. NOVEMBER 2012 BACK ISSUE Mongolia is a beautiful country of rugged terrain, vast deserts and expansive steppes. Nomadic herders have lived on the Mongolian steppe for centuries. Harsh climate conditions and the country's changing economy have however made it difficult for some herders to maintain their traditional way of life. A trip to the country in 2006 allowed me a glimpse into their world and way of life, s striking contrast to that of regular urbanites. A booming mining industry and staggering economic growth has pushed many of these nomads to work in mines and cities. These pictures capture a way of living that is in danger of disappearing with time. by How Hwee Young A young Mongolian boy views the desolate landscape from a rooftop in a small town in Mongolia. A lone tree stands in the desolate Gobi Desert of Mongolia. A young boy is seen through the satellite dish of a ger or traditional tent of a Mongolian nomadic family in Mongolia. Mongolian children enjoying a hotspring. Goats being tied together for milking. A girl from a nomadic family is seen running in the grassland through a discarded tyre. A young girl is seen through the windows of a tractor in a small rural town. Mongolian children play in a backyard of a makeshift house in a small town. A nomad riding a motorcycle in front of an abandoned building. A young girl runs into the ger or tradional Mongolian tent. A Mongolian boy looks out between reindeer horns on display at the Bayanzag cliffs in Mongolia. A nomadic herder taking out sheered wool from a makeshift enclosure for his livestock. A Mongolian woman adjusts her husband's deel in the windswept rocky plateaux of Baga Gazriin Chuluu, Mongolia. Mongolian women look out at the vast grasslands where their gers or traditional tents are set up for the moment. Mongolian girls are seen playing in a quiet town. Back to current issue