Amongst the cold desert, almost without a single tree, famous for its harsh climate, stands the city of Ulgii, which means “cradle” in Mongolian. It is the only city in Mongolia, in which the majority of the population is Kazakh. It differs quite strongly from its neighbouring Khovd, but much more it differs from post-Soviet cities: there are a lot unfamiliar details, so surprisingly intertwined with the familiar ones.
