Tuva Valley of Kings

Opening ceremony of the international archaeological and geographical expedition to Tunnug Mound
Opening ceremony of the international archaeological and geographical expedition to Tunnug Mound

June 8, the international archaeological and geographical expedition to study Tunnug Mound opened in the Republic of Tuva.

The Tuva Valley of Kings has again gathered those who are eager to search for ancient history in the territory of excavations and make important archeological discoveries. There are many Scythian princely tombs located here and the territory is considered rich in significant historical finds.

 

Tunnug Mound is located in the Uyuk flood plain in the Uyuk Basin in the Republic of Tuva. Early indications suggest that this burial refers to the same time as the Arzhaan-1 mound, the largest and earliest Scythian mound (dated around 9th century BC). 

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Volunteers selected by the Russian Geographical Society for the participation inthis expedition will find out what secrets are covered under Tunnug Mound. The volunteers arrived here from different regions of Russia. Several researchers from foreign countries also joined the project.  By the way, the expedition members were taken from Kyzyl to the site of excavations on a swamp buggy, quite an exotic vehicle for archaeological research. 

Sergey Chechulin, Director of the Expedition Department of the Russian Geographical Society attended the opening ceremony and read the keynote address from first Vice-President of the Russian Geographical Society Arthur Chilingarov. Minister of Culture of the Republic of Tyva Aldar Tamdyn, Education Minister Tatiana Sanchaa, and head of the Expeditionary Center of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Evgeniy Birukov also attended the event. 

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The ceremony ended with a bright shamanistic performance. Instead of fireworks the Tuva steppe was lit up by lightning flashes in the sky. According to a local legend, it means that the spirits have given a green light to the excavations. 

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