federal subject of Russia

Khakassia (Russian: Хака́сия khuh-KAHS-ee-yuh) is a region in Western Siberia, which borders Altai Republic to the southwest, Kemerovo Oblast to the west, Krasnoyarsk Krai to the north and east and Tuva to the southeast.

Cities

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Map
Map of Khakassia

  • 1 Abakan — Khakassia's only real "city" and the regional capital
  • 2 Abaza Abaza (town) on Wikipedia — the most important town in southern Khakassia, near the Tuvan border
  • 3 Chernogorsk Chernogorsk on Wikipedia — Second largest population center and location of former gulag
  • 4 Sayanogorsk Sayanogorsk on Wikipedia — an extraordinarily polluted aluminum smelting town
  • 5 Shira Shira, Russia on Wikipedia — a village near the salty 1 Lake Shira Lake Shira on Wikipedia with historical health spa resort
  • 6 Sorsk Sorsk on Wikipedia

Other destinations

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  • 2 Khakassky Nature Reserve Khakassia Nature Reserve on Wikipedia — stone markers atop ancient burial mounds abound in this steppe reserve
  • 3 Chebaki Chebaki (Khakassia) on Wikipedia the village of Chebaki with nearby fortress Sve-Takh 4 Chebaki fortress Chebaki Fortress on Wikipedia
  • 5 Sunduki mountain range Sunduki on Wikipedia — chest-shaped sandstone formations or buttes
  • 6 Koshkulak (mountain range) Koshkulak (mountain range) on Wikipedia - mountain range with paleogene volcano mountain with variety paleontological fossils of trilobites and nearby Koshkulak cave
  • 7 Cherny Iyus Cherny Iyus on Wikipedia - proglacial mountain river
  • 8 Bely Iyus Bely Iyus on Wikipedia - river

Understand

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Megaliths on the Khakass steppe
Khakasski nature reserve

Khakassia is named for the Khakass people who are Turkic and comprise only about 10% of the population. Khakassia is often called Siberia's Archaeological Mecca for its enormous profusion of important archaeological sites. Khakassia is full of monuments to the cultural history bestowed upon the region by the people who have inhabited and traversed its steppes for 30,000 years. Travelers may take interest in the many kurgans (burial mounds), sacred sites, rock drawings, stone obelisks, ruined cities, ruins of forts (as old as 3,000 years), and near ubiquitous menhirs.

Talk

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Everyone understands Russian; while the Khakass minority speaks Khakas, a Turkic language, they are nearly all bilingual.

Get in

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You can get to Abakan by rail from the junction at Taishet (Irkutsk Oblast), which is located on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Abakan's small airport is serviced by domestic flights to/from Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Norilsk, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok, and Kyzyl.

Get around

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  • The Great Salbyk Kurgan. A grandiose burial mound 7 stories high.
  • Check out the Khakass national holiday "Tum-Payram" (7 days / 6 nights) in late June/early July.

Talğan

Drink

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Stay safe

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Go next

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This region travel guide to Khakassia is an outline and may need more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. If there are Cities and Other destinations listed, they may not all be at usable status or there may not be a valid regional structure and a "Get in" section describing all of the typical ways to get here. Please plunge forward and help it grow!