P Rzhevalsky (Nikolai Mikhailovich) - famous Russian traveler, major general. Born in 1839. His father, Mikhail Kuzmich, served in the Russian army. His initial teacher was his uncle, P.A. Karetnikov, a passionate hunter, who instilled in him this passion and with it a love of nature and wandering. After completing the course at the Moscow gymnasium, Przhevalsky became a non-commissioned officer in the Ryazan infantry regiment in Moscow; Having received the rank of officer, he transferred to the Polotsk regiment, then entered the Academy of the General Staff. At the same time, his first works appeared: “Memoirs of a Hunter” and “Military Statistical Review of the Amur Region.” Occupying the position of a history teacher at the Warsaw cadet school, Przewalski diligently studied the epic of African travels and discoveries, became acquainted with zoology and botany, and compiled a geography textbook. In 1867, Przhevalsky received a business trip to the Ussuri region. Along the Ussuri he reached the village of Busse, then to Lake Khanka, which served as a station during bird migration and provided him with material for ornithological observations. In winter, he explored the South Ussuri region, covering 1060 versts in 3 months. In the spring of 1868, he again went to Lake Khanka, then pacified the Chinese robbers in Manchuria, for which he was appointed senior adjutant of the headquarters of the troops of the Amur region. The results of his first trip were the essays: “On the foreign population in the southern part of the Amur region” and “Travel to the Ussuri region.” In 1871, Przhevalsky undertook his first trip to Central Asia. From Beijing he moved to Lake Dalai-Nor, then, after resting in Kalgan, he explored the Suma-Khodi and Yin-Shan ridges, as well as the course of the Yellow River, showing that it does not have a branch, as previously thought based on Chinese sources; Having passed through the Ala Shan desert and the Alashan Mountains, he returned to Kalgan, having covered 3,500 versts in 10 months. In 1872, he moved to Kuku-Nor and further to Tibet, then, through Tsaidan, to the upper reaches of the Blue River (Mur-Usu), in 1873 to Urga, through the Middle Gobi, and from Urga to Kyakhta. The result of this journey was Przhevalsky’s essay “Mongolia and the Country of the Tunguts.” Over the course of three years, Przhevalsky walked 11,000 miles. In 1876, Przhevalsky undertook a second journey from Kulja to the Ili River, through the Tien Shan and the Tarim River to Lake Lob-Nor, to the south of which he discovered the Altyn-Tag ridge; in the spring he took advantage of the migration of birds at Lob-Nor for ornithological research, and then returned to Gulja through Kurla and Yuldus. The illness forced him to return to Russia for a while, where he published “From Kuldzha to the Tien Shan and to Lob-Nor.” In 1879, he set out from Zaisansk on a third journey with a detachment of 13 people, along the Urungu River, through the Khali oasis and through the desert to the Sa-Zheu oasis, through the Nan Shan ridges to Tibet, and reached the Mur-Usu valley. The Tibetan government did not want to let Przhevalsky into Khlassa, and the local population was so excited that Przhevalsky, having crossed the Tan-La pass and being 250 miles from Khlassa, was forced to return to Urga. Returning to Russia in 1881, Przhevalsky gave a description of his third trip. In 1883, he undertook a fourth trip, leading a detachment of 21 people. From Kyakhta he moved through Urga, along the old route, to the Tibetan Plateau, explored the sources of the Yellow River and the watershed between the Yellow and Blue Rivers, and from there passed through Tsaidam to Lob-Nor and to Karakol, now Przhevalsk. The journey ended only in 1886. The Academy of Sciences and scientific societies around the world welcomed Przhevalsky’s discoveries. The Mysterious ridge discovered by him is called the Przhevalsky ridge (see above). His greatest achievements are the geographical and natural-historical study of the Kuen Lun mountain system, the ridges of Northern Tibet, the Lob-Nor and Kuku-Nor basins and the sources of the Yellow River. In addition, he discovered a number of new forms: the wild camel, Przewalski's horse, the Tibetan bear, a number of new forms of other mammals, and also collected huge zoological and botanical collections, containing many new forms, later described by specialists. Being a well-educated naturalist, Przhevalsky was at the same time a born traveler-wanderer, who preferred the lonely steppe life to all the benefits of civilization. Thanks to his persistent, decisive character, he overcame the opposition of the Chinese government and the resistance of local residents, sometimes reaching the point of open attack. Our Academy presented Przhevalsky with a medal with the inscription: “To the first explorer of the nature of Central Asia.” Having completed the processing of the fourth trip, Przhevalsky was preparing for the fifth. In 1888, he moved through Samarkand to the Russian-Chinese border, where he caught a cold while hunting and died on October 20, 1888 in Karakol, now Przhevalsk. A monument was erected at Przhevalsky’s grave based on a drawing by A.A. Bilderling, and the other, according to his own design, was erected by the Geographical Society in the Alexander Garden in St. Petersburg. Przhevalsky's works have been translated into many foreign languages. In all expeditions, Przhevalsky carried out route surveys based on astronomical points determined by him, altitudes were determined barometrically, meteorological observations were carried out tirelessly, collections on zoology, botany, geology and information on ethnography were collected. He spent in Central Asia, in complexity, 9 years 3 months and walked 29,585 miles, not counting his journey through the Ussuri region; During this time, he identified astronomically 63 points. Barometric observations gave heights of up to 300 points. Before Przhevalsky, there was not a single accurately mapped place in Central Asia, and very little positive was known about the nature of this part of Asia. Przhevalsky's research covered a huge area from the Pamirs in the east to the Greater Khingan ridge, 4000 miles long, and from north to south - from Altai to the middle of Tibet, i.e. width up to 1000 versts. In this space, Przhevalsky crossed the Great Gobi several times; he crossed the so-called Eastern Gobi in two directions, and, summarizing all the available data about these countries, gave Full description these areas. Przhevalsky gave the first description of Eastern Turkestan, finally established on the map the course of the Tarim and the place of Lob-Nor, where it flows. Having explored the entire southern outskirts of East Turkestan for 1300 versts, Przhevalsky was the first European to visit these areas. He also has the honor of examining Kuen-Lun for the first time, northern border of the vast Tibetan Plateau, which was previously indicated on maps for fortune-telling. For the first time, they clarified the structure of the earth's surface in these places, where the huge Altyn-Taga ridge, rising south of Lob-Nor, separates two completely different natures. In the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, Przhevalsky was able for the first time to examine in detail the entire region of Lake Kuku-Nora and visit the sources of the Yellow and Blue rivers. In general, Przhevalsky was the first to give a generally correct picture of the entire northern Tibet. Works of Przhevalsky, in addition to those mentioned above: “The Third Journey in Central Asia” (St. Petersburg, 1883), “The Fourth Journey in Central Asia” (St. Petersburg, 1888); then, some have already been published, some are about to be published: “Routes and meteorological diaries”, “Flora Tangutia” and “Enumeratio plantarun bacusgue et Mongolia notarum”, “Zoological Department”, with a description of all Przhevalsky’s zoological collections and “Insects”. Most full biography Przhevalsky given by N.F. Dubrovin "N.M. Przhevalsky" (St. Petersburg, 1890); see "News of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society" (vol. XXIV, 1888, pp. 231 - 288)EPISODES OF PRZHEVALSKY'S LIFE
England took possession Suez Canal(1875), Balochistan (1876), tried to conquer Afghanistan (1875), sent scouts to Tibet (in 1872 and 1875), preparing an invasion of its borders. England tried to give the appearance of “defense against Russia” to its Indian possessions to its expansion in Asia. England pursued the same imperialist policy in the Black Sea region under the pretext of “protecting the inviolability of the Ottoman Empire from Russia.” Having concluded an alliance with each other, England and Turkey sought to use the new Muslim state in Central Asia - Jety-Shaar - for purposes hostile to Russia. This state was formed on the territory of East Turkestan, which separated from the Chinese Empire as a result of the following events.
