In the Republic of Tuva, which is located near the border of Russia and Mongolia, Lake Tere-Khol is hiding in the mountains at an altitude of 1300 meters. In the 17th century, Semyon Remezov, the famous compiler of maps of Siberia, discovered the ruins of a monumental fortress on an island in the center of the lake. About which he made a note in his papers: "The city is stone old, two walls are intact, two have been destroyed, but we do not know which of the city." The locals call the fortress on the island "Por-Bazhin" (translated from the Tuvan language, this means "clay house").
Let's find out more about her …
To begin with, the study of the Uyghur fortress of Por-Bazhin began long ago and has its own history. The ruins of Por-Bazhin have become known to Russian geographers since the end of the 17th century: the first mention of it is in the "Drawing book of Siberia, compiled by the Tobolsk boyar son Semyon Remezov in 1701" (published in St. Petersburg in 1882). Mentioning the remains of a settlement on an island located on Lake Terekhol, S. Remezov could not and did not try to determine by whom and when it was built. Subsequently, in 1891, the settlement was examined by the Russian ethnologist and archaeologist D. A. Klements, who removed his plan and for the first time drew attention to its similarity with the ruins of the city of Karabalgasun on the river. Orkhon in Mongolia. He wrote that the builders of Por-Bazhin were “not Mongols or Chinese, and hardly Khidans or Dzhurdzheni. Most likely the same or a kindred people to the builders of the ancient Karakorum."
For a very long time, Por-Bazhin did not attract the attention of researchers due to its inaccessibility. Nevertheless, archaeologists sometimes referred to it and even, following D. Klements, suggested that the settlement belonged to the period of the Uygur Kaganate (744-840) (for example, G. Sosnovsky, L. Potapov). The conclusion that the fortress belonged to the Uighurs was made on the basis of the coincidence of the topography of the ruins of Por-Bazhin with the Khara-Balgas (Karabalgasun) fortress on the Orkhon River, which had already been identified with the capital of the Orkhon Uyghurs, the city of Ordubalyk.
In 1964, a more detailed study of the site was undertaken by the Soviet archaeologist S. I. Vainshtein, who published the article "Ancient Por-Bazhin". By the way, this special archaeological study was not noted in any of the books of the famous archaeologist L. R. Kyzlasov, author of "History of Tuva in the Middle Ages" (1969) and "Ancient Tuva" (1979). Only in one of his early articles, "Medieval cities of Tuva," he mentions Por-Bazhin as "another, adobe-walled, quadrangular settlement (obviously a monastery), located on the southeastern outskirts of Tuva, on the island of Lake. Tere-Khol ".
Meanwhile, it was S. I. Weinstein was the first to describe the fortress (1952), following D. Clemens, he substantiated the belonging of the fortress to the Uighurs in an article published in the newspaper Tuvinskaya Pravda (25.09.1953). The excavations of Por-Bazhin were begun by him in 1957 and continued by the Tuvinian expedition of the Institute of Ethnology of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The dating and attribution of the fortress was based on the typological similarity of the surviving end ornamented discs of the tile. “It is known that such ceramic roof decorations can serve as a reliable source for dating the architectural monuments of the East. The closest analogs to most of the end discs of the roof of the Por-Bazhin palaces are found in the finds of S. V. Kiselev from Ordu-Balyk,”wrote SI Weinstein.
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S. I. Vainshtein made an even more specific conclusion that the Por-Bazhin fortress with the palace complex were built by order of the Uighur Kagan Bayan-Chor during a campaign against the Turkic tribe of Chiks inhabiting the territory of present-day Tuva. This campaign, which took place in 750, is described in the Uighur runic inscription in honor of Bayan-Chor.
According to the description of S. I. Vainshtein, the remains of the Por-Bazhin fortress were ruined walls arranged in the form of a rectangle consisting of walls oriented along the cardinal points. The height of the walls in some places reached 10 m. In the middle of the eastern wall, the remains of a gate with well-fortified gate towers have been preserved. Inside the fortress, archaeologists also found traces of dwellings and service buildings, in the place of which in 1957 and 1963. fragments of ceramic and stone dishes, iron nails and other things were found. In the central part of the fortress, two earthen hills up to 2 m high were discovered, under which were the foundations of two buildings. From this description of the ruins of Por-Bazhin, it is clear that the Uyghur fortress is mainly an object for archaeological research, in which architectural historians can also take part.
