- (18631935), explorer Central Asia, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR (1928). He graduated from the Infantry Junker School in St. Petersburg (1887). Participated in the expeditions of N. M. Przhevalsky. He also led a number of expeditions (18991901) to the regions of Mongolia and... ... Encyclopedic reference book "St. Petersburg"
- (1863 1935), researcher of Central Asia, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR (1928). He graduated from the Infantry Junker School in St. Petersburg (1887). Participated in the expeditions of N. M. Przhevalsky. He also led a number of expeditions (1899 1901) to the regions of Mongolia and... ... St. Petersburg (encyclopedia)
Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov Pyotr Kozlov in his office. photograph of Karl Bulla (1908) Date of birth: November 3, 1863 Place of birth: Dukhovshchina, Smolensk province Date of death: October 26, 1935 Me... Wikipedia
- (1863 1935), researcher of Central Asia, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR (1928). Member of the expeditions of N. M. Przhevalsky, M. V. Pevtsov, V. I. Roborovsky. He led the Mongol-Tibetan (1899-1901 and 1923-26) and Mongol-Sichuan (1907-09) expeditions.… … encyclopedic Dictionary
Kozlov: Contents 1 Settlements 1.1 Russia 1.2 Ukraine ... Wikipedia
Kozlov is one of the most common Russian surnames. Derived from the ancient non-Christian name Goat. It has been clarified how this surname arose among the boyars when the expanding ancient clans were fragmented: in the first half of the 15th century. Gregory Kozel, son of a boyar ... Wikipedia
Kozlov is one of the most common Russian surnames. Derived from the ancient non-Christian name Goat. It has been clarified how this surname arose among the boyars when the expanding ancient clans were fragmented: in the first half of the 15th century. Gregory Kozel, son of a boyar ... Wikipedia
Kozlov is one of the most common Russian surnames. Derived from the ancient non-Christian name Goat. It has been clarified how this surname arose among the boyars when the expanding ancient clans were fragmented: in the first half of the 15th century. Gregory Kozel, son of a boyar ... Wikipedia
1. KOZLOV Alexey Semenovich (born 1935), saxophonist, composer, Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1988). Since 1973, organizer and leader of the jazz-rock ensemble Arsenal. Author of jazz compositions, works in the field of electronic and computer music. Author... ...Russian history
Books
- Tibet and the Dalai Lama. The Dead City of Khara-Khoto, Kozlov Petr Kuzmich. New volume series "Great Travelers" is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Russian traveler and explorer Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov (1863-1935). The basis of the anniversary...
- Diaries of the Mongol-Sichuan Expedition, 1907-1909, Kozlov Petr Kuzmich. Diaries of the Mongol-Sichuan expedition of 1907-1909. under the leadership of the famous Russian explorer of Central Asia P.K. Kozlov contain valuable information on geography, ethnography,…
Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich (1863-1935) - Russian traveler, explorer of Asia, one of the prominent participants Big game. He was an honorary member of the Russian Geographical Society, a member of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR and one of the first biographers of Przhevalsky. Today we will get acquainted with the life and activities of this outstanding person more details.
Childhood
Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich, interesting facts from whose life we will look at today, was born on October 15, 1863 in the small town of Dukhovshchina, owned by the mother of the future traveler, who was constantly engaged in housekeeping. And my father was a small trader. Parents paid little attention to their children and did not care at all about their education. Every year he drove cattle from Ukraine for a wealthy industrialist. When Peter grew up a little, he began to travel with his father. Perhaps it was during these trips that the boy first fell in love with distant travels.
Peter grew up almost independently of his family. WITH early years the inquisitive child fell in love with books. The boy could read travel stories for days on end. Later, becoming famous person, Kozlov will be stingy with 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-year school. After graduating at the age of 16, Peter began working in the office of a brewery located 66 kilometers from his hometown. The uninteresting, monotonous work did not satisfy the inquisitive, energetic young man at all. He tried to educate himself and decided to enter a teacher's institute.