In 1861–1862, the oppressed Muslim national minorities of these provinces, the “Dungans,” rebelled in Shaanxi and Gansu. The Dungan uprising was the last wave of the Great Peasant War in China, the so-called Taiping Uprising. In 1863–64, the Muslim uprising spread to the cities of Eastern Turkestan - Gulja, Chuguchak, Urumqi, Kucha, Aksu. The descendants of its former rulers who dominated here before the Chinese conquest - the “Khojas” - tried to take advantage of the uprising to the best of their ability to seize power over East Turkestan.
In 1865, one of them, Buzruk Khan, at the head of a cavalry detachment, invaded Kashgaria (in East Turkestan) from Western Turkestan. Buzruk Khan's cavalry detachment was commanded by the enterprising and power-hungry Yakub Beg. Muhamed Yakub Beg was born in 1820 in Western Turkestan. By the time of his appearance in Kashgar, he had already gained some fame for his activities hostile to the Russian government in Western Turkestan: he fought against the troops of General Perovsky at Ak-Mosque in 1853 and against the troops of General Chernyaev in Chimkent and Tashkent in 1864. In East Turkestan, Yakub Beg, having concentrated power over the armed forces of Buzruk Khan in his hands, overthrew him in 1866.
In 1870–72, after a successful struggle - on the one hand with the Bogdokhan troops, and on the other - with the independent khanates formed as a result of the uprising and the Dungan Union of Cities, Yakub Beg became the autocratic ruler of East Turkestan. His state received the name “Jety-shaar”, Yakub-bek - the title of emir. England and Turkey tried to use the power-hungry Yakub Beg in order to create a state hostile to Russia in Central Asia. They tried to turn Jety-shaar into the center of “gazavat” - the “holy war” of Muslims against infidels, to spread gazavat under Anglo-Turkish leadership to Western Turkestan, to separate Western Turkestan from Russia.
To this end, the Turkish Sultan took care of creating religious prestige for Yakub-bek in the eyes of Muslims and recognized him as the “leader of the believers” - “atalyk-gazi”. England and Türkiye sent military instructors to the emir's army. England supplied him with European weapons. With the help of these weapons, Yakub Beg and his military clique established such terror in East Turkestan and placed such a heavy tax burden on the shoulders of the people that the life of the population did not become better than it was under Bogdokhan’s rule.
The Russian government, trying to block the path of British aggression in the Middle East, temporarily sent troops into the Ili region in 1871. Russia tried to establish diplomatic ties with Jety-Shaar. But Russia could not recognize as an independent state the territory that belonged to its friendly China and fell under British influence. Naturally, the Russian government was interested in receiving diverse information regarding the geographical areas to which British aggression was directed - Jety-shaar and Tibet.
Przhevalsky's expedition could have provided valuable scientific information about these areas.
PREPARATION FOR THE SECOND CENTRAL ASIAN EXPEDITION
On March 5, 1876, the Russian government agreed to allocate 24 thousand rubles for Przhevalsky’s two-year expedition.
On May 23, Nikolai Mikhailovich said goodbye to his mother and nanny Makaryevna. On June 6, he and his companions arrived in Perm. On June 13, with all the equipment of the expedition, they left Perm on 13 post horses. It was troublesome and expensive to carry huge luggage along the bad Ural road - the carts often broke down and you had to pay for their repairs.
On May 23, Nikolai Mikhailovich said goodbye to his mother and nanny Makaryevna. On June 6, he and his companions arrived in Perm. On June 13, with all the equipment of the expedition, they left Perm on 13 post horses. It was troublesome and expensive to carry huge luggage along the bad Ural road - the carts often broke down and you had to pay for their repairs.
Beyond the Urals lie vast steppes. The closer to Semipalatinsk, the steppe became more and more harsh and deserted and more and more resembled the Gobi. On July 3, in Semipalatinsk, Przhevalsky had a joyful meeting with his old comrades - the Cossacks Chebaev and Irinchinov.
From here the expedition left on five troikas. In Verny (now Alma-Ata) Nikolai Mikhailovich took three more Cossacks, and in Gulja he hired a translator - Abdul Yusupov, who knew Turkic and Chinese languages. The expedition acquired 24 camels and 4 horses.
Equipment for a long journey, correspondence with the governments of China and Jety-shaar detained Przhevalsky in Kulja for several weeks. On August 7, Przhevalsky received from the Governor-General of Russian Turkestan K.P. Kaufman a translation of a letter from the Dzhetyshaar Emir Yakub-bek. The emir wrote that he would receive the expedition members as guests and provide them with all possible assistance in his possessions.
On August 9, the Russian envoy in Beijing E. Byutsov sent the expedition a pass to Chinese Turkestan. This pass was obtained with great difficulty from the Bogdokha government. As in 1871, the Bogdokhan ministers, in order to dissuade the Russians from traveling, tried to intimidate them with all sorts of dangers. This time, the ministers even stated that they could not take upon themselves the protection of the lives of travelers. This statement not only did not alarm Nikolai Mikhailovich, but, on the contrary, made him very happy.
