Khujirt is the name given to one of the quiet valleys in the folds of Noyon Uul, a range of forested hills in northern Mongolia where the horizon is all grass and sky. Hidden among the larch and birch on the slopes are the burial mounds of the Xiongnu, the nomadic empire that dominated the steppe from about the third century BC to the first century AD and troubled the Han dynasty of China. The tombs, which number over two hundred in the area, were dug deep, lined with timber and covered with a low mound of stones, and some of them are the graves of very important people.
When Russian archaeologists excavated several of the mounds in 1924, they found that the permafrost had preserved objects that would normally have rotted away. Silk embroidered with birds and flowers came from China, wool textiles with Greek and Central Asian motifs came from the west, and there were carved felt rugs showing animals fighting, a Chinese lacquered cup and a chariot. Together they show how rich the steppe elite were and how far the Silk Road reached. The finds are mostly in museums in St Petersburg and Ulaanbaatar, but the landscape remains.
Getting to the valley is part of the adventure. From Ulaanbaatar, you take the paved road north toward Darkhan, then turn off onto gravel tracks that run over rolling hills, with herds of horses, sheep and goats grazing, and gers scattered on the slopes. The tracks are not signed, and the surface can be rough, muddy after rain and dusty in dry weather, so check your route, carry a GPS and ask herders for directions. Rivers have to be crossed in places, and rain can make them impassable.
The nearest sizeable town, Dzuunharaa, about thirty-four kilometres away, has fuel, shops and simple restaurants, and it is the place to fill before heading into the hills. Carry spare fuel, food, water and warm clothes. If a herder invites you into a ger, accept a bowl of salty milk tea and some dried curds, which is the custom. Summer evenings are long and cool, and the stars are astonishing.