The purpose of the Por-Bazhin fortress remains quite clear. Initially, it was thought that the settlement could be a monastery. But very soon scientists abandoned this idea. If we rely on the information of the Bayan-Chor inscription, on the basis of which the date of the fortress construction was determined, we can say that the fortress was built as a summer residence of the Uyghur kagan. Here is how Bayan-chor tells about his campaign against the Chik tribe: “Then, in the year of the Tiger (750), I went on a campaign against the Chiks. In the second month, on the 14th day, near (the river) By whom I broke them. In the same year, I ordered the establishment of the headquarters of Kasar Kordan in the upper reaches of the upper reaches (of the river) [cut out my signs and my letters."
S. Klyashtorny, who clarified these lines, believed that the Kasar Kordan mentioned here (in the Tesin inscription - Kasar Korug) was the western camp and the headquarters of the Eletmish Bilge kagan. He identified Kasar Kordan / Kasar Korug with the Por-Bazhin fortress. S. Klyashtorny noted that "Kordan, the Turkic name of Khotan, turned out to be transferred to the headquarters of the Uighur kagan in Tuva, which indicates the long-standing ties of the Uighurs with East Turkestan." At the same time, it should be noted that the identification of Cordan with Khotan, proposed by Sir J. Clawson and Sir G. Bailey, is not accepted by all scientists.
Many Tuvan legends are associated with the ruins of Por-Bazhin. One of them connects the fortress with the khan, who had big ears, for which he received the name Elchigen-kulak-khan, i.e. Donkey ears. Khan hid his ears from others and killed anyone who saw them. Only one barber managed to see them and tell all people about it. According to another legend, the fortress was built by a certain khan in the Yenisei valley, where there was still no lake. The lake was formed from water gushing from a well built in the fortress. Khan, running away from the water that flooded the vicinity of the fortress, looking at the valley, exclaimed in surprise in Mongolian "Teri-nur bolchi!" (it became a lake!"
At present, researchers are attracted by another legend that Por-Bazhin was a palace built by the Uighur kagan for a Chinese princess. The Uyghur Eletmish Bilge Kagan actually married the Chinese princess Ningo in gratitude for the military assistance provided to them by the Tang dynasty in suppressing the An Lushan uprising (755-762). It is known from sources that Princess Ningo went to the Uyghur headquarters in September 758, but in May 759 the Uyghur kagan died. The Tang chronicles tell how the Uighurs wanted to bury the princess with their deceased husband, but, having met strong objection, they not only left her alive. Immediately after the death of the kagan, in August-September 759, the princess returned to China.
The Tang princess was accompanied to the Uyghur headquarters by another representative of the imperial house - Xiao Ningguo (Younger Ningguo), the daughter of one of the Chinese princes. Xiao Ningguo remained with the Uighurs and was successively the wife of Bayanchor and his son Bogyu Kagan (759-779). During a palace coup in 779, two of her sons, born of the Begyu Kagan, were killed, and Xiao Ningguo herself "left and lived outside (the capital)." If the assumption is correct that the Por-Bazhin palace was built in 750-751, it could not have been built for the Chinese princess, who arrived at the Uyghur headquarters many years after the construction of Por-Bazhin - in 758 and lived among the Uyghurs only about one year. Of course, palaces and cities for princesses were built by Uyghurs - among Uyghur cities in Chinese sources, for example, “princess city” is called “Gongzhu cheng” (Uyg."Gunchui Balyk"). However, they were located much south of the Kagan headquarters. Thus, the legend that the Uyghur palace of Por-Bazhin was built for a Chinese princess has no basis. The latter, however, does not exclude that Chinese craftsmen could have taken part in its construction.
For a long time no one could understand why it was necessary to erect such a massive structure in an almost deserted area - from whom did the inhabitants of the fortress defend themselves there, from bears, or what? The version that the fortress used to be a guard post on the Great Silk Road from China to Europe, now scientists are skeptical - the northernmost branches of the Silk Road passed about a thousand kilometers south of the place where the fortress stands. There were no military bases, gold deposits or food warehouses near the fortress either.
In addition, scientists could not understand for a long time how the ancient builders managed to build a fortress on an island in the middle of a lake. How were the building materials delivered, where were the brick-making workshops located, how could hundreds of builders fit on a small piece of land? Expedition 1957-63 She was also unable to establish why the people eventually left Por-Bazhin.
And only comprehensive studies in 2007-2008, conducted under the auspices of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, were able to slightly reveal the secret of this place. As a result of the work, the appearance of the ancient city was completely restored, many items were found confirming the "Uyghur trace", and it was found out why Por-Bazhin was destroyed.