“I received a passport from Beijing for passage from Hami to Tibet,” he wrote to Pyltsov on the same day. - Only the Chinese refused to guard the expedition. This is what is needed." Since the Bogdohan authorities refused to guard the expedition, they would have no excuse to assign a convoy to it. And the convoy would interfere with the orderly work of travelers.
On August 12, 1876, Przhevalsky and nine of his companions set out from Kulja and headed up the banks of the Ili River.
Near Lake Lob-nor, discovered by Przhevalsky. Photo by Roborovsky.
Przhevalsky after hunting during the Lop Nor expedition. From a watercolor by Bilderling.
IN THE KINGDOM OF YAKUB BEK 
Travel from Kulja through the Tien Shan to Lob-nor and through Dzungaria to Guchen in 1876–1878.
During the previous expedition, Przhevalsky’s route to Tibet lay from the northeast (from Beijing) to the southwest. The new expedition headed from northwest to southeast. Its closest goal was the banks of the Tarim River and Lake Lop-Nor.
The travelers had to cross the possessions of the Jety-Shaar emir Yakub Beg. Having crossed the rivers Ili, Tekes and Kunges, and crossed the Narat ridge, Przhevalsky and his companions entered the Yuldus plateau. The very first weeks of the trip showed that Nikolai Mikhailovich, despite all his experience and insight, made a mistake when choosing one of his companions.
“Our entry into Yuldus was marked by an extremely unpleasant event. My assistant, warrant officer Povalo-Shvyikovsky, almost from the very beginning of the expedition could not bear the difficulties of the journey,” says Przhevalsky. “I was forced to send him back to his previous place of service. Fortunately, my other companion, volunteer Eklon, turned out to be a very diligent and energetic young man. With some practice, he will soon become an excellent assistant for me.” Having crossed the southern spurs of the Tien Shan, the travelers arrived in the Jetyshaar city of Kurlya.
Here, by order of Yakub-bek, they were placed in a house allocated for them, and a guard was assigned to them, “under the pretext of security,” as Przhevalsky says, “in essence, in order to not allow any of the local residents here , generally extremely dissatisfied with the rule of Yakub Beg.” Przhevalsky and his companions were not allowed into the city. They were told: “You are our dear guests, you should not worry, everything you need will be delivered.” These sweet speeches were only a pretense. True, lamb, bread and fruit were delivered to travelers every day, but this was the extent of the hospitality promised by Yakub Beg.
Everything that interested Przhevalsky was closed to him. “We didn’t know about anything beyond the gates of our yard,” he says. To all questions regarding the city of Kurlya, the number of local residents, their trade, the nature of the surrounding country - he heard the most evasive answers or outright lies. The next day after Przhevalsky’s arrival in Kurlya, the emir’s close associate, Zaman-bek (or Zaman-khan-efendi), came to him.
Imagine Nikolai Mikhailovich’s surprise when the adviser to the Dzhetyshaar ruler spoke excellent Russian! Przhevalsky describes Zaman-bek as follows: “In appearance he is obese, of average height, dark-haired, with a huge nose; age about 40 years.” Answering Przhevalsky’s questions, Zaman-bek said that he was a native of the city of Nukha in Transcaucasia and was in the Russian service.
From Russia Zaman-bek moved to Turkey. The Turkish Sultan sent him to Yakub Beg along with other persons knowledgeable in military affairs. Zaman-bek announced from the very first words that the emir had instructed him to accompany Przhevalsky to Lob-nor. “I was shocked by this news,” writes Przhevalsky. “I knew well that Zaman Bey was being sent to monitor us and that the presence of an official would not be a relief, but a hindrance to our research. That’s what happened later.”
Although Zaman-bek was sent to Jety-shaar by an ally of the British - the Turkish Sultan, he himself sympathized not with England, but with Russia. Przhevalsky appreciated Zaman-bek’s friendly attitude towards the Russians. The traveler fully understood that Zaman-bek was better than any other “honorary guard” assigned to him by the Jetyshaar emir. But even the most benevolent guard prevented Przhevalsky from freely photographing the area, getting to know the local population, and carrying out the necessary research. Nikolai Mikhailovich would prefer freedom to the best convoy.
That is why Zaman-bek aroused in him a mixed feeling of gratitude and annoyance. “Zaman-bek was personally very disposed towards us,” says Przhevalsky, “and, as far as possible, he provided us with services. I owe deep gratitude to the venerable bek for this. With him at Lob-Nor we were much better off than with any of Yakub-bek’s other trustees - of course, as much as it can be better in bad things in general" Przhevalsky was outraged not only by his position as an “honorary prisoner” of Yakub-bek, the whole political regime, established by the emir in Jety-shaar.
On July 6, 1877, Przhevalsky wrote to Russia: “Being under the strictest supervision during our entire stay in the possessions of Badualet, we could only occasionally, by chance, enter into relations with the local population, but from this random, fragmentary information, the most important contours inner life the kingdom of Yakub Beg... Even if Badualet floods the field of his dominion with streams of blood, if only the shoots of the future prosperity of the state sprout on this field. But there are no such sprouts at all. The bloody terror in today's Jityshar has the sole purpose of strengthening the power of the king himself - there is no concern for the people.
They look at him only as a working mass from which the best juices can be squeezed... The petty worries of the day absorb all the attention and time of the Jityshar ruler. Badualet listens to all sorts of denunciations of his servants, knows which merchant brought what to the city (and some of the goods are taken for free), accepts gifts in the form of horses, rams, etc., from the simplest of his subjects he takes into the harem, at his own choice, women, sometimes at the age of a child. Constantly fearing for his life, Yakub-bek lives outside the city in a fanza, surrounded by guards and a soldier’s camp, does not sleep at night and, as Zaman-bek told us, even enters the mosque with a Winchester rifle in his hands.” According to Przhevalsky’s angry and correct description, Yakub-bek is “nothing more than a political rogue”, who used the national liberation movement of Muslim peoples against the Bogdokhan yoke only in order to “seize power over them and oppress them together with a clique of his closest adherents” .
“The clique of his henchmen is a match for Badualet himself,” wrote Przhevalsky. “All of them are known to the local population under the common name “Anjanov”. The most important positions in the Jita-shara are distributed to these anjanas. For the local population, these people are hateful.” Not as an indifferent outsider, but with passionate sympathy for the fate of the masses, Przhevalsky depicts their situation in the state of Yakub Beg: “It is very bad to live in today’s Jityshar.
