Kyzyl

About Kyzyl

Kyzyl stands where two mountain rivers meet to form the Yenisei, in a wide basin ringed by the Sayan and Tannu-Ola ranges. The capital of the Republic of Tuva claims to sit at the geographic centre of Asia, and a monument on the riverbank makes the point.

Founded in 1914 as Belotsarsk, the town was renamed several times and served as capital of the independent Tuvan People's Republic before Tuva joined the Soviet Union in 1944. Today it is the place to meet Tuvan culture up close: Tibetan Buddhism and shamanism live side by side, throat singers perform in the national theatre, and the national museum holds dazzling gold from Scythian-era burial mounds.

The city itself is compact and easy to walk, with the embankment, Arat Square and the museum all near each other. The real reward is the landscape around it: steppe, taiga and mountains begin almost at the edge of town. Summer is the time to come, especially for the Naadym festival with its wrestling, archery and horse racing. Note that access is by a long mountain road from Abakan or by a limited number of flights.