What would a 'desert' be without sand? Well, actually, it would be the gov'. But there are some areas of sand dunes in the gobi. Some are quite impressive. These weren't particularly so, but they were fairly close to the other places we took the tourists. There were maybe three or so ridges of dunes, and if you climbed to the top of one, you could fairly easily see the other side of the sandy area.
Yes, technically any place that receives less than 25 cm (10 inches) of rain a year is a desert. But you know what I mean.