So, what was Por-Bazhin? The ruins of the fortress occupy almost the entire area of the island and represent a regular rectangle, oriented to the cardinal points, measuring 211 by 158 meters. The height of the fortress walls, even in a dilapidated state, reaches 10 meters. On the eastern side, there are gates with perverse towers; the remains of the entrance ramps lead to the towers.
Inside the fortress walls there is a whole labyrinth of buildings and structures. Along the western, southern and northern walls, there are 26 compartments separated by adobe walls up to one and a half meters high. In each of them a room measuring 7 by 8 meters was built from raw bricks - apparently, the palace servants, artisans and the guard of the fortress lived in them. In the middle, two palace buildings were discovered (although one of them may have been a temple).
Both "palaces" were located on a hill made of compacted earth and clay. Apparently, they were connected to each other by a 6-meter covered walkway. The first building measures 23 by 23 meters, and the second 15 by 15. Their roof was supported by wooden columns. It is believed that there were 36 of them in the large room, and only 8. The roofs were covered with cylindrical tiles. The thickness of the walls in the palaces, apparently, was more than a meter - which is not surprising, because the winters on Kungurtug are very harsh, the temperature of -45 ° C is normal here.
This thickness of clay and brick was covered with ornamental frescoes in orange and red colors.
Most of all archaeologists were surprised by the extremely thin cultural layer of the settlement. In some places, bones of rams were found (this refuted the version of local residents that Por-Bazhin was a Buddhist monastery, since Buddhist monks do not eat meat), several women's jewelry and blacksmiths - that's all that the inhabitants of this city lost in a few decades of existence of the fortress. In addition, only one burial was found in the vicinity of Por-Bazhin, and none at all on the territory of the fortress.
All this suggests that Por-Bazhin, most likely, was the summer residence of the Uyghur kagans or large dignitaries. Apparently, no one lived permanently in this fortress, people appeared there only in the warm period. And it was very pleasant for the Uyghur aristocrats to rest on Kungurtug - clean mountain air, an abundance of wild animals around (good hunting), there are a lot of fish on the lake, and healing hydrogen sulfide springs are located literally five minutes away from the fortress. Was it not their presence that made the kagan decide to build a "sanatorium" in this very place?
It was also possible to find out why the fortress suddenly appeared on the island. Thanks to the research of a group of geomorphologists and soil scientists from Moscow State University. Lomonosov and the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences managed to establish that during its entire history of existence, Lake Tere-Khol disappeared almost completely several times. This happened as a result of the fact that earthquakes, which in the past quite often occurred in these places, from time to time led to the disappearance of the underground springs feeding this reservoir. Apparently, in one of such periods of "draining" of Tere-Khol, the fortress was built.
This is also evidenced by the traces of the road discovered by geologists, located at the bottom of the reservoir. But nobody builds roads under water, which means that when it was laid there was no lake. After that, during the next earthquake, the springs “opened” again and the Tere-Khol basin was again filled with water.
The earthquakes, in the end, destroyed the fortress itself. Soil scientists on the island have discovered traces of characteristic displacements of the bedding of soil layers - this occurs as a result of vibrations of the earth's solidity. According to the dates, these displacements coincide with the age of the traces of the fortress fire found earlier by archaeologists. But the remains of people who died from this natural disaster were not found (this refuted the previously put forward version of the death of the fortress as a result of an assault by enemy armies or during an uprising of local residents).
It turns out that the history of the destruction of Por-Bazhin somewhat contradicts the local Tuvan legend. According to her, one day a fountain of water began to beat from a well outside the walls of the fortress (this happens during earthquakes), and the kagan, frightened by flooding, hastily left Por-Bazhyn with his entire retinue to take refuge in the mountains. And the water came until Lake Tere-Khol was formed.
In reality, most likely, an earthquake destroyed the fortress in winter or autumn, when there was no one in it (otherwise it would hardly have been possible to carry out the evacuation in a record short time without any losses at all, someone would have definitely been slammed). Apparently, having arrived at the "sanatorium" next summer and having found a pile of ruins on the site, the kagan did not want to restore it, since he considered this place dangerous for rest.
