“How wide is the Mongolian desert! How vast is the steppe! How uncountable are mountains, hills, ridges, gullies and folds, where the glory is buried! (…)

It seems that there are no birds here. Only a golden eagle who flies in circles. Or maybe crows and choughs dappling the sky. Or a lark singing. Or a quail flying off. Or turpanes, geese, ducks, various sandpipers appearing near the water... Or a bustard showing its head from mat grass. Or cranes and herons beating their wings... There are birds here...

So, why are you so silent, the beautiful desert? Maybe, it is because of your height? Your immensity? The purity of this blue celestial dome, the great Tengri, gracious to Genghis Khan?”

(N.K. Roerich. Erdeni Mori // The Gateway to the Future)