Neither person nor property are secured; espionage has developed to terrifying proportions. Everyone is afraid for tomorrow. Arbitrariness dominates in all branches of government: truth and justice do not exist. The Anjans rob the residents not only of their property, but even of their wives and daughters.” From everything that the traveler saw in Jety-shaar, he was able to draw an insightful conclusion regarding the viability of this state: “ The kingdom of Yakub Beg will fall in the near future(Przhevalsky's italics - S. X.).
Most likely, it will be conquered by the Chinese; in the event of any peaceful combinations on this side, which is, however, very doubtful, an uprising will inevitably break out within Jityshar itself, for which there are, even to the extreme, all the ready-made elements, but which is now delayed by military terror and the commonality of the Muslim cause.” Przhevalsky pointed out that “the local population, guilty of little, will, of course, pay in this case, perhaps even with a complete massacre.” History soon fully confirmed Przhevalsky’s predictions. The “Kingdom of Yakub Beg” really fell a year later. It was conquered by the Bogd Khan's troops, as Przhevalsky predicted.
The population, as he also foresaw, paid in the “total massacre” that the Bogdokhan government ordered. Tens of thousands of residents of Jety-shaar fled to the west, to Russian Turkestan, and settled here forever.
THE WAY TO LOB-NOR On November 4, the expedition, accompanied by Zaman-bek and his retinue, set out from Kurl to the shores of Tarim and Lob-nor. “A whole horde is traveling with Zaman-bek,” Przhevalsky was indignant. “Food (sheep, flour, etc.) and pack animals are taken from the residents for free.” Nikolai Mikhailovich spoke about Zaman-bek himself with mockery and indignation: “On the road and at Lob-Nor itself, our companion, probably out of boredom, married four times, including once to a 10-year-old girl.” The society of Zaman-bek and his retinue prevented Przhevalsky from not only mapping the area, but even hunting.
In his first expedition to Central Asia in 1870-1873, exploring Mongolia, China and Tibet, Przhevalsky found out that the Gobi was not a rise, but a depression with hilly terrain. Nanshan is not a ridge, but a mountain system. He discovered the Beishan Highlands, the Tsaidam Basin, three ridges in Kunlun and seven large lakes. The results of the expedition brought him world fame; Przhevalsky was awarded the highest award of the Geographical Society - the Great Konstantinovsky Medal.
In 1876, Przhevalsky undertook a second journey from Kulja to the Ili River, through the Tien Shan and the Tarim River to Lake Lob-Nor, south of which he discovered the Altyn-Tag ridge; in the spring, at Lob-Hop, he took advantage of the migration of birds for ornithological research, and then through Kurla and Yuldus he returned to Gulja. The illness forced him to return to Russia for a while.
In the third expedition to Central Asia in 1879-1880, he identified a number of ridges in Nanshan, Kunlun and the Tibetan Plateau (including Tangla and Bokalyktag), photographed Lake Kukunor, the upper reaches of the Yellow River and the Yangtze. In 1883, he undertook a fourth trip, leading a detachment of 21 people. From Kyakhta he moved through Urga, along the old route, to the Tibetan Plateau, explored the sources of the Yellow River and the watershed between the Yellow and Blue Rivers, and from there passed through Tsaidam to Lob-Nor and to Karakol, now Przhevalsk. The journey ended only in 1886. The Academy of Sciences and scientific societies around the world welcomed Przhevalsky’s discoveries. The ridge he discovered was named the Przhevalsky Ridge.
His greatest achievements are the exploration of the Kuen Lun mountain system, the ridges of Northern Tibet, the Lob Nor and Kuku Nor basins and the sources of the Yellow River. Przhevalsky discovered a number of new forms: the wild camel, Przhevalsky's horse, the Tibetan bear, a number of new forms of other mammals; huge zoological and botanical collections were collected, which contained many new forms, later described by specialists. The herbariums collected by him contain about 16 thousand specimens of plants, comprising 1,700 species, of which 218 species and 7 genera were described for the first time. His mineralogical collections were striking in their richness. He received the highest awards from a number of geographical societies, was elected honorary doctor of several universities, and became an honorary member of 24 scientific institutions a number of countries and an honorary citizen of St. Petersburg and Smolensk.
Having completed the processing of the fourth trip, Przhevalsky was preparing for the fifth. In 1888, he moved through Samarkand to the Russian-Chinese border, where he caught a cold while hunting and died on October 20, 1888 in Karakol, now Przhevalsk. In 1891, in honor of Przhevalsky, the Russian Geographical Society established a silver medal and a prize named after him; in 1946 the gold medal named after Przhevalsky was established. The following names were named in honor of Przhevalsky: a city, a ridge in Kunlun, a glacier in Altai, several species of animals (including a horse) and plants.
Who is Przhevalsky? He was a famous Russian freight forwarder. Over the years of his life, he became a pioneer explorer of the lands of Central Asia, which captivated him with its nature. Przhevalsky had a special talent for contemplating and collecting various geographical and natural science facts, thereby connecting them together using the method of comparison. Nikolai Mikhailovich also became known thanks to comparative physical geography, which, accordingly, began in the first half of the 19th century. Przhevalsky's scientific merits are invaluable. This man had an amazing destiny, but did he suspect, as a child, that such a difficult and famous life would await him? We will talk about Przhevalsky’s research activities in the article.
Brief biographical information
N.M. began in the spring, March 31 (April 12), 1839 in the village of Kimborovo, municipal formation as part of the Seversky district of the Krasnodar Territory, in the family of a small landowner. In order to avoid ridicule regarding his date of birth, the traveler always indicated the date one day earlier. Przhevalsky's family was not rich; at the age of six he had already lost his father. His mother was directly involved in his upbringing; she was smart and moderately strict, but at the same time she gave her son freedom: she did not forbid her son to be outside in completely different weather, to walk in thickets and swamps. Nikolai Mikhailovich had a favorite nanny, whose name was Olga Makarevna. He loved her like his mother and reserved affection and tenderness for her.