Shortly before this, various scientific institutes, geographical communities and topographical services in England, Germany, France, Japan and China began to actively explore Asia. Soon Russian was also activated geographical society, created in 1845. Big game moved from military confrontations to a scientific race. Even at the time when Kozlov was engaged in grazing horses in the Smolensk meadows, his fellow countryman Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky was already on the pages of newspapers and magazines. Young people enthusiastically read fascinating accounts of the explorer’s travels, and many young men dreamed of repeating his exploits. Kozlov read about Przhevalsky with particular enthusiasm. Articles and books aroused in him a romantic love for Asia, and the personality of the traveler took on the appearance of a fairy-tale hero in Peter’s imagination. However, the young man’s chances of such a fate were, to put it mildly, small.
Getting to know Przhevalsky
By chance, Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov once met his idol. This happened in the summer of 1882 near Smolensk, in the town of Sloboda, where, after another expedition, the famous conqueror of Asia came to rest on his estate. Seeing a thoughtful young man in the garden in the evening, Nikolai Mikhailovich decided to ask him what he was so passionate about. Turning around and seeing his idol in front of him, Peter was beside himself with happiness. Taking a slight breath, he answered the scientist’s question. It turns out that Kozlov was thinking that the stars he contemplated in Tibet seemed much brighter and that he was unlikely to ever experience this personally. The future traveler answered Przhevalsky with such sincerity that he, without even thinking, invited him to his place for an interview.
Despite the difference in age and social status, the interlocutors turned out to be very close in spirit. The scientist decided to take his young friend under his wing and step by step lead him into the world of professional travel. Over time, a sincere friendship began between Kozlov and Przhevalsky. Feeling that Peter was completely devoted to the work to which the scientist himself was sincerely devoted, he took upon himself the responsibility to take an active part in the life of the young man. In the fall of 1882, Nikolai Mikhailovich invited his young friend to move to his home and begin accelerated education there. Life in the idol’s estate seemed like a fairy-tale dream for Kozlov. He was enveloped in the charm of exciting stories about the life of a wanderer, as well as greatness and natural beauty Asia. Then Peter firmly decided that he should become an ally of Przhevalsky. But first he needed to get a full secondary education.
In January 1883, Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov passed the exam for a full course at a real school. Then he had to go military service. The fact is that Nikolai Mikhailovich took into his expeditionary group only those who had a military education. He had several objective reasons for this, the main one of which was the need to repel armed attacks by the natives. After serving for three months, Pyotr Kuzmich was enlisted in Przhevalsky’s fourth expedition. The hero of our review remembered this event for the rest of his life.
First trip
Kozlov's first trip as part of Przhevalsky's expedition took place in 1883. Its goal was to explore Eastern Turkestan and Northern Tibet. became a wonderful practice for Kozlov. Under the guidance of an experienced mentor, he steeled himself as a true researcher. This was facilitated by the harsh nature of Central Asia and the struggle with numerically superior local residents. The first trip was very difficult for the novice traveler, despite all his enthusiasm. Due to increased air humidity, researchers had to most time to be in wet clothes. Weapons succumbed to corrosion, personal belongings quickly became damp, and the plants collected for the herbarium were almost impossible to dry.
In such conditions, Pyotr Kuzmich learned to visually survey rough terrain, determine heights and, most importantly, investigative observation of nature, which involves discovering its main features. In addition, he became acquainted with the organization of an expeditionary campaign in unfavorable climate conditions. According to the traveler, the study of Central Asia became for him a guiding thread that determined his entire course later life.
Homecoming
Returning home after a 2-year expedition, Petr Kuzmich Kozlov continued to actively develop in his chosen direction. He expanded his knowledge in the fields of natural science, ethnography and astronomy. Almost before being sent to the next expedition, Pyotr Kuzmich was promoted to officer, having graduated from the St. Petersburg Military School.
Second expedition
In the fall of 1888, Kozlov set off on his second journey under the leadership of Przhevalsky. But at the very beginning of the expedition, near Mount Karakol, not far from Lake Issyk-Kul, the great explorer N.M. Przhevalsky became seriously ill and soon died. According to the traveler's dying request, he was buried on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul.
