Three little girls fetch water from a local well in the town of Olgii. Running water is a rare commodity in most homes . Olgii, Western Mongolia, 2015.

Karakorum as seen from the outside. Mongolia, 2015

Taikhar Rock is located 22 kilometres (14 miles) northeast from Tsetserleg, in the village of Ikh Tamir, south the Khoid Tamir River. It’s a big 20-metres (66 feet) high granite rock, covered with 150 writings in many different languages and dating back from many different periods (runic, Sogd, Uyghur, Mongolian, Nangiad, Tibetan writings). The oldest one is the runic writing, dating back from the turkish period of the 6th and 7th centuries. An ovoo was placed at its top. Unfortunately, there are many graffiti on this rock and the old writings almost disappeared. The government decided to protect the rock in 1994. The most famous legend bound to Taikhar rock tells that Bukhbilegt, a giant warrior, threw this rock on a snake that was coming out from the land, which explains its strange presence in this place.