Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich is a Russian researcher in Mongolia, China and Tibet, participant of the Great Game: biography, discoveries, awards

Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich (1863-1935) - Russian traveler, researcher of Asia, one of the prominent participants of the Great Game. He was an honorary member of the Russian Geographical Society, a member of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and one of the first biographers of Przhevalsky. Today we will get acquainted with the life and work of this outstanding person in detail.

Childhood

Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich, interesting facts from the life of which we will today consider, was born October 15, 1863 in a small town Dukhovshchina, owned by the Smolensk province. The mother of the future traveler was constantly engaged in farming. And his father was a petty trader. Parents paid little attention to children and did not care about their education at all. Every year, Peter's father drove livestock from Ukraine to a rich industrialist. When Peter grew up a little, he began to ride with his father. Perhaps, it was during these trips that the boy first fell in love with distant wanderings.

Peter grew up almost independently of the family. From an early age, an inquisitive child loved books. The boy could read the stories of travels for days on end. Later, becoming a famous person, Kozlov will be stingy for stories about his childhood, obviously, due to the lack of vivid impressions.

Youth

At the age of 12, the boy was sent to a four-grade school. Having graduated at the age of 16, Peter began to serve in the office of the brewery, located 66 kilometers from his hometown. Uninteresting monotonous work did not satisfy the inquisitive energetic youth at all. He tried to engage in self-education and decided to enter a teacher's institute.

Shortly before, various scientific institutes, geographical communities and topographic services of England, Germany, France, Japan and China began to actively explore Asia. Soon, the Russian Geographical Society, established in 1845, was also activated. The big game changed from military confrontations to a scientific race. Even at a time when Kozlov was engaged in pasturing horses in the Smolensk meadows, his fellow countryman Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky was already in the pages of newspapers and magazines. The young people enthusiastically read fascinating reports about the explorer's travels, and many young men dreamed of repeating his exploits. Kozlov read about Przhevalsky with particular enthusiasm. Articles and books inspired him to have a romantic love for Asia, and the person of the traveler acquired in Peter's imagination the face of a fairy-tale hero. However, the chances of the young man for such a fate were, to put it mildly, small.

Acquaintance with Przewalski

By chance, Kozlov, Pyotr Kuzmich, once met his idol. It happened in the summer of 1882 near Smolensk, in the town of Sloboda, where after the next expedition the famous conqueror of Asia came to rest in his estate. When he saw the young man in the garden in the garden, Nikolai Mikhailovich decided to ask him what he was so keen on. Turning and seeing his idol before him, Peter was beside himself with happiness. With a little breath, he answered the scientist with his question. It turns out that Kozlov speculated that the stars he contemplated in Tibet seem much more vivid and that he is unlikely to ever be convinced of this personally. The future traveler answered Przhevalsky with such sincerity that he, without even hesitation, invited him to his interview.

Despite the difference in age and social status, the interlocutors were very close in spirit. The scientist decided to take his young friend under the protection and step by step to bring him to the world of professional travel. Between Kozlov and Przhevalsky, a sincere friendship developed over time. Feeling that Peter is fully devoted to the cause, to which the scientist himself was sincerely devoted, he took the responsibility to take an active part in the life of the young man. Autumn 1882, Nikolai Mikhailovich invited a young friend to move to his home and do an accelerated training there. Life in the estate of an idol seemed like a dream to Kozlov. He was enveloped in the charm of exciting stories about the wanderings, as well as the greatness and natural beauty of Asia. Then Peter firmly decided that he should become an associate of Przhevalsky. But first he needed to get a full secondary education.

In January 1883, Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich passed the exam for the full course of the real school. Then he had to undergo military service. The point is that Nikolai Mikhailovich took only those who have military education as members of their expeditionary group. To this he had several objective reasons, chief among them being the need to repel armed attacks by the natives. After serving three months, Peter Kuzmich was enrolled in the fourth expedition of Przewalski. This event is remembered by the hero of our review for life.

First trip

The first trip of Kozlov in the expedition of Przhevalsky took place in 1883. Its goal was to study East Turkistan and Northern Tibet. This expedition was a wonderful practice for Kozlov. Under the guidance of an experienced mentor, he tempered a real researcher. This was promoted by the harsh nature of Central Asia and the struggle with numerically superior local people. The first trip was for a novice traveler, despite all his enthusiasm, very heavy. Due to high humidity, researchers had to spend most of their time in wet clothes. The weapons were corroded, personal things quickly dampened, and the plants collected for the herbarium were almost impossible to dry.

In such conditions, Pyotr Kuzmich learned to visualize a rough terrain, to determine heights and, most importantly, to research observing nature, which involves the discovery of its main features. In addition, he became acquainted with the organization of the expeditionary campaign in an unfavorable climate. According to the traveler, the study of Central Asia has become for him a guiding thread that determines the whole course of future life.