The expedition resumed in the fall next year. Colonel M.V. Pevtsov was appointed its leader. The latter took command with dignity, although he understood that he would not be able to fully replace Przhevalsky. In this regard, it was decided to shorten the route, limiting it to the study of Chinese Turkestan, Dzungaria and the northern part. Despite the fact that the expedition turned out to be truncated, its participants managed to collect very voluminous historical and geographical material, a significant share of which belonged to Pyotr Kozlov, who was mainly engaged in the study of Eastern Turkestan .
Third expedition
Kozlov's next journey took place in 1893. This time the research campaign was led by V.I. Roborovsky, who once served as Przhevalsky’s senior assistant. The purpose of this trip was to explore the northeastern corner of Tibet and the Nian Shan mountain range. On this trip, Pyotr Kuzmich carried out 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 V.I. Roborovsky began to complain about his health halfway through the journey, Kozlov was entrusted with the leadership of the expedition. He successfully completed the task and completed the job. Returning to his homeland, the researcher presented a report entitled “Report of the assistant head of the expedition P.K. Kozlov.”
First independent expedition
In 1899, the traveler first acted as the head of the expedition. The goal of the participants was to get to know Mongolia and Tibet. 18 people took part in the campaign, of which only 4 were researchers, the rest were convoys. The route began at the Altai postal station, located near the Mongolian border. It then passed through the Mongolian Altai, Central Gobi and Kama - virtually unexplored areas on the eastern side of the Tibetan Plateau.
While conducting research at the headwaters of the Yellow, Mekong and Yangtze-Jiang rivers, expeditioners more than once encountered natural obstacles and native aggression. Nevertheless, they managed to collect unique orographic, geological, climatic, zoological and botanical materials. The travelers also shed light on the life activities of little-known Eastern Tibetan tribes.
The Russian explorer of Mongolia, who led the expedition, personally made a detailed description of various natural objects, including: Lake Kukunor, which lies at an altitude of 3200 meters and has a circumference of 385 kilometers; the sources of the Yalongjiang and Mekong rivers, as well as a pair of ridges of the Kunlun system, which were previously unknown to science. In addition, Kozlov made brilliant sketches of the life of the population and the economy of Central Asia. Among them, the description of the rituals of the Tsaidam Mongols especially stands out.
From the Mongol-Tibetan expedition, Kozlov brought an abundant collection of flora and fauna of the explored territories. During his travels, he had to deal with armed groups more than once. local residents, whose number reached 300 people. Due to the fact that the campaign dragged on for almost two years, rumors reached St. Petersburg about its complete failure and death. But Petr Kuzmich Kozlov could not allow this. The books “Mongolia and Kam” and “Kam and the Way Back” described this journey in detail. For such a productive expedition, Kozlov received a gold medal from the Russian Geographical Society. So the Great Game received another bright figure.
Mongol-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 Ulaanbaatar, then to the middle and southern regions of Mongolia, the Kukunor region and, finally, to the north-west of Sichuan. Most significant discovery was the discovery in the Gobi Desert of remains dead city Khara-Khoto, which were covered with sand. During excavations of the city, a library of two thousand books was found, the lion's share of which was written in the language of the Xi-Xia state, which later turned out to be the Tangut language. This discovery was exceptional, because no other museum in the world has such a large collection of Tungut books. Finds from Khara-Khoto play an important historical and cultural role, as they clearly depict different sides life and culture ancient state Xi-Xia.
The expedition members collected extensive ethnographic material about the Mongolian and Tibetan peoples. They paid special attention to Chinese antiquity and the Buddhist cult. A lot of zoological and botanical materials were also collected. A special find of the researchers was a collection of woodcuts for printing books and images, which were used centuries before the first printing appeared in Europe.
In addition, the world's only collection of paper banknotes from the 13th-14th centuries was found at Khara-Khoto. Also, the excavations of Khara-Khoto brought many different figurines, cult figurines and several hundred Buddhist images on silk, wood, paper and linen. All this went to the museums of the Academy of Sciences and Emperor Alexander III.
