XXXX 37 Altai sum, Bayan Ulgii province Mongolia The Mongolian Kazakhs travelled through Russia to the Mongolian Altai Mountains living as semi-nomads, moving several times a year according to the season. The diaspora is by no means a homogenous group: there are many distinct communities with different traditions. The Mongolian Kazakhs, for example, have integrated Mongolian festivals within their own traditions. Buddhism is the biggest religion in Mongolia as a whole, but most Kazakhs are Sunni Muslims. Many Kazakhs in Mongolia now have their own spiritual identity, which combines Islam with their own traditions.