OG Hapas Discovered in the Altai Mountains

A team of researchers from Barcelona, building on the findings of Mongolian and French teams several years ago, have discovered hard evidence of the original hapas. In the Altai Mountains of Mongolia, more than 2,000 years ago, East met West and produced some really good looking people.

The key to this discovery is not that the Caucasians of Europe headed East looking for Asian girlfriends, but that the people of Central Asia were a dominant force expanding their territories into Western lands.

This is a timely discovery for the day after the newly decided set date for  Chinggis Khan’s birthday this year, although the genetic mix was happening even before his time.

The people who live in Mongolia’s Altai Mountains today are mostly Kazakh Mongols, like the handsome eagle hunter pictured above. They’re a unique blend of Turkic, Mongol and Russian cultures and genes. They have faced challenges creating their modern identity in Mongolia, but they are absolutely a part of what makes this part of the world so fascinating.