The Vanished Kingdom of Mustang: A Wild Planet's Romance

Situated in the mid-western part of Nepal, north of Mount Dhaulagiri, on the frontier with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, lies Mustang (སྨོན་ཐང་།). This former kingdom in the Himalayan foothills, now defunct, was historically called the "Kingdom of Lo". Its Tibetan name signifies "fertile plain". The Gandaki River runs across its land. Mustang once acted as a vital route between the Tibetan Plateau and both Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

Photographer Will Elsom's documentary project "Kingdom of Lo" examines life in the Mustang region, highlighting the bond between people and their surroundings and the way external conditions shape their experiences. The Nangpa La Pass, situated in that territory, served as an important Himalayan crossing west of Sikkim before being closed. Elsom remarks, "I believe there is a kind of romanticism about people in the remote areas of our wild planet.

The lost kingdom of Mustang was founded in 1380 when the Tibetan Ame Pal arrived. By the late 18th century, Nepal had annexed it, though the kingdom remained autonomous within Nepal and was granted a high degree of self-rule. Mustang's main ethnic group is the Loba people, who speak Tibetan and practice Buddhism. Many Himalayan cultures on the verge of extinction are preserved in this region. "I am always interested in exploring the meaning behind it.

In 2008, the Nepalese government stripped Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista, the final monarch of Mustang, of his title, thereby converting the Kingdom of Mustang into Mustang District. After stepping down, he relocated to Kathmandu, yet he remains respected by Mustang's inhabitants. Recently, the Loba people have been threatened by globalization, reflecting a "modernization" threat, as a road to Nepal is being constructed.

Little vegetation grows here. Bare hillsides display lines carved by wind erosion. Because of the terrain, residents of Mustang depend on glacier meltwater from both sides of the valley. Those glaciers, however, are shrinking rapidly, and some have already vanished. As a consequence, certain villages have been left empty, with inhabitants relocating to other settlements. For all its history as a key trade route through the mountains, this corridor has brought unavoidable plastic waste.

Mustang's breathtaking landscapes and rich Buddhist heritage are deeply embedded in the collective memory of its people, whose ancestors once dwelt in caves. Over a thousand years of historical transformation, they have preserved their forebears' way of life. The geological origins of this region reach back millions of years, to the era when the Tethys Ocean receded from the Tibetan Plateau. The Pass of the Lonely Valley—those long-told myths and legends—serves as a gateway through the desolate valleys and harsh winds.

Currently residing and working in Oxford, British photographer Will Elsom said, 'In our wild planet, there is an undying romanticism about the people in remote areas.' The Loba people, although Mustang has lost its autonomy, possess immense strength and wisdom that arise from their harsh living conditions. These survival capabilities, amid the ever-changing chapters of history, have become compelling witnesses to their cultural identity. Their thousand-year survival ability is the path through desolate valleys and relentless winds.

His favorite mode of travel is trekking, and in 2018 he returned to Mustang that way, gaining a more profound appreciation of the region. "As a child, I frequently carried a sketchbook and pencil, capturing anything I believed was worth documenting. Over time, the camera came to serve as an outgrowth of that early habit of sketching. With a photograph, a narrative comes into being at once, and that is what thrills me. Even when the story it tells is invented, the viewer can still form a connection with the image, and a tale takes shape on its own.