Although, according to the stories of local residents, the kagan and his warriors still sometimes return to these places. According to them, on the dark nights on the island, you can see ghosts on horseback, with weapons and in clothes of the 8th century, who are slowly prancing among the ruins. It is possible that the Uyghur nobility liked the rest in Por-Bazhin so much that many of its representatives, even after death, do not continue to visit this wonderful "rest house" …
It should be said that apart from Por-Bazhin, on the territory of Tuva, scientists have discovered and studied the remains of many other Uighur settlements. L. R. Kyzlasov in 1969 described fifteen Uighur settlements and one observation strong point. All the fortifications were quadrangles surrounded by adobe or brick walls, outside with moats filled with water. The size of the inner area of the forts varied from 0.6 to 5 hectares. All fifteen settlements were located in a chain in the Khemchik river valley. The largest of them were Eldeg-Kezhig (12.5 hectares) on the river. Barlyk and Bazhin-Alak (18, 2 ha) on the Chadan river. LR Kyzlasov studied in the most detail a group of 5 settlements located in the area of Shagonar (Shagonar settlements). The location of the fortifications and their features testified to their defensive purpose,although over time they became centers of agriculture and handicrafts. Settlements on the territory of Tuva were created as a chain of fortifications to repel an enemy attack from the north, which became especially relevant at the beginning of the 9th century in connection with the strengthening of the Yenisei Kyrgyz. As you know, it was in the last decades of the existence of the Uyghur Kaganate that the long-term Uyghur-Kyrgyz wars began, which in 840 ended with the elimination of the Uyghur domination in the steppe.which in 840 ended with the elimination of the Uyghur domination in the steppe.which in 840 ended with the elimination of the Uyghur domination in the steppe.
The study of the Uyghur settlements in Tuva shows that urban planning in the Uygur Kaganate developed under the great influence of the Central Asian-East Turkestan (Iranian) tradition. The role of the Sogdians in the society of Turks and Uighurs is well known, and the Uyghur monument especially mentions the involvement of Sogdians and Chinese in the construction of the city of Bai-Balyk. The influence of the Central Asian urban planning tradition can be seen in the layout and remains of the Uyghur fortress of Por-Bazhin.
What is the significance of Por-Bazhin for history? As you can see from the above, Por-Bazhin is not the only monument of the Uyghur era on the territory of Tuva. A large number of other settlements built by the Uighurs have been discovered here. The difference between its Por-Bazhin and other similar monuments is 1) that it is still the only fortress in Southern Siberia, built during the period of the establishment of Uyghur domination in Central Asia and the expansion of the borders of the Uyghur empire, while all other similar structures belong to the beginning of the 9th century, and 2) it was not a fortification designed to repel an enemy attack.
It was during the reign of the Uyghur Eletmish-Bilge Kagan / Bayan-Chor (747-759) that a series of conquest campaigns took place, during which the Uyghurs established their power over the vast territory of Inner Asia. The Uyghur campaigns of this time are described in two inscriptions created in honor of Eletmish Bilge Kagan - the Terkhin inscription (about 753) and the Bayanchor (Moyunchura) inscription, known as the Selenginsky stone (759-760). These inscriptions are not only a source of information about the heroic deeds of the Uyghur kagan, but are themselves valuable as monuments of the material culture of the Uyghurs. The Uyghur fortress of Por-Bazhin belongs to such cultural monuments, close to the inscriptions in time.
The Por-Bazhyn study project shows the great interest of the Russian government and Tuvan authorities in the study of Uyghur antiquities. This interest is not only academic. The fact is that the Uyghur period left its traces in the history of Tuva: there is still a clan “Uygur” (ondar-Uygur) among Tuvinians, which is considered the descendants of the ancient Uyghurs who remained on the territory of Tuva. Back in 1889, the famous Turkologist and ethnographer N. F. Katanov wrote down a Tuvan legend, according to which “Uighurs used to live along the river. Bom-kemchik and Ulu-kemu "and recorded the Tuvan clan" Uigur "living on the river. Hemchik. It is obvious that the ancient Uyghurs who remained on the territory of Southern Siberia took part in the formation of the modern Tuvan people. In this regard, Por-Bazhin is one of the brightest pages of the historical past of Tuva,associated with the power of the Uyghur Empire, the northern periphery of which was its territory.
The ethnic connection between Tuvans and ancient Uighurs is connected with the question of the relationship between ancient and modern peoples. All large tribal unions that existed in the past in Central Asia, such as the Oguzes, Kipchaks, Karluks, ancient Uighurs, took part in the formation of not one, but many modern peoples. For example, the Oghuz, on the one hand, formed the basis for the formation of modern Turks, Turkmens, Azerbaijanis, but at the same time Oghuz elements are found in the composition of many other modern ethnic groups, including the Uzbeks. Likewise, the "shards" of the ancient Uyghurs can be found in many modern ethnic groups. The ancient Uyghurs participated in the formation of the modern Uyghurs of East Turkestan and the yellow Uyghurs of Gansu, but at the same time the tribal subdivision “Uyghur” can be found among many Turkic peoples, including Tuvinians.