan. Their eagle, Tas Tulek, has gained weight in the past few weeks and rides comfortably on Khaiyr’s shoulders. The father and son are eager to show off their tricks, and soon rend the air with piercing calls that instruct the eagle to fly, hunt or return to base.

Khaiyr Galym and his family with their livestock. Photo: Charukesi Ramadurai
Khaiyr Galym and his family with their livestock. Photo: Charukesi Ramadurai

The bond between a burkitshi and his bird is deep and abiding, starting from when the bird is only a couple of months old. When I catch Khaiyr caressing Tas Tulek’s head during a quiet moment, he declares, “This eagle is like my child, so I have to love her and pet her, and keep her happy".

In the evenings, I walk down from the yurt towards the Sagsai river flowing gently nearby, to watch the family's horses drinking from the crystal-clear waters as the sun goes down behind the hills. Occasionally, Seruen tags along and provides entertainment with his eager attempts to catch fish. But for the most part, I am happy to just sit in silent introspection.

These nomadic families pack up and move three to four times a year in search of adequate fodder for their livestock, changing their lives along with the changing seasons. Once I leave, Khaiyr’s family will move into the yurt, Shokhan tells me. The yurt is decidedly warm and comforting, decorated with colourful and coarse hand-woven carpets, and the walls lined with the gleaming medals won in local horse-riding contests. This may be simple, but this is home for the family. And I am grateful for having been part of it for just a few days.

How to get there

Khaiyr Galym on horseback, with a backdrop of Mongolia's Altai mountains. Photo: Charukesi Ramadurai
Khaiyr Galym on horseback, with a backdrop of Mongolia's Altai mountains. Photo: Charukesi Ramadurai

The gateway to the Altai mountains is the regional hub of Olgii, three hours by plane from the capital city of Ulanbaatar, the country’s only international airport. You can fly into Ulanbaatar from Abu Dhabi via Istanbul with Turkish Airways, and from Dubai via Beijing with Air China. There are also routes with stopovers in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul available.

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ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

At a glance

- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years

- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills

- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis

- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector

- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes

- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government

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The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Pad Man

Dir: R Balki

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte

Three-and-a-half stars

BMW%20M4%20Competition
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.0%20twin-turbo%20inline%20six-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20eight-speed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E503hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20600Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20from%20Dh617%2C600%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Results

Stage 5:

1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Jumbo-Visma  04:19:08

2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates  00:00:03

3. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers

4. Sergio Higuita (COL) EF Education-Nippo 00:00:05

5. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:06

General Classification:

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 17:09:26

2.  Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers 00:00:45

3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:01:12

4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma 00:01:54

5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo 00:01:56

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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Who has been sanctioned?

Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.

Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.

Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.

Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.

Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE fixtures:
Men

Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final

Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final

ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures

October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Total eligible population

About 57.5 million people
51.1 million received a jab
6.4 million have not

Where are the unvaccinated?

England 11%
Scotland 9%
Wales 10%
Northern Ireland 14% 

UJDA CHAMAN

Produced: Panorama Studios International

Directed: Abhishek Pathak

Cast: Sunny Singh, Maanvi Gagroo, Grusha Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla

Rating: 3.5 /5 stars

Herc's Adventures

Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Where can I submit a sample?

Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.

Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:

  • Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
  • Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
  • Al Towayya in Al Ain
  • NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
  • Bareen International Hospital
  • NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
  • NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
  • NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeap%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ziad%20Toqan%20and%20Jamil%20Khammu%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

If you go

The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road. 

The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
 

 

Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books

Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

Leaderboard

63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)

64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)

66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)

67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)

68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)

69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2a)
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Sonchiriya

Director: Abhishek Chaubey

Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment

Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey

Rating: 3/5

Pari

Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment

Director: Prosit Roy

Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani

Three stars

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Company%20Profile
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The bio

Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France

Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines

Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.

Favourite Author: My father for sure

Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst

Updated: May 15, 2025, 2:04 AM`