Przhevalsky's youth
From the early age Przhevalsky was engaged in hunting, experiencing a special passion for it, which he retained until the end of his life. Hunting tempered him and developed his love and closeness to nature. Nikolai was observant, patient and quite resilient. He also loved reading books. The most favorite works were those that contained descriptions of travel, nature, stories about animals and beasts, and information related to geography. Przhevalsky loved to read so much that he literally remembered every detail of what he read. At the age of 16, he decides to serve in the Belev army, but military affairs did not live up to his expectations. There he saw only constant entertainment and unbridledness of the officers. This is what changed his life and views on human society.
Education
As the biography tells, Przhevalsky N.M. graduated from Smolensk Educational establishment at the age of sixteen. The Crimean War began. And as a young man, he had to join the army as a private. At the age of 22, he studied at the Military Academy, and upon graduation he was sent back to the Polotsk Regiment. While still at the academy, N. M. Przhevalsky compiled a “Military-static survey of the Amur region,” which served as a huge change in his life. His work was appreciated by the Russian Geographical Society, which led to his election as a member of the Society at the age of 25. This was just the beginning of the life he had always dreamed of.
Start of work
From an early age, Nikolai Mikhailovich wanted to travel. As soon as the opportunity arose and he managed to end up in Warsaw, after leaving the regiment, he became a teacher at a military institution and used all the money he earned to prepare for the expedition. Przhevalsky's life was strict: he worked in the university museum of zoology, reading room and botanical garden.
Nikolai Mikhailovich always carried out his duties responsibly and strictly approached his positions, and especially teaching. He carefully prepared for his classes and spoke with complete pleasure about his subject, which turned out to be quite entertaining and exciting. Przhevalsky was also able to publish a geography textbook in his own hand. Subsequently, his book enjoyed success in military and civilian institutions.
In 1867, Przhevalsky moved from Warsaw to St. Petersburg. Only there he applied to the All-Russian public organization Russian Geographical Society its idea of traveling to Central Asia. But, unfortunately, there was no support. In response to his plan, he was only provided with letters with recommendations to contact his superiors Eastern Siberia. Nikolai Mikhailovich went on a business trip to the Ussuri region, which joined Russia. Przhevalsky was instructed to familiarize himself with the distribution of troops and correct information about the number and condition of Russian settlements, including Korean ones, as well as explore the paths that lead to the borders, correct and expand the route map. In addition, there was permission to conduct various surveys.
First trip
Thanks to a business trip to Ussuri, Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky provided an excellent description of the region. He picturesquely and in all its beauty presented the geographical advantages of the Ussuri region. Przhevalsky described the essence well Far East. He was interested in the exception of the Khanka plains for their noble lands, wide pastures and limitless wealth of fish and poultry.
Nikolai Mikhailovich considered his first expedition as an advance reconnaissance before his the most difficult exits to Central Asia. This helped him form an impression of himself as a skilled traveler and explorer. Literally after this, he began to worry about allowing him an expeditionary trip to northern part China and the eastern edges of southern Mongolia. It was here that Przhevalsky managed to publish his first book entitled “Expedition in the Ussuri Region.” This publication had a great sensation among the people and among many outstanding people Moreover, it took into account tables of meteorological observations, as well as tables of statistics of the Cossack settlement in Ussuri, a similar table of peasant settlements in the South Ussuri region, and a table with information on three Korean settlements. Also in this publication more than 200 species of birds were presented (many of which were discovered by Przhevalsky himself). In addition, Nikolai Mikhailovich collected about ten mammal skins and more than 250 species various plants, as well as more than 70 varieties of seeds.
Literally in July 1870, a Great Order was issued for Przhevalsky’s expedition to Mongolia for 3 years. The expedition through China to Mongolia actually lasted about three years, from 1870 to 1873. During this time, more than 10,000 kilometers were covered. During the passage of this route, a visual survey was carried out, thanks to which a map was compiled on more than 20 small sheets. Magnetic and meteorological research was carried out every day, and luxurious zoological and botanical collections were collected. Based on Przhevalsky's new materials, it was possible to significantly concretize the map of Asia.
Second expedition
The second expedition of Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky began in 1876. Thanks to this research trip, Przhevalsky was able to well consolidate his fame as a fair and excellent forwarder. Even before completing the processing of his research materials, Przhevalsky had already begun preparations for a new expedition. This trip was supposed to be very large-scale, since it was necessary to explore both Tibet and Lhasa. About nine people went on the expedition, but they never managed to get to Tibet. This was prevented by the illness of the mailing list manager and its participants. Przhevalsky made a rather brief judgment about his second study on Central Asia. But some of the materials from this expedition were included in the description of the fourth.
Third expedition
At the age of forty, N. M. Przhevalsky set off on his next trip to Central Asia. Then everyone already knew who Przhevalsky was. He described his first response to the impression he received as if he had found himself in another world, which was full of large animals. The trekking of 13 travelers was quite difficult, and at the end of 1879 they finally conquered a pass over a hill called Tan-la. A few kilometers from Lhasa, Tibetan officials tied up the forwarders. After lengthy conversations, Przhevalsky was obliged to return back.
After this study, Przhevalsky acquired numerous honorable titles and titles, grateful criticism and steps. He decides to retire to the tract and begins to process the new material he has received.
Fourth voyage
Przhevalsky's fourth journey was called the “Second Tibetan Journey” and it lasted about two years. And again Przhevalsky and his expedition had to explore Tibet, make new discoveries and plunge into yet another adventure. New species of birds, mammals, insects, fish, as well as many new plants appeared in the materials of the researchers.
After exploring the Tibetan plateau, travelers came to Lob-nor and Tarim. Then the forwarders reached Cherchen, then further to Keria, and from there they came to Karakol on Lake Issyk-Kul. This journey was the most productive in Przhevalsky’s life.
After the expedition, Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky issued a new publication called “From Kyakhta to the Sources of the Yellow River,” where the passage through the northern places of Tibet was described in all the details.
The last years of the life of the great traveler
Nothing could keep Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky in place: neither respect, nor fame, nor financial independence. His passion for research was paramount to everything in his life. Already in the spring of 1888, he completed the description of his fourth expedition, and literally in April received approval for a new research trip to Lhasa. At less than 50 years old, Przhevalsky sets off on his fifth journey. At the end of the year he was in Karakol, where the expedition was assembled and the group was prepared for research. But Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky did not have the opportunity to continue his expedition.
In 1888, on November 1, he died of typhus, right in the arms of his fellow researchers. Before he died, the Russian traveler Przhevalsky asked to be buried in his expedition uniform on the shores of Issyk-Kul. His companions chose a picturesque place for burial on this shore, on a steep slope, where there was a beautiful view of the lake and nearby places.
