The History of Buryatia

The history of BC

Since ancient times the territory adjoining to Baikal Lake in the east is apart of Central-Asian historic and cultural area. During several millennia Zabaykalye was included into the orbit of great historic events taking place in the Euroasian continent. People inhabiting this territory during the Middle Paleolithic (150thousand years ago) were from two areas: the first one from the southeast of Asia and the second one from the southwest. The process of formation of races was completed by the end of the Middle Paleolith.

 The present geographical landscape, flora and fauna were formed during the period of Neolith. The Stone Age was replaced by the Bronze Age, then followed the Iron Age followed. Archeologists founded here a great number of finds including burial-places left by the tribes known to our science as the culture of gravestones. Zabaykalye is also known by the culture of the Khereksury and Olenny (Deer) Stones and the culture of Skif-Siberians. During this period there was also a Nephrite Road and goods made of nephrite were transported on this road from the East to the West.

The state of Khunnu

One of the most important turning points in the history of Euroasia was the III-rd century BC. In this period the first nomadic state of Khunny was founded on the territory of Cenral Asia with the Centre in Mongolia. Since that time Central Asia began to form as a nomadic civilization. Wars and its invasions took place far to the west and to the east. The wars against China weakened Khunnu and they were ousted from Central Asia.

Great Steppe

After leaving Khunny for Europe during the Great Migration of Peoples, numerous tribal units and states of nomads appeared and then many of them were destroyed for a millennium on this territory. The largest were the state of Syanby, Zhuzhansky Kaganat, Great Tyurksky Kaganat, Ujgur Khanstvo (Kingdom, Kirghiz Kaganat. They seeked to conquer enormous lands of Eurasia and to subordinate neighbouring tribes. At that very time new geographical and political concept appeared. i.e Great Steppe.

The Mongol Empire

By 1206 nearly all-Mongolian tribes had been united by Chingis-Khan. The Book of Prohibitions (“ Yasa-name”) was issued representing specific common state code of steppe people.

Baikal Lake and the territory of contemporary Buryatia belonged to legendary country Bargudzhin tokum, that was included in its turn into the native ulus of the nomadic Mongolian state. Barguzin-tokum was declared by Chingis-khan the reserved land of ancestors. “ Ikh-Khorig” was issued then. Here Chingis khan made the first military campaingns against the Merkits, which were followed by the epoche of great Mongolian conquests ended in creating of the most enormous empire in the history of the world. The nomads founded the civilization, which not only made wars, it transmitted achievements of culture from people to people uniting them within the common frontier and so they became the founders of the united Eurasian civilization.

After the Empire had disintegrated the Mongolian State torn by feudal contentions existed until the xvi century.

The nomadic tribes from Zabaikalye and Prebaykalye remained in its structure. The first information about people who gave the name to this part of Zabaikalye referred to the time of the Mongolian State. These people were called the Buryats and the territory got the name of “ Buryatia”

The information about the Kurykans also dated back to this time, their descendants are the contemporary Evenks.

Tea Road (Chayny put)

In the XVI century the Russian Empire began intensively to expand its boundaries to the East establishing diplomatic and trade relations with Mongolia and China. It influenced greatly the destiny of people living on the territory of Buryatia/ Russian Cossacks founded the first ostrogy (fortresses) and one of the great trade ways of mankind” Tea road’ passed through the territory of Buryatia.

The history of Buryatia

The establishment of Russian-Mongolian border caused the definite isolation of the Buryat tribes from Mongolia.. In the XVII century the Buryat people without having heir own state voluntairily came into the structure of Russia. However this isolation didn’t result in the destruction of established for centuries-usual spiritual, religious, cultural, tribal, trade and economic relations between Buryatia and Mongolia. The tsar government of Russia conducted flexible policy concerning local aristocracy and established in Buryatia administrative-managering system in which the system of internal self-governing worked (it was Buryat Steppe Duma) .The struction of Transsiberian Railway Road had also a great influence on the economic development of Buryatia

After the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia the process of integration of Zabaykalye and Far East in the structure of Russia was very intensive. Here in 1920 the Far East Republic (Dalnevostochnaya Republika) with the center in Verkhneudinsk was founded. In 1923 the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created/ In 1958 Mongolia became an independent state. Due to the reorganization of the administrative arrangement of East-Siberian Area in 1937 a number of districts were excluded from the structure of the Republic and two Buryat Autonomous okrugs (areas)were formed on their basis coming into the neighbouring administrative oblast (regions) Agisnsky national okrug (district) in the structure of Chita oblast and Ust Ordynsky national okrug in the structure of Irkutsk oblast. In that year the Republic was renamed as the Buryat Autonomous Socialist Republic.

 During the soviet period the developed agriculture was created in the Republic. Large enterprises nearly in 60 branches of economy were built including aircraft industry, machine-building, energy power, coal and ore-mining, timber-processing and other kinds of industry connected to all economic regions of the USSR. The major part of factories on the territory of Buryatia belonged to military-industrial complex that caused the certain isolation of Buryatia. The Republic was forbidden for foreign citizen until the 80s of the XX century.

 At this time the systems of education, health service and science were created. The Buryat scientific center of the Siberian department of the Academy of Sciences with its scientific-research departments, more than 20 technical and vocational schools were founded.

In 1990 the state sovereignty of the Buryat Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed and the status of Autonomous Republic was given up. Now it is called the Republic of Buryatia and is the subject of the Russian Federation.