Republic of Tuva: the capital and its attractions

The Republic of Tuva (the capital city of Kyzyl) is a subject of the Russian Federation. It is part of the Siberian Federal District. This region has a significant tourist potential, which, unfortunately, is still little used. This article is intended to shed light on the unfamiliar attractions of Tuva. They are mostly natural. The whole region is in the picturesque region of Western Sayan. So in the Republic of Tuva there are snow-capped peaks with eternal glaciers, and tundra, and taiga, as well as steppes and even semi-deserts. In terms of tourism, the region is also interesting because here, in view of geographical isolation, the national color and the ancient traditions of nomads have been intact. And the local beliefs of the Tuvinians - an interesting mix of Buddhism and pagan shamanism - put the stupor of religious scholars. Come here in search of Asian spirituality, admire the beauty of the mountains and improve health in local healing springs.

Tuva or Tyva?

Many tourists are confused by this double name. Maybe it's about two different republics? No, about the same. Just sound in the name of the subject is something between the letters "y" and "s". In tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union, the first pronunciation was practiced. But in 1993 the new constitution of this subject of the Federation was adopted. According to it, it became known as the "Republic of Tyva". Tuva (the capital of Kyzyl) has not disappeared from the maps of our country. According to the current Constitution, both names are equivalent. The official name of the subject of the Russian Federation is Tyva (Republic). Its area is 168 604 square kilometers. On such an impressive territory there are quite a few people. According to the latest data (2015), the population of Tyva is only 313,780 people.

History of the region

The lands of the modern republic were inhabited as far back as the first millennium BC. Archaeologists find traces of the presence of Indo-European nomads, then the Turkic tribes penetrate here. In the IV-III centuries BC. E. Here there is the first state formation, extending to the west from Baikal. Chinese chronicles call it "Dingling-go". The medieval history of Tuva is full of bloody events. In the VIII century there was an independent principality, run by the bek, which claimed the Khan title. A hundred years later, the khanate of the Yenisei Kyrgyz people appeared on the territory of Tuva. This steppe empire stretched from Eastern Turkestan to the Amur and the Irtysh. Kaganat existed until the XIII century, and then became part of the Great Mongol Empire, Temujin (Genghis Khan). The territory of Tuva alternately became part of various khanates (Northern Yuan, Hotoogoitskogo, Dzhungarsky), until in 1758 was captured by China (the Qing dynasty).

The Republic of Tyva: history

Sights left over from previous eras are few. This is mainly burial mounds, the finds from which have replenished the collection of the archaeological museum in Kyzyl. When the Mongolian national revolution took place in 1911, some Tuvan princes appealed to Nicholas II with a request to accept their lands under the Russian protectorate. In April 1914, this neoplasm began to be called Uryankhai cream. At the same time, the construction of the Belotsarsk settlement began at the confluence of the Big and Small Yenisei. Under Soviet rule, it was renamed in Krasnozarsk, and later - in Kyzyl. In 1921, the independent republic of Tannu-Tuva was proclaimed. In 1932, under the pressure of the USSR, some Mongolian lands were withdrawn to her. And in August 1944, the Small Hural of the Turin People's Republic decided to join the state education to the USSR and join the RSFSR as an autonomous region.

Where is

Where is the Republic of Tuva located? The capital of the region, the city of Kyzyl, is only 20 kilometers west of the geographical center of Asia. In the south, Tuva borders on Mongolia, and on the other three sides - with such subjects of the Russian Federation as Buryatia, Khakassia, Altai, the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Irkutsk Region. The territory of the Republic is located, therefore, in Eastern Siberia, in the very south of our country. Eighty percent of its land is occupied by mountains. The heights of the Sayan Peaks range from two to three kilometers above sea level. In the west of the Altai mountains rise . The highest points of the Republic are concentrated here: Mongun-Taiga (3976 m), Ak-Oyuk and Mongulek. In the Sayans, in the upper reaches of the Great Yenisei, there is a plateau from the basalt of Derby-Taiga, where there are sixteen volcanoes that are considered extinct.

