The Golden Eagle Festival (, ) is an annual cultural festival held in

Bayan-Ölgii Province Bayan-Ölgii ( ) is the westernmost of the 21 Aimags of Mongolia, aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. The country's only Islam in Mongolia, Muslim and Kazakh people, Kazakh-majority aimag, it was established in August 1940. Its capital is Ölgii (cit ...

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

. Organized by the Mongolian Eagle Hunter's Association, it celebrates the traditions of Kazakh eagle hunters (''bürkitshi'') who train and hunt with

golden eagles The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of p ...

. Competitions are held to showcase eagle handling skills, as well as traditional Kazakh dress and horsemanship. Events take place both in central Ölgii and on the nearby steppe, approximately outside the town. Prizes are awarded for categories such as best eagle at hunting prey, best eagle responding to its handler, and best presentation of traditional attire. Other events include horse racing, archery, and ''bushkashi,'' a horseback tug-of-war using a goatskin. The festival was prominently featured in the 2016 documentary ''

The Eagle Huntress ''The Eagle Huntress'' is a 2016 internationally co-produced Kazakh language, Kazakh-language documentary film directed by Otto Bell and narrated by executive producer Daisy Ridley. It follows the story of Aisholpan Nurgaiv, a 13-year-old Kazakhs, ...

'', which followed 13-year-old Aisholpan, reportedly the first girl to participate and win in the competition. The film drew international attention to the festival, though aspects of its marketing and portrayal have been critiqued for historical inaccuracy. Scholars and practitioners have debated the impact of tourism on eagle hunting traditions. Researchers such as Lauren McGough and Joseph Recupero have documented concerns about the commercialization of the festival, the rise of “hand-raised” eagles used for tourism rather than hunting, and shifting motivations among younger eagle hunters. A smaller related event, the Sagsai Golden Eagle Festival, takes place annually in September in nearby Sagsai village. It features a similar structure with approximately 40 participants and is particularly popular with photographers and journalists.

References

5. The Price on Our Practices: Motivation and Cultural Commodification in the Mongolian Tourism Industry"(2015). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2203. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2203 (on pages 34-5) 6. Wikipedia description for The Eagle Huntress documentary https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eagle_Huntress

External links

{{Wikivoyage, Ölgii}
Official website of Golden Eagle Festival organizers
Festivals in Mongolia Falconry Eagles in popular culture Autumn in Mongolia
Golden Eagle Festival 2025 detailsGolden Eagle Festival tour 2023

References

Further reading

External links