After discovering and carefully studying the dead city, the expeditioners became acquainted with Lake Kukunor, and then the little-known territory of Amdo, located in a bend of the Yellow River.
From this trip, the Russian explorer of Mongolia Once again brought a rich collection of plants and animals, among which were new species and even genera. The scientist outlined the results of the trip in the book “Mongolia and Amdo and the Dead City of Khara-Khoto,” published only in 1923.
Protection of the reserve
In 1910, the traveler was awarded large gold medals by the English and Italian geographical societies. When Russia began to participate in the First World War, Colonel Kozlov expressed a desire to join the ranks of the active army. He was refused and sent to Irkutsk as the head of an expedition to procure livestock for the army.
Upon completion October revolution, at the end of 1917, a researcher of Mongolia, China and Tibet, who at that time was already a major general, was sent to the Askania-Nova nature reserve. The purpose of the trip was to take measures to protect the protected steppe area and the local zoo. Sparing no energy, the scientist did everything possible to secure the unique natural monument. In October 1918, he reported to the Minister of Public Education that Askania-Nova had been saved and its most valuable lands remained unharmed. To further protect the reserve, he asked to be transferred to the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and given the opportunity to recruit 15-20 volunteers. At the same time, Kozlov asked to provide 20 rifles, sabers and revolvers, as well as the required number of cartridges for them, under his personal responsibility. At the end of 1918, during a particularly difficult period 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, the head of which was appointed 60-year-old Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich. The traveler's wife, ornithologist Elizaveta Vladimirovna, accompanied her husband on the expedition for the first time. Despite his advanced age, the traveler was full of strength and excitement. During his sixth trip, which lasted from 1923 to 1926, the scientist explored a relatively small part of Northern Mongolia, as well as the upper basin
Once again the traveler received significant scientific results. In the mountains of the Noin-Ula system, he discovered a little more than 200 burial grounds and excavated them. As it turned out, it was a Hun burial 2000 years ago. This archaeological discovery became one of the greatest in the twentieth century. The scientist, together with his colleagues, found many objects of ancient culture, thanks to which it is possible to obtain a comprehensive picture of the economy and life of the Huns during the period: 2nd century BC. e. - I century AD e. Among them was an extensive collection of artistically executed carpets and textiles from the Greco-Bactrian kingdom, which existed from the 3rd century BC. e. to 2nd century AD e. in the north of modern Iran, Afghanistan and north-west India.
At the top of Mount Ikhe-Bodo, located in the Mongolian Altai, at an altitude of about 3000 meters, travelers discovered an ancient Khan's mausoleum.
However, the most significant discovery of Kozlov’s sixth expedition was the discovery in the mountains of eastern Khangai of the tomb of 13 generations of Genghis Khan’s descendants. The researcher became the first European to be received by the ruler of Tibet. From him Kozlov received a special pass, which had to be presented to the mountain guards guarding the approaches to the Tibetan capital Lhasa. However, the British prevented Russian scientists from entering Lhasa. A participant in the Great Game, Pyotr Kozlov, never made it to this city. He published a report on the sixth expedition in the book “Travel to Mongolia. 1923-1926"
Further activities
At seventy years old, Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov, whose discoveries were becoming increasingly famous, did not give up his dream of long trips. In particular, he planned to go to Lake Issyk-Kul in order to once again bow to the grave of his teacher and enjoy the local beauty. But the explorer's sixth voyage was his last. After him, he lived the quiet life of a pensioner in Leningrad and Kyiv. However, he spent most of his time with his wife, in a small log house in the village of Strechno (50 kilometers from Staraya Russa).
Wherever the traveler settled, he quickly became popular among the neighboring youth. To convey his experience to curious young people, the researcher organized circles for young naturalists, traveled around the country giving lectures, and published his works and stories. The entire scientific world knew who Petr Kuzmich Kozlov was. His discoveries in Eurasia gave him recognition in all circles. In 1928, the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences elected him a full member. And the Russian Geographical Society awarded him a medal named after N. M. Przhevalsky. Among researchers of Central Asia of the 20th century, the Russian scientist occupies a special place.
