Abakan

Abakan (Russian: Абака́н; IPA: [ɐbɐˈkan]; Khakas: Ағбан, Ağban) 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 Rivers. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 165,214—a slight increase over 165,197 recorded during the 2002 Census and a further increase from 154,092 recorded during the 1989 Census.

History

Abakansky ostrog (Абаканский острог), also known as Abakansk (Абаканск), was built at the mouth of the Abakan River in 1675. In the 1780s, the selo of Ust-Abakanskoye (Усть-Абаканское) was established in this area. It was granted town status and given its current name on April 30, 1931.

Chinese exiles

In 1940, Russian construction workers found ancient ruins during the construction of a highway between Abakan and Askiz. When the site was excavated by Soviet archaeologists in 1941–1945, they realized that they had discovered a building absolutely unique for the area: a large (1500 square meters) Chinese-style, likely Han Dynasty 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. Yevtyukhova surmised, based on circumstantial evidence, that the palace may have been the residence of Li Ling, a Chinese general who had been defeated by the Xiongnu in 99 BCE, 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.

Abakan River

The Abakan (Russian: Абака́н), (from the Khakas word for "bear's blood") is a river in the Republic of Khakassia, Russia. It is 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. It is about 514 kilometres (319 mi) long (from the Bolshoy Abakan's source), and its drainage basin covers 32,000 square kilometres (12,000 sq mi). The river is used for log driving and irrigation.

The city of Abakan is located at the confluence of the Abakan and the Yenisei.

Further reading

Abakan (disambiguation)

Abakan is the capital city of the Republic of Khakassia, Russia.

Abakan may also refer to: