Ölgii Eagle Festival
The traditional horse games and camel races that are staggered over the two-day event are probably more thrilling than the actual eagle-hunting competitions. The most exciting are kokbar (a tug-of-war with an animal skin between two riders) and tenge ilu (a competition in which riders must swoop down to pick up a scrap of material from the ground at full gallop).
Although the tradition dates back about 2000 years (Marco Polo mentions it in his Travels), the inaugural festival was only held in 1999. The program differs from year to year but the opening ceremony usually kicks off around 10am, followed by the judging of how well the competitors are attired in traditional dress. This is followed by various competitions, including one called shakhyru during which the eagle must catch a piece of fox fur pulled behind a galloping horse. The festival culminates on Sunday, when a live fox (or sometimes a wolf pup) is released as bait for the top three eagles to hunt (some may find this somewhat distressing as the fox is killed).
Be sure to hang onto your admission ticket as it will get you into the Saturday-night traditional music concert held in the Kazakh National Theatre.
The easiest way to get to the festival grounds is on the bus operated by Kazakh Tour (T5000 per person return, tickets available from its office) or by taxi (T10,000 one way).
Smaller eagle festivals are also held in Sagsai and Tolbo.