Homecoming

After returning home after a 2-year expedition, Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich continued to actively develop in the chosen direction. He filled up the luggage of his knowledge in the field of natural science, ethnography and astronomy. Almost before the departure to the next expedition, Pyotr Kuzmich was promoted to officers, graduating from the St. Petersburg Military School.

The second expedition

In the autumn of 1888, Kozlov set out on his second journey under the direction of Przhevalsky. But at the very beginning of the expedition, near the mountain of Karakol, near the Issyk-Kul lake, the great explorer NM Przheval'skii became very ill and soon died. According to the dying request of the traveler, he was buried on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul.

The expedition was resumed in the autumn of next year. Its head was appointed Colonel MV Pevtsov. The latter took command with dignity, although he understood that he would not succeed in completely replacing Przhevalsky. In this connection, it was decided to shorten the route, limiting ourselves to studying China's Turkestan, Dzungaria and the northern part of the Tibetan Highlands. Despite the fact that the expedition turned out to be truncated, its participants managed to collect a very voluminous historical and geographical material, a significant part of which belonged to Peter Kozlov, who mainly deals with the study of East Turkestan.

The third expedition

The next trip of Kozlov took place in 1893. This time, the research campaign was headed by VI Roborovsky, who once served as a senior assistant to Przhevalsky. The mission of this trip was to study the northeast corner of Tibet and the Nyan-Shan mountain range. On this trip, Pyotr Kuzmich made independent surveys of the surrounding area. Sometimes he had to walk alone up to 1000 kilometers. At the same time, he collected the lion's share of the zoological collection of this expedition. When VI Roborovsky began to complain about health halfway, Kozlov was instructed to lead the expedition. He successfully coped with the task and brought it to the end. Returning to his homeland, the researcher presented a report, which he titled with the words "Report of Assistant Chief of the Expedition PK Kozlov".

The first independent expedition

In 1899, the traveler for the first time acted as the chief of the expedition. The aim of the participants was to get acquainted with Mongolia and Tibet. The campaign was attended by 18 people, of which only 4 researchers, all the rest - convoy. The route began at the Altai postal station, located near the Mongolian border. Then it ran along the Mongolian Altai, the Central Gobi and Kama - almost unexplored areas on the eastern side of the Tibetan Plateau.

Carrying out research at the headwaters of the rivers Huang He, Mekong and Yangtze-Jiang, the air conditioners encountered not only natural obstacles and aggression of the natives once. Nevertheless, they managed to collect unique orographic, geological, climatic, zoological and botanical materials. Travelers also shed light on the life of little-known East Tibetan tribes.

Russian explorer of Mongolia, who headed the expedition, personally made a detailed description of various natural objects, including: lying at an altitude of 3200 meters and having a circumference of 385 kilometers of Lake Kukunor; The sources of the rivers Yalongjiang and Mekong, as well as pairs of ridges of the Kunlun system, which were previously unknown to science. In addition, Kozlov made brilliant essays on the way of life of the population and the economy of Central Asia. Among them, the description of the rituals of the Tsaidam Mongols is particularly noteworthy.

From the Mongol-Tibetan expedition Kozlov brought a plentiful collection of flora and fauna of the investigated territories. During the trip, he had to deal with armed groups of local residents, numbering up to 300 people. Due to the fact that the campaign dragged on for almost two years, a rumor about its complete failure and death reached St. Petersburg. But such could not admit Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich. The books "Mongolia and Kam" and "Kam and the way back" described this journey in detail. For such an effective expedition Kozlov received a gold medal of the Russian Geographical Society. So the Big Game got another bright figurant.

Mongolian-Sichuan expedition

In 1907, the honorary member of the Russian Geographical Society went on his fifth trip. This time the route ran from Kyakhta to Ulan Bator, then to the middle and southern regions of Mongolia, the Kukunor area and finally to the northwest of Sichuan. The most significant discovery was the discovery in the Gobi desert of the remains of the dead city of Hara-Hoto, which were covered with sands. During the excavation of the city, a library was found in two thousand books, the lion's share of which was written in the language of the state of Xi-Xia, which later turned out to be Tangut. This discovery was exceptional, because in no museum of the world there is such a large collection of Tungut books. Findings from Hara-Hoto play an important historical and cultural role, as they clearly depict different aspects of life and culture of the ancient state of Xi-Xia.

Participants of the expedition collected extensive ethnographic material about the Mongol and Tibetan peoples. They paid special attention to the Chinese antiquities and the Buddhist cult. Also, many zoological and botanical materials were collected. A special discovery of the researchers was the collection of woodcuts for printing books and images that were used for centuries before the first seal appeared in Europe.

In addition, Hara-Hoto found the world's only collection of paper banknotes XIII-XIV centuries. Also, the Hara-Hoto excavations brought a lot of various figurines, cult figures and several hundred Buddhist images on silk, wood, paper and canvas. All this came in the museums of the Academy of Sciences and Emperor Alexander III.