A memorial was later erected right on the grave from small pieces of local marble, with the inscription “Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky, born March 31, 1839, died October 20, 1888.” The first explorer of the nature of Central Asia."
Everyone learned who Przhevalsky was thanks to his expeditions. He was nicknamed Overall, he went through five expeditions, which took him about 11 years of his life. The total length of its route is approximately 32 thousand kilometers. During his expeditionary travels, Nikolai Mikhailovich collected many exhibits from the zoological collection, discovered many species of animals, such as: wild camel, wild Przewalski's horse, Tibetan brown bear and others.
Its plant collection consists of 15 thousand plant species. Most people are amazed to this day by his collection of minerals. He received many worthy rewards. During his life, he was elected as a scientist at more than one higher educational institution, and also became an honorary member of 24 scientific organizations in many countries, as well as a citizen of St. Petersburg and Smolensk.
Throughout his life, N. M. Przhevalsky carried out many expeditionary journeys to make discoveries known to the whole world. Even anticipating the end of his fascinating life, he was still preparing for his last journey.
In the places where N.M. Przhevalsky was born, a memorable distinction was erected, and on the site of his grave, near the town of Karakol, a memorial was erected on the model of the Bilderling project. Also, in memory of his work, a memorial was built in the Alexander Garden in St. Petersburg.
In 1891, the Przhevalsky medal was created from silver. In 1946, a gold medal named after him was already issued.
During the time of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, no one forgot who Przhevalsky was. Not far from his grave, a museum was designed and later opened, which absorbed the history of the life and work of N. M. Przhevalsky.
In 1999, Russian banks issued a batch of commemorative coins in honor of the famous freight forwarder, in memory of his research and discoveries.
Thanks to the discoveries of N. M. Przhevalsky, some geographical features. Of these: the Przhevalsky Upland, the Przhevalsky Ridge in Altai. Also, some species of animals and plants are named after him. For example: Przewalski's horse, Przewalski's pestle and Przewalski's buzulnik.
Another important fact is that the city of Karakol, from approximately 1889 to 1922. and from 1939 to 1992 it was called Przhevalsk.
Several streets in Russia are named in memory of Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky, for example, in Moscow, Minsk and Smolensk. There is also an educational institution named after Przhevalsky, located in the city of Smolensk.
In the Primorsky Territory, mountains are named after Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky, which are called the Przhevalsky Hills. Also named after him is an underground passage near the city of Nakhodka and an array of rocks in a drainage reservoir called Partizansky.
(born April 12, March 31, old style 1839 in the village of Kimborovo, now in the Pochinkovsky district of the Smolensk region; died November 1, October 20, old style 1888 in the city of Karakol, Semirechensk region, now in the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan) - Russian geographer, ethnographer, researcher of Central Asia, major general.
Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky in the 1880s
Biography
After graduating in 1855 year Smolensk gymnasium, entered military service, and in 1856 promoted to officer. IN 1863 graduated from the Academy of the General Staff and was sent as a teacher of history and geography to the Warsaw Junker School. IN 1867 year transferred to Nikolaevsk and sent for two years to study the Ussuri region. His work “On the Non-Russian Population in the Southern Part of the Primorsky Region” was awarded a silver medal of the Russian Geographical Society.
Having received an appointment to the Ussuri region, Przhevalsky organized his first expedition. From the village of Khabarovka in 1867 he set off to study the Far Eastern forests. The route ran along the Ussuri River. Rich material was collected. Having reached the upper reaches of the river, the expedition reached the Golden Horn Bay. Przhevalsky drew attention to the convenient location of the village of Vladivostok and suggested that it could become an important trade and defense port.
And now a new expedition - to Central Asia. Dry sands, scorching heat, sandstorms. Finally, the explorers saw the blue waters of Lake Kukunoor, and then headed towards the peaks of Tibet. With great difficulty they reached the upper reaches of the Yangtze, the great river originating in the heart of Tibet.
The main business of Przhevalsky’s life was traveling to areas of Central Asia not explored by Europeans (in the territory of modern China and Mongolia), respectively, in 1871-1873, 1876-1877, 1879-1881, 1883-1886. The mountain systems of Kunlun, the ridges of Northern Tibet, the basins of lakes Lop Nor and Kukunar, and the sources of the Yellow River were explored.
All Przhevalsky’s research was carried out according to the program he developed, including military-eye survey, astronomical determination of latitudes (and in last trip and longitudes) of the most important points, barometric determinations of heights, meteorological observations, study of flora and fauna with the compilation of rich collections on site. Ethnographic observations were supplemented by drawings and, on the last trip, photographs. In total, Przhevalsky covered a distance of 30 thousand kilometers during his expeditions.
A glacier in Altai, a ridge in Kunlun, many species of plants and animals, including Przewalski's horse.
Przhevalsky was elected an honorary member of many European academies and received their awards.
Trips
In 1867, Przhevalsky received a business trip to the Ussuri region. Along the Ussuri he reached the village of Busse, then to Lake Khanka, which served as a station during bird migration and provided him with material for ornithological observations. In winter, he explored the South Ussuri region, covering 1,060 versts (about 1,100 km) in three months. In the spring of 1868, he again went to Lake Khanka, then pacified Chinese robbers in Manchuria, for which he was appointed senior adjutant of the headquarters of the troops of the Amur region. The results of his first trip were the essays “On the Foreign Population in the Southern Part of the Amur Region” and “Travel to the Ussuri Region.”
In 1871, Przhevalsky made his first trip to Central Asia. From Beijing he moved to the northern shore of Lake Dalai Nor, then, after resting in Kalgan, he explored the Suma-Khodi and Yin-Shan ridges, as well as the course of the Yellow River (Huang He), showing that it does not have a branch, as previously thought on the basis Chinese sources; Having passed through the Ala Shan desert and the Alashan Mountains, he returned to Kalgan, having traveled 3,500 versts (about 3,700 kilometers) in 10 months. In 1872, he moved to Lake Kuku-Nor, intending to penetrate the Tibetan Plateau, then through the Tsaidam Desert he reached the upper reaches of the Blue River (Mur-Usu). After an unsuccessful attempt to cross Tibet, in 1873, through the central part of the Gobi, Przhevalsky returned to Kyakhta through Urga. The result of the trip was the essay “Mongolia and the Country of the Tanguts.” Over the course of three years, Przhevalsky walked 11,000 versts (about 11,700 km).
