Tuva & Khakhassia

Although Tuva and Khakhassia have been divided-up by the jealousies of contemporary politicians, they’re really one area and we treat them together.  Abakan is the regional capital of Khakhassia and the only rail-hub for the area (a quick look at a topographical map shows you why the railroad can’t go further). Although Abakan is a rather grubby city, it has one secret attraction – it inherited the enormous archaeological collection once housed in the famous “Museum of Minusinsk” (a private collection of huge value, assembled by a local C19th millionaire in a neighbouring town, who had a passion for archaeology).  In practice this means that many of the famous tombstones and monuments for which the area is famous are in fact located in Abakan – including many looted from Tuva in the C19th.  Tuva was once a separate country – in fact if only joined the USSR (allegedly “voluntarily”, although in fact the deal was engineered by soviet bribes to local officials, who were all given cars in exchange for their cooperation) in the 1940s.  Tuva is more famous for traditions and ethnic legacy than any particular “sights” – as you might well expect from a people who are traditionally nomadic and find the idea of “sights” an alien concept anyhow.  These traditions of Tuvan lifestyle can be briefly summed up as:

• The life of Tuvan steppe nomads – mainly surviving from animal husbandry… sheep, goats, camels and yaks.
• Tuvan Buddhism, which somehow managed to avoid the worst soviet purges (the post-war USSR was too busy putting the country back together to bother with a few monks in remote regions)
• Tuvan Shamanism (which, by contrast, was viciously persecuted under soviet rule, but nevertheless managed to survive in secret despite the killings and arrests)
• Throat-singing and other kinds of Tuvan national music-making
• The relics of the pre-Tuvan period – earthworks, burial mounds, tombstones, and much more – which survive in Tuva.  These have been identified as belonging to what was once a largely Turkic community that was scattered by the coming of the Mongols.
• Nadym – the annual festival of national sports and activities which takes place each summer – largely featuring archery, horsemanship and Tuvan wrestling.
• Tuvan traditional cuisine – heavily based on mutton products!  (It is very difficult to offer fully vegetarian tour options in Tuva – please be warned of this in advance.  Although it ought to be possible in theory, it would be falsifying Tuvan culture to do so.  Please note that Tuvan Buddhists are enthusiastic meat-eaters).