Dahong Mountain (Big Red Mountain)

Nomugeng Mountain is situated in the northwest of the banner, 45 kilometers northeast of the seat of Nomugeng Sum. The mountain runs north-south in an oblong shape with a relatively flat summit, stretching roughly 15 kilometers from north to south and 10 kilometers from east to west.

Though classified as a waterless grassland, it boasts lush pasture in rainy seasons dotted with seasonal lakes, making it a natural grazing ground. Several obos stand atop the mountain, among which the tallest one, Uhan Teyin Borhot Obo, sits at an altitude of 1129.9 meters. The mountain’s specialty, hair moss, is renowned at home and abroad. It is also nicknamed Big Red Mountain due to its reddish soil.

Its flat summit covered in fine grass resembles a natural wildlife sanctuary. Argali sheep, a rare species worldwide, can still be found here, alongside frequent visitors including Mongolian gazelles and foxes.

Beneath Nomugeng Mountain lies an endless expanse of grassland. In summer, the land abounds with water and grass, dotted with cattle and sheep, filled with the chirping of larks, presenting a vibrant and thriving scene. In winter, boundless snow blankets the land, forming a classic northern frontier landscape. Majestic, beautiful and fertile, Nomugeng Mountain looks just like a galloping steed.

According to legend, a mother and her son once made a living by herding and hunting here long ago. The mother was kind and devout, while her son brave and upright. One day the mother told him: “My boy, you have grown up. You ought to settle down, raise children and carry on the sacred flame of our clan.” The son was filial and always obeyed his mother’s words. The next day after returning from herding, he took his bow and arrows, mounted his blue-grey horse and set off toward the southwest.

Years passed without a single word from the son. Tormented by longing for her child, the mother shed endless tears that pooled into a lake named Ulaan Nuur, meaning Red Lake. Her body turned into a huge stone gazing into the distance on a ridge thirty li to the southwest. Later generations carried stones to pile obos on the mountain top in memory of the merciful mother, launching the tradition of obo worship rituals.

During horse races held for obo sacrifices, the starting line is always set at Bor Tolgoi Ridge (also known as Haizi Ridge) in the southwest, with the finish line at the foot of Nomugeng Obo, symbolizing the reunion of mother and son.

North of the obo stands a spring well known locally as Chabchir Well, or the Digged Well. Legend records that Ombu, ancestor of the Four Tribes, led his troops westward and arrived here exhausted and parched. Just as the soldiers could endure no more thirst, the chieftain’s steed let out a long neigh and pawed hard several times at the northern foot of the mountain. A spring gushed forth instantly, saving the whole tribe. The spring was thereafter named Chabchir Bulag, the Digged Spring