Przhevalsky Memorial Museum

The Przhevalsk Memorial Complex is a site of significant historical importance, located just outside the city of Karakol, on the southeastern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. It is here that the grave of the renowned Russian scientist, explorer, and traveler Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky (1839-1888) is situated, alongside a museum dedicated to his extensive expeditions across Central and Inner Asia.

Nikolai Przhevalsky was a Russian explorer who made major contributions to the exploration of Asia. He was one of the first Europeans to reach remote regions of Mongolia, China, and Tibet. Przhevalsky explored the headwaters of the Yellow River and the Yangtze, crossed the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts, and documented the now-vanished Lake Lop Nor and the Tarim River. He also discovered a new species of wild horse, which would later bear his name—Przewalski’s horse. His expeditions greatly enriched scientific understanding of these regions, and his works have been translated into numerous languages, with his travel diaries still being widely published today.

Contrary to popular belief, Przhevalsky’s burial in Kyrgyzstan is not directly connected to his research in the region. His primary focus was on the remote areas of Tibet and its ancient capital, Lhasa. So how did the famous explorer come to be buried on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul? During his fifth expedition to Tibet, which began in Kyrgyzstan—then the farthest frontier of the Russian Empire—Przhevalsky fell ill with typhoid while hunting in the Chuy Valley. He was rushed to the nearest major city, Karakol, where he eventually passed away. Having visited the area on a previous expedition and been captivated by its beauty, Przhevalsky had requested that his body not be returned to Russia, but instead be laid to rest on the shores of Issyk-Kul.

At his burial site stands an imposing monument, featuring an eagle clutching a branch in its beak, perched atop a tall pedestal. The grave is surrounded by a large park, which also houses the Przhevalsky Museum. This museum contains an impressive collection of the explorer’s personal belongings used during his travels, original letters, manuscripts, and even taxidermied animals that Przhevalsky himself prepared on his expeditions.

Nikolai Przhevalsky is remembered as one of the greatest explorers in the history of discovery. His expeditions across Central Asia covered over 31,500 kilometers, leading to significant geographic discoveries that transformed the understanding of the region’s terrain and hydrological systems. He pioneered research into the region’s climate and dedicated considerable attention to its flora. Together with his colleagues, particularly Roborovsky, Przhevalsky collected approximately 16,000 plant specimens representing 17,000 species, including over 200 species and seven genera previously unknown to science. He also made significant contributions to the study of Central Asian fauna, gathering around 7,600 vertebrate specimens, several of which were new to the scientific community.

Przhevalsky’s expeditions are celebrated for their breadth of exploration, the wealth of discoveries and observations, and the extensive collections brought back from his journeys. He was praised not only for the scope of his research but also for the speed with which he shared his findings with the scientific world through his comprehensive publications. Anton Chekhov once remarked on Przhevalsky’s significance in both science and culture, stating: «Przhevalsky alone is worth ten educational institutions and a hundred good books… his idealism, noble ambition, rooted in the honor of his homeland and science, make him a symbol of the highest moral strength.»

One of the museum’s most prized artifacts is Przhevalsky’s rifle. In preparation for his fourth expedition to Tibet in 1883, Przhevalsky commissioned several rifles from renowned gunsmith Vasily Lezhin, son of a Swiss emigrant who founded a weapons workshop in St. Petersburg. By the end of that year, Lezhin had crafted rifles for Przhevalsky and his expedition team, each adorned with elaborate engravings. The rifle features medallions with images of a deer, fox, hound, and boar. Przhevalsky’s initials (N.M.P.) and the rifle’s number (No. 836) are engraved beneath the trigger guard, along with Lezhin’s initials. A silver plaque under the stock bears the inscription: «Przhevalsky Expedition.»

After his 1885 expedition, Przhevalsky gifted the rifle to his security chief, G. Ivanov. The rifle later ended up in the private collection of a Cossack named F. Styagov, who showcased it at the 1891 Moscow-Paris International Exhibition of rare weapons. The rifle was highly praised, earning a medal with the inscription «Peace and Labor, 1891, Moscow-Paris,» and featuring the crests of Moscow and Paris. In 1919, Styagov’s son attempted to smuggle the rifle to Turkey, but it was confiscated and later found by chance in the possession of a Georgian guard officer. It was eventually purchased by historical weapons collector and encyclopedia author V. E. Markevich. In 1957, the museum finally acquired this invaluable relic.

The museum’s collection was further enriched by personal belongings of Przhevalsky, donated by his relative Mikhail Vladimirovich Przhevalsky. These include a leather wallet, a malachite stone engraved with Przhevalsky’s signature, a business card, a notebook with a pencil, a metal ruler, a Chinese pocket knife, and a parcel box bearing Przhevalsky’s initials and wax seal. These items, along with authentic photographs of Przhevalsky, his brothers, and friends, were passed down through the Przhevalsky family before being donated to the memorial museum.

Elizaveta Vladimirovna Kozlova, the wife of Przhevalsky’s companion P.K. Kozlov, also contributed to the museum. She donated original photographs of both Przhevalsky and her husband, along with a Chinese smoking set and a Mongolian metal ashtray.

The museum’s exhibition, covering 400 square meters, is divided into 10 sections, showcasing the life and work of Przhevalsky and his associates, including P.K. Kozlov and V.I. Roborovsky. The museum also offers a broad representation of Kyrgyzstan’s fauna.

In addition to Przhevalsky’s museum and grave, the complex also includes a museum dedicated to Kusein Karasaev, a prominent Kyrgyz philologist and lexicographer, known for his contributions to the development of the Kyrgyz language, including the creation of several dictionaries, such as the Russian-Kyrgyz dictionary.