In 1876, Przhevalsky undertook a second journey from Kulja to the Ili River, through the Tien Shan and the Tarim River to Lake Lob-Nor, to the south of which he discovered the Altyn-Tag ridge; he spent the spring of 1877 on Lob-Nor, watching the migration of birds and doing ornithological research, and then returned to Gulja through Kurla and Yuldus. The illness forced him to stay in Russia longer than planned, during which time he wrote and published the work “From Kulja to the Tien Shan and to Lob-Nor.”
He studied the surroundings of Lake Lop Nor and the Altyntag ridge. On the third expedition through Altai Mountains explorers descended to Dzungaria. Here they met a species of wild horse, first described by Przhevalsky. Having examined the sources of the Yellow River, the Alashan and Gobi deserts, Przhevalsky returned to Russia.
In 1879, he set out from the city of Zaisan on his third journey at the head of a detachment of 13 people. Along the Urungu River through the Hami oasis and through the desert to the Sa-Zheu oasis, through the Nan Shan ridges into Tibet, and reached the valley of the Blue River (Mur-Usu). The Tibetan government did not want to let Przhevalsky into Lhasa, and the local population was so excited that Przhevalsky, having crossed the Tang-La pass and being only 250 miles from Lhasa, was forced to return to Urga. Returning to Russia in 1881, Przhevalsky gave a description of his third trip. He described a new species of horse, previously unknown to science, later named in his honor (Equus przewalskii).
In 1883, he undertook a fourth voyage, leading a detachment of 21 people. From Kyakhta he moved through Urga along the old route to the Tibetan Plateau, explored the sources of the Yellow River and the watershed between the Yellow and Blue Rivers, and from there he went through Tsaidam to Lob-Nor and to the city of Karakol (Przhevalsk). The journey ended only in 1886.
N. M. Przhevalsky developed effective technique research work and safety precautions for expeditionary research, which he outlined in his works. In the complex and lengthy expeditions led by N. M. Przhevalsky, not a single person died - a phenomenal phenomenon in the history of world geographical research. All expeditions of N. M. Przhevalsky included only people who served in Russian army, which ensured iron discipline, cohesion and excellent combat training of the expeditionary forces. Not a single traveler has traveled more extensive routes than N. M. Przhevalsky managed.
N. M. Przhevalsky’s dream was an expedition to the spiritual center of Buddhism, the Tibetan city of Lhasa. British diplomacy, through the Chinese authorities, did not allow this research project of the Russian geographer and traveler to be carried out.
In any conditions, every day N.M. Przhevalsky kept a personal diary, which formed the basis of his books. N. M. Przhevalsky had a brilliant writing gift, which he developed through persistent and systematic work.
In 1886, the Geographical Society awarded Przhevalsky a gold medal with his portrait. While preparing for a new expedition, the traveler fell ill with typhoid fever and died. Not since the time of Marco Polo has anyone explored this region so completely.
Personal life
Przhevalsky’s biographer M.A. Engelhardt writes: “Most of all, he did not like women, he called them dreamers and court cases... and positively ran away from them.” However, in the House-Museum of N. M. Przhevalsky there are several photographs of women who were not indifferent to Nikolai Mikhailovich. Przhevalsky kept a photograph of Tasi Nuromskaya. Black-browed, stately, with clear, large facial features, Tasya studied in Smolensk, where she met Przhevalsky. He was older, but they became friends, Nikolai Mikhailovich became interested in the girl and began visiting her parents’ estate. According to family legend, at the last meeting with Nikolai Mikhailovich, before he left for the expedition, Tasya cut off her braid and gave it to him as a parting gift. She announced to her sisters that her braid would travel with Nikolai Mikhailovich until their wedding... But the wedding did not take place. While Przhevalsky was on the expedition, Tasya died unexpectedly from sunstroke while swimming...
Another photograph in N. M. Przhevalsky’s album remains a mystery - a young, smartly dressed, bushy-haired woman with flowers. And the poetic lines on the back of the photograph:
Look at my portrait -
do you like me?
Oh, don't go to Tibet!
Live in silence
with a young friend!
Wealth and love
I'll bring it with me!
Przhevalsky's answer to this or a similar proposal in the traveler's diaries.
“I will not change until the grave the ideal to which my whole life is dedicated. Having written what I need, I’ll head off again to the desert, where, with absolute freedom and a job to my liking, I will, of course, be a hundred times happier than in the gilded salons that can be acquired by marriage.”
Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich - the famous Russian explorer of Central Asia, was born on March 31, 1839 in the Kimborov estate, Smolensk region. His father was a descendant of the Cossack Kornila Parovalsky, who in the second half of the sixteenth century entered the service of the Cossacks and took the name Przhevalsky. After graduating from the military academy, Przhevalsky was sent to suppress the uprising in, where, after the suppression of the rebellion, he taught history at the school.
During his stay in Przhevalsky, a geography textbook was compiled, which earned full approval from experts. In addition, he studied the Central Russian flora; compiled herbariums from plants of the Smolensk, Radom and Warsaw provinces, visited the botanical garden and museum, using the instructions of the famous ornithologist Tachanovsky and botanist Aleksandrovich, and also carefully studied the geography of Asia according to Humboldt and Ritger.
Przhevalsky long sought a transfer to Siberia to study its immense nature. At the end of March 1867, Przhevalsky arrived in Irkutsk, where, while awaiting his appointment, he worked hard in the library of the Siberian Department of the Geographical Society, studying in detail the Ussuri region.
Seeing serious attitude k, the Chief of Staff, Major General Kukol, took an enthusiastic part in it, who, together with the Siberian Department of the Geographical Society, arranged a business trip for Przhevalsky to the Ussuri region. The business trip took place already in April 1867; its official purpose was statistical research, but this gave Przhevalsky the opportunity to simultaneously study the nature and people of a new, little-explored region. The prospect for the traveler was the most enviable; he went to, then to Ussuri, Lake Khanka and to the shores of the Great Ocean to the borders of Korea.
The journey through Ussuri in this order lasted 23 days, since Przhevalsky walked more along the shore, collecting plants and shooting birds. Having reached the village of Busse, Przhevalsky went to Lake Khanka, which was of much interest in botanical and especially zoological terms, since it served as a station for migratory birds and insects. Then he headed to the coast, and from there, in winter, he undertook a difficult expedition to an as yet unknown part of the South Ussuri region. Wandering along unknown paths, spending the night in the cold, the travelers endured many hardships and, despite this, within three months they covered 1,060 km. On January 7, 1868, travelers returned to the village of Busse.