After the discovery and careful study of the dead city, the explorers met with Lake Kukunor, and then the little-known territory of Amdo, located in the bend of the Yellow River.

From this trip, the Russian explorer of Mongolia once again brought the richest collection of plants and animals, among which were new species and even genera. The scientist described the results of the trip in the book "Mongolia and Amdo and the Dead City of Hara-Hoto", published only in 1923.

Protection of the reserve

In 1910, the traveler was awarded large gold medals of the English and Italian geographical societies. When Russia began to participate in the First World War, Colonel Kozlov showed a desire to join the ranks of the army. He was refused and sent to Irkutsk by the chief of the expedition to prepare cattle for the army.

At the end of the October Revolution, at the end of 1917, the researcher of Mongolia, China and Tibet, who at that time was already a major general, was sent to the Askania-Nova reserve of the Tauride province. The purpose of the trip is to take measures to protect the protected steppe area and the zoo there. Sparing no effort, the scientist did his best to secure a unique monument of nature. In October 1918, he reported to the Minister of Public Education that Askania-Nova was rescued and her most valuable lands remained unscathed. To further protect the reserve, he asked that he be transferred to the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and given the opportunity to recruit 15-20 volunteers. In this case, Kozlov asked to provide under his personal responsibility 20 rifles, sabers and revolvers, as well as the necessary number of cartridges to them. At the end of 1918, during the particularly difficult period of the Civil War, thanks to the efforts of Major-General Kozlov, almost 500 people worked in the reserve.

New expedition

In 1922, the Soviet leadership decided to organize an expedition to Central Asia, headed by a 60-year-old Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich. The wife of the traveler - ornithologist Elizaveta Vladimirovna, for the first time made her husband company in the expedition. Despite the considerable age, the traveler was full of strength and excitement. During his sixth voyage, which lasted from 1923 to 1926, the scientist explored a relatively small part of Northern Mongolia, as well as the upper basin of the Selenga River.

Once again, the traveler received significant scientific results. In the mountains of the Noin-Ula system, he discovered a little more than 200 cemeteries and conducted their excavations. As it turned out, it was a Hun burial of 2000 years ago. This archaeological discovery was one of the greatest in the twentieth century. The scientist together with his associates found many items of ancient culture, thanks to which you can get an exhaustive picture of the economy and life of the Huns during the period: II century BC. E. - 1st century AD. E. Among them was an extensive collection of artistically executed carpets and fabrics from the times of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom, which existed from the III century BC. E. To the II century AD. E. In the north of modern Iran, in Afghanistan and north-west India.

At the top of the Ikhe-Bodo mountain, located in the Mongolian Altai, at an altitude of about 3000 meters, travelers discovered the ancient Khan's mausoleum.

However, the most significant discovery of the sixth expedition of Kozlov was the discovery in the mountains of the eastern Khangai tomb of 13 generations of the descendants of Genghis Khan. The researcher became the first European who was accepted by the ruler of Tibet. From him, Kozlov received a special pass, which had to be presented to the mountain guard, guarding the approaches to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. However, the British prevented the entry of Russian scientists in Lhasa. The participant of the Great Game, Pyotr Kozlov, never got to this city. Report on the sixth expedition, he published in the book "Journey to Mongolia. 1923-1926 »

Further activities

At seventy, Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich, whose discoveries became increasingly famous, did not leave dreams of long trips. In particular, he planned to go to the lake Issyk-Kul, in order to once again bow to the grave of his teacher and enjoy the local beauties. But the sixth journey of the researcher was the last. After him, he lived a quiet life of a pensioner in Leningrad and Kiev. However, most of the time he spent with his wife, in a small log house in the village of Strechno (50 kilometers from Staraya Russa).

Wherever the traveler has settled, he quickly became popular with the neighboring youth. In order to convey his experience to curious young people, the researcher organized circles of young naturalists, traveled around the country with lectures, published his works and stories. The whole scientific world knew who Kozlov Petr Kuzmich was. Discoveries in Eurasia gave him recognition in all quarters. In 1928, the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences elected him a full member. And the Russian Geographical Society awarded him a medal named after M. M. Przhevalsky. Among the researchers of Central Asia of the 20th century, the Russian scientist occupies a special place.

Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich died on September 26, 1935 from the sclerosis of the heart. He was buried in the Smolensk Lutheran cemetery.

Property

In honor of Kozlov, the glacier of the Taby-Bogdo-Ola ridge was named. In 1936, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the traveler, his name was given to the school of the town of Dukhovshchina, in which the scientist began to comprehend the world. In 1988 in St. Petersburg was opened a museum-apartment traveler.

Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich, whose brief biography came to an end, did not just live in the era of great discoveries, but also created it personally. He completed the liquidation of the "white spot" begun by Przhevalsky on the map of Asia. But in the beginning of Kozlov's journey the whole world was against him.