Abakan
Encyclopedia
Abakan is the capital
city of the Republic of Khakassia, Russia
, located in the central part of Minusinsk Depression, at the confluence
of the Yenisei
and Abakan River
s. Population:
, it was a part of Yeniseysk Governorate. During 1823–1931 the grown settlement was known as Ust-Abakanskoye, 1914–1925: Abakan, 1925–1931: Khakassk. It was granted town status and given its current name in 1931.
era (206 BCE–220 CE) palace. The identity of the high-ranking personage who lived luxuriously in Chinese style, far outside of the borders of the Han Empire, has remained a matter for discussion ever since. Russian archaeologist L.A. Evtyukhova surmised, based on circumstancial evidence, that the palace may have been the residence of Li Ling, a Chinese general who had been defeated by the Xiongnu
in 99 BC, and defected to them as a result. While this opinion has remained popular, other views have been expressed as well. More recently, for example, it was claimed by A.A. Kovalyov as the residence of Lu Fang (盧芳), a Han
throne pretender from the Guangwu
era.
s was established, and prisoners were forced to work in the coal mines. After Stalin
's death, Lithuanian exiles from the nearby settlements moved in
) was a terminal of the major Abakan-Taishet Railway. Now it is an important railway junction.
The city is served by the Abakan International Airport
.
The city has a river port, industry enterprises, Katanov State University of Khakasia, and three theatres. Furthermore, it has a commercial center that produces footwear, foodstuffs, and metal products.
The 100th Air Assault Brigade of the Russian Airborne Troops was based in the city until c.1996. (Schofield, The Russian Elite)
is the biggest sport in the city. Sayany-Khakasiya have played in the highest division of Russian Bandy League for a long time. Last season they played in the 2nd highest division.
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
city of the Republic of Khakassia, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located in the central part of Minusinsk Depression, at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Yenisei
Yenisei River
Yenisei , also written as Yenisey, is the largest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean. It is the central of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean...
and Abakan River
Abakan River
The Abakan , the Khakas word for 'bear's blood', is a river in the Republic of Khakassia, Russia formed by the confluence of the Bolshoy Abakan and Maly Abakan Rivers. It rises in the western Sayan Mountains and flows northeast through the Minusinsk Depression to the Yenisei River...
s. Population:
History
Abakan stockaded town was built at this location in 1675, also known as Abakansk. In the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, it was a part of Yeniseysk Governorate. During 1823–1931 the grown settlement was known as Ust-Abakanskoye, 1914–1925: Abakan, 1925–1931: Khakassk. It was granted town status and given its current name in 1931.
Chinese exiles
In 1940, Russian construction workers found ancient ruins during the construction of a highway between Abakan and the nearby district center village of Askyz (Аскыз). When the site was excavated by Soviet archaeologists during 1941-45, they realized that they had discovered a building absolutely unique for the area: a large (1500 square meters) Chinese-style, likely Han DynastyHan Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
era (206 BCE–220 CE) palace. The identity of the high-ranking personage who lived luxuriously in Chinese style, far outside of the borders of the Han Empire, has remained a matter for discussion ever since. Russian archaeologist L.A. Evtyukhova surmised, based on circumstancial evidence, that the palace may have been the residence of Li Ling, a Chinese general who had been defeated by the Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
in 99 BC, and defected to them as a result. While this opinion has remained popular, other views have been expressed as well. More recently, for example, it was claimed by A.A. Kovalyov as the residence of Lu Fang (盧芳), a Han
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
throne pretender from the Guangwu
Emperor Guangwu of Han
Emperor Guangwu , born Liu Xiu, was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty, restorer of the dynasty in AD 25 and thus founder of the Later Han or Eastern Han...
era.
Lithuanian exiles
In the late eighteenth and during the nineteenth century, Lithuanian participants in the 1794, 1830–1831, and 1863 rebellions against the Russian czarist rule were exiled to Abakan. A group of campLabor camp
A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
s was established, and prisoners were forced to work in the coal mines. After Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's death, Lithuanian exiles from the nearby settlements moved in
Economy
Abakan (together with TayshetTayshet
Tayshet is a town and a railroad junction in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. Population: Here the Baikal Amur Mainline begins, branching northeast from the Trans-Siberian Railway...
) was a terminal of the major Abakan-Taishet Railway. Now it is an important railway junction.
The city is served by the Abakan International Airport
Abakan International Airport
Abakan International Airport is an airport located in Abakan, Republic of Khakassia, Russia.-Airport description:The airport is located to the north of the city not far from the city limits. City bus and trolleybus connections are available...
.
The city has a river port, industry enterprises, Katanov State University of Khakasia, and three theatres. Furthermore, it has a commercial center that produces footwear, foodstuffs, and metal products.
The 100th Air Assault Brigade of the Russian Airborne Troops was based in the city until c.1996. (Schofield, The Russian Elite)
Sites
Abakan's sites of interest include Holy Transfiguration Cathedral, "Good Angel of Peace" sculpture, park of topiary art, and many others.Sports
BandyBandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
is the biggest sport in the city. Sayany-Khakasiya have played in the highest division of Russian Bandy League for a long time. Last season they played in the 2nd highest division.