In the spring of 1868, Przhevalsky again went to Lake Khanka in order to study its ornithological fauna and observe the flight of birds - and achieved brilliant results in this regard. Having supplemented his research with new excursions during the spring and summer of 1869, the researcher went to Irkutsk, where he gave lectures about the Ussuri region, and from there to St. Petersburg, where he arrived in January 1870. The results of the trip were a major contribution to the existing information about the nature of Asia, enriched the collections of plants and gave the Geographical Society a unique ornithological collection, to which, thanks to its completeness, later research We couldn’t add much anymore. Przhevalsky delivered a lot interesting information about the life and customs of animals and birds, about the local population, Russian and foreign, explored the course of the Ussuri, the Khanka basin and the eastern slope of the Sikhote-Alin ridge, and finally collected thorough and detailed data about the Ussuri region.
Here he published his first “Travel in the Ussuri region.” The book was a huge success among the public and scientists, especially since it was accompanied by: tables of meteorological observations, statistical tables of the Cossack population on the banks of the Ussuri, the same table of the peasant population in the South Ussuri region, the same table of 3 Korean settlements in South Ussuriysk Territory, a list of 223 bird species in the Ussuriysk Territory (of which many are for the first time discovered by Przhevalsky), a table of the spring migration of birds on Lake Khanka for two springs, a map of the Ussuri region by the author. In addition, Przhevalsky brought 310 specimens of different birds, 10 mammal skins, several hundred eggs, 300 species of different plants in the amount of 2,000 specimens, 80 types of seeds.
On July 20, 1870, the Highest order was issued to send Przhevalsky and Pyltsov for three years to Northern Tibet and, and on October 10 he was already in Irkutsk, then arrived in Kyakhta, and from there on November 17 he set out on an expedition. Through the Eastern part of the great Przhevalsky headed to Beijing, where he had to stock up on a passport from the Chinese government and on January 2, 1871, arrived in the capital of the Heavenly Empire.
During the two months spent on this expedition, 100 miles were covered, the entire area was mapped, the latitudes were determined: Kalgana, Dolon-Nor and Lake Dalai-Nor; the heights of the traversed path were measured and significant zoological collections were collected. After resting in Kalgan for several days, we set off on our way to the West.
This time the purpose of the expedition was to visit the capital of the Dalai Lama - Lhasa, where no European had ever penetrated. Przhevalsky outlined his path through Kuku Khoto to Ordos and further to Lake Kuku Nor. On February 25, 1871, a small expedition set out from, and exactly a month later the travelers arrived on the shores of Lake Dalai Nor. The expedition moved slowly, making treks of 20–25 kilometers, but the lack of reliable guides greatly slowed things down.
The area explored by the expedition was so rich in botanical and zoological material that Przhevalsky stayed at some places for several days, such as in Suma-Khoda, Yin-Shan, which were first explored. However, most of The route ran through the waterless desert of the southern outskirts of the Gobi, where no European had ever set foot, and where travelers endured unbearable torment from the scorching heat.
The study of the Yin-Shan ridge finally destroyed the previous hypothesis about the connection of this ridge with, about which there was a lot of controversy between scientists - Przhevalsky resolved this issue. For 430 kilometers, Przhevalsky explored the Yellow River, meandering among the hot sands of Ordos, and determined that the Yellow River () does not represent branches, as Europeans previously thought about it.
On the way back, the expedition captured a vast unexplored area along the right bank of the Yellow River, and partly followed the old route; but now the cold was pursuing the travelers. On the eve of the New Year, Przhevalsky arrived in Kalgan and then went to Beijing. The ten-month journey was completed - and the result was the exploration of almost completely unknown places in the Ordos desert, Ala Shan, South Gobi, the In Shan and Ala Shan ridges, determination of the latitudes of many points, a collection of the richest collections of plants and animals and abundant meteorological material Having written a report on the expedition, Przhevalsky left Beijing and on March 5, 1872, set out in the same composition from Kalgan with the intention of getting into Tibet and reaching Lhasa.
At the end of May, the expedition again arrived in Ding-Yuan-In. The travelers spent more than two months in the mountainous area of Gan-su. Mountain ranges and peaks, still unknown to geographers, many new species of animals, birds and plants were identified by Przhevalsky. The rich vegetation of the surrounding mountains aroused in Przhevalsky a desire to get to know this area better, and he alone went to the Chaibsen idol, where he arrived in early July and stayed here until the 10th. Here he made a new botanical discovery - a red birch was found.
On October 12, the expedition reached Lake Kuku-Nora, on the shores of which they pitched their tents. Having explored the lake and its surroundings, Przhevalsky moved to Tibet. Having crossed several mountain ranges and passing through the eastern part of Tsaidam, a vast plateau replete with salt lakes, the expedition entered Northern Tibet. The two and a half months (from November 23, 1872 to February 10, 1873) spent in this harsh desert were the most difficult period of the journey. On January 10, 1873, the expedition reached the Blue River (), beyond which Przhevalsky did not penetrate into Asia this time.
The results of this expedition, one of the most remarkable in Lately both in idea and in its implementation in practice, were colossal. Over the course of three years (from November 17, 1870 to September 19, 1873), 11,000 kilometers were covered; 238 species of birds were collected in the amount of 1,000 specimens; 42 species of mammals, including 130 skins, and many species of different fish, reptiles, insects and plants. In addition, the hydrography of the Kukunor basin, the ridges in the vicinity of this lake, the heights of the Tibetan Plateau, and the least accessible areas of the Gobi were studied. At various points, the magnetic declination and voltage of the earth's magnetism were determined; meteorological observations, made four times a day, provided the most interesting data about the climate of these wonderful areas.
In 1876-1877, during the Second Central Asian Expedition, Przhevalsky discovered the Altyn-Tag ridge, proved that Lake Lop Nor was fresh and not salty (as previously believed), and made new observations of birds. In 1879-1880, Przhevalsky acted as the leader of the Third Central Asian Expedition. Together with a detachment of 13 people, he descended the Urungu River, passed through the Khali oasis, passed the Nan Shan ridges and entered Tibet and from there to the Mur-Usu valley.
Central Asia, discovered new ones, clarified the boundaries of the Tibetan Plateau. The extensive zoological, botanical and mineralogical collections he collected are the pride of many Russian museums.
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