How to get there?

By train, you will not reach the original edge of Tuva. The Tuva Republic knows only air, bus and river communication. The nearest railway station is 44 km from Kyzyl - in the city of Abakan. A small airport of the capital of the Republic accepts only a few flights. From day to day the pilots "Pilatus" cruise from Krasnoyarsk. In summer, three times a week, Kyzyl can be reached from Novosibirsk. Bus service is available to Irkutsk and Tomsk. From the end of April to the freeze-up along the Big Yenisei, a motor ship runs from Kyzyl to the village of Toora-Khem. In hard-to-reach places tourists bring helicopters.

Climate

The Republic of Tuva is surrounded on all sides by mountains. Its capital is in the basin. Such a geographical location causes a sharply continental climate. Here the frosty (in the hollow of little snow) winter and a very hot, but rainy summer. The temperature in January is usually 30 ° C (there are frosts and up to 40 degrees). In July, the thermometer shows +25 ... +35 ° C. In the basin, the dry summer is only 200 mm of precipitation a year, whereas on the slopes of the mountains it drops to a thousand millimeters. The most favorable time for visiting the republic for tourism purposes is May and September. Then comfortable temperatures prevail here, the risk of falling under the rain falls.

The capital of the Republic of Tyva is Kyzyl

The view of the city, standing at the confluence of two rivers, Biy-Khem and Kaa-Khem (Big and Small Yeniseev), is simply amazing. In the background, mountains rise, and this primitive beauty transforms the panel houses of the Soviet building of the Khrushchev period. You will not find any antiquities in Kyzyl - after all, the city was hardly a hundred years old. But the attentive tourist can still find in this Soviet depersonalization the local flavor. Especially it began to manifest itself in recent years. These are raised "Chinese" corners of the roofs, a stadium in the form of a giant yurt. Kyzyl is able to surprise a visiting tourist and even to plunge him into a cultural shock. So, on the mountain of Lenin is laid out of the stones of the mantra "Om-mane-padme-hum," invoking the city of the Dalai Lama. And if you visit the museum, you will learn the Tuva version of the origin of the species Homosapiens. There, under the scarecrow of a clumsy owner of the forest, there is an inscription: "The bear is the ancestor of people."

Where to stay and what to see

There are only four hotels in Kyzyl. The biggest one is the hotel complex "Buyan-Badyrgy". Lovers of small family-type hotels are waiting for a cozy "Cottage". Beginning to get acquainted with the city follows from Arat Square. It houses the Drama Theater and the Government House. The Republic of Tuva, whose capital amazes with exoticism, clearly prefers the Muses, rather than the officialdom. The temple of the arts looks much more impressive than the Government House. But the main attraction of the square is the prayer drum. It contains more than one million mantras. One turn of the drum clears the soul better than the Great Lent - so assure the locals. It is worth looking into the local churches. In the most visited Buddhist shrine - Datsan Cechenling - they study the philosophy of Enlightenment, practice meditation and yoga, pray. Shamanism in Tuva is also in honor. There are several centers in which it is possible to pass a rite of purification or to know the future.

Developments

Most tourists come to Kyzyl in transit - on the way to healing springs and mud lakes. But there is a date in the calendar, when it is definitely worth visiting the Republic of Tuva. First of all, this is the New Year. It is celebrated here according to the lunar calendar (end of January or early February). Everywhere there are games, horse races, sports "khuresh". In these battles, men fight one on one. In August, when the shepherds descend from the mountains, the traditional holiday of Naadim takes place. Day of the Republic of Tuva is celebrated on the second Sunday of September. Literally all the holidays are accompanied by jumps, the struggle of the heroes "khuresh" and archery. During the performance of local bands you can hear throat singing. This is another attraction in the culture of the Tuvan people.