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The Republic of TUVA  The republic of Tuva, with an area of 170,500 square kilometers, is one of the least known regions in Siberia, and maybe one of the most remarkable. Getting there is an exploratory trek in the very heart of Siberia and Asia. Tuva is the remotest place in the world as there is no other land located so far from any sea. Many of Tuvans are still cattle breeding nomads and there are true shamans(*)...  It is located in the transition zone between the Mongolian steppes and the taiga, the Siberian wood. Nature is very beautiful with snow topped mountains, large woods of larch trees and endless steppes. Tuva is the only country in the world where you can find wild reindeers and camels within its borders. Here you also find bear, wolf,
wild boar and ibex. The first traces of humans are considered to be at least 40,000 years old. The Turks ruled the region in the 6th century after Christ. From 1758 until 1911 Tuva was under Chinese administration. During the Middle Ages "The big silk road" crossed the region. In August 1921 the Tuvans declared their independence and called the country Tannu Tuva, known among stamp collectors for its big and beautiful stamps. Josef Stalin deprived Tuva its independence in October 1944 and the country was integrated in the Soviet Union (USSR). In 1990 Tuva had riots and protest actions against the Russians. They resulted in killings and that many of Russians left the country. The Tuvans, originally of Mongolian heritage, accepted the Tibetan Lamaism already in the 14th century, which resulted in a big cultural change. Shamanism remained strong Tuva also after the arrival of the Buddhism. During the Stalin era both lamas and shamans were persecuted. Many of them were imprisoned or killed. In the recent years the shamanism is gaining followers again. Presently there are more than 300 active shamans in Tuva. The Tuvan language belongs to the group of Turkic languages. From the beginning the Tuvans lived a nomadic life as hunters or cattle-breeders, nowadays the majority are domiciled. The Tuvans are one of the largest minority people in Siberia and count more than 200,000. In Tuva they represent about 75 % of the total population of 300,000 inhabitants. Tuva is sparsely populated. There are only about 2 persons per square kilometer, Sweden has about 20 per square kilometer. For people interested in nature Tuva has much to offer. Here you can find 1,500 different plants, 15 of them are endemic. Also the fauna is very rich. In Tuva you find 72 different species of animals, 240 different birds and 7 different reptiles. The young, but not very beautiful capital Kyzyl was founded by Russians in 1914. Kyzyl means "Red" in Turkish. The city is located at the confluence of the two rivers Kaa-khem and Bii-Khem, The Great and Minor Yenisej rivers. From here the river flows on as a one of the great Siberian rivers, the mighty Yenisej, more than 4,000 kilometers long. The interesting daily life of the Tuvans and the monument "Middle of Asia" are two of the main attractions in Kyzyl. The monument was built by a British explorer in the 19th century, who calculated this to be the midpoint of Asia. He missed the midpoint with only about 75 kilometers! Other interesting experiences you can make in Kyzyl are to visit a shaman clinic or to go to a concert given by the famous throat singers. There is one shaman clinic down at the shore of the Yenesi. Here are about 10 active shamans. You can visit them for different consultations, to be cured from some sickness or just to get blessed. To see them in action is very interesting, as well as a little shocking, if you not have met shamans before. To listen to a concert by throat-singers is something very special. Their songs are so different from our western songs. This technique of singing can be found also in Mongolia and Tibet, but the Tuvan singers are the most skilled. They sing with two voices at the same time and their song is called "khoomei". For lovers of soviet architecture there is much to see in Kyzyl. The gigantic, often ugly living-houses can be found all over the city. Even if this type of architecture mostly don't look nice, it is fascinating to study the large buildings. In Siberia you can find "Old believers" , people who wants to live a strict life without higher material standard or greater comfort, their believe is of most importance. Also in Tuva you can find villages with "Old believers". In the small, but very beautiful village of Sizim, several "Old believers" are living, and it is possible to get a glimpse of their common life. Sizim is located approximately 200 kilometers east of Kyzyl on the shores of the river with the same name, not far away from the Kaa-Khem river. Early in the morning they come through the village with their cattle. During the day they work in their gardens or out in the fields, cutting grass for winter demands. During the severe Siberian winter they hunt for meet or furs. The majority of the tourists visiting Tuva comes for trekking, here are several fine opportunities.  In the beautiful area of Ush-Mongulek in the Western Sayan mountains It is not possible to trek without local support. You need a guide and horses carrying the equipment. It is easy to trek here compared with the Himalayas or the Andes, as you are on lower altitudes all the time. You trek mostly on an altitude between 1 600 to 3 000 meters. If you climb the Ush-Mongulek you reach 3,450 meters. The nature is very similar to the one in northern Scandinavia, although the mountains are higher. You trek most of the time on trails. The terrain is sometimes rather hilly, you ford rivers and cross passes. The views are splendid. In the forests there are mainly larch trees. In June/July you find different flowers all over. Many of them are similar to the one you find in Scandinavia. The area is sparsely inhabited. Sometimes you come to places with a small number of yurtas, tents, inhabited by nomads. If you are lucky you can be invited to visit a family. They offer you bread, tsampa and araka, liquor made of horse milk. The nomads live mainly on cattle breeding. So far the Western Sayan mountains are visited by few tourists and are sometimes called "Russia's best kept secret". ---------- (*)Shamanism was outlawed by the communists in 1938 (and shamans who could be located were killed) but since the fall of the Soviet empire both shamanism and yellow-hat Buddhism have been making a comeback.
See Also: The Throat-Singers of Tuva
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