Kozlov Pyotr Kuzmich died on September 26, 1935 from heart sclerosis. He was buried at the Smolensk Lutheran cemetery.
Property
The glacier of the Tabyn-Bogdo-Ola ridge was named in honor of Kozlov. In 1936, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the traveler’s birth, his name was given to a school in the town of Dukhovshchina, in which the scientist began to comprehend the world. In 1988, a traveler’s apartment museum was opened in St. Petersburg.
Kozlov Petr Kuzmich, short biography which came to an end, he not only lived in an era of great discoveries, but also created it personally. He completed the elimination of the “blank spot” on the map of Asia, begun by Przhevalsky. But at the beginning of Kozlov’s journey, the whole world was against him.
For me no better than life than when traveling.
P. K. Kozlov
IN outstanding traveler Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov (1863–1935) belongs to the brilliant galaxy of travelers and explorers of Central Asia of the second half of the 19th century– beginning of the 20th century. A student and follower of N. M. Przhevalsky, he devoted his entire life to the scientific exploration of vast territories of the Asian continent, little studied or completely unknown to the geographical science of that time.
P.K. Kozlov was born into a poor, illiterate family in the city of Dukhovshchina in the Smolensk region. After graduating from the city six-grade school, he was going to enter the Vilna Teachers' Institute, but the teachers (among whom was the future famous educator V.P. Vakhterov) were unable to get him a government scholarship. Pyotr Kozlov had to get a job in the office of a local distillery in the village of Sloboda (now the city of Przhevalsk, Smolensk region). Chance meeting with N. M. Przhevalsky in 1882 in Sloboda, where the famous traveler’s estate was located, radically changed the life of a village youth.
N. M. Przhevalsky saw a kindred spirit in young Pyotr Kozlov and offered to participate in his IV Central Asian (II Tibetan) expedition. To do this, Kozlov had to pass the exam for the course of the Smolensk Real School and enroll as a volunteer in the army, since N. M. Przhevalsky recruited his expeditions exclusively from military personnel. “Przhevalsky was my great father: he raised, taught and supervised general and private preparations for the trip,” Kozlov later recalled. Under the direct guidance of N. M. Przhevalsky, the young man acquired the knowledge and practical skills necessary for long journeys, in particular, he learned the art of preparation. Later, working alongside N. M. Przhevalsky, P. K. Kozlov developed as a professional traveler-researcher, mastered his extensive-descriptive method of “route reconnaissance” and successfully used it in his research activities.
“From this two-year journey, my first, I returned a different person - Central Asia became the goal of my life,” Kozlov wrote in a short biographical sketch. “This conviction has not been shaken; on the contrary, it has become even stronger after the severe moral suffering associated with the unexpected death of my unforgettable teacher […].” The bright image of N.M. Przhevalsky - Psheva - inspired Kozlov all his life.
Another teacher and patron of Kozlov for many years was the famous geographer-traveler, vice-chairman of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, who greatly contributed to his expeditionary activities after the death of N. M. Przhevalsky.
From 1883 to 1926 P.K. Kozlov made six large expeditions to Mongolia, Western and Northern China and Eastern Tibet, three of which he personally led. His talent as a traveler-naturalist was especially evident during the first independent Mongol-Kama expedition of 1899–1901. Its scientific results exceeded all expectations - Kozlov brought to St. Petersburg a huge and unusually diverse natural history collection, interesting ethnographic information about the nomadic tribes of Tibet, and valuable data on the zoogeography of completely unexplored regions of Central Asia. As a result of this expedition, which covered more than 10,000 km with surveys, the largest ridges in Eastern and Central Tibet were mapped (the ridge of the Russian Geographical Society, the Watershed ridge (of the Huang He and Yangtze basins), the Rockhill ridge, etc.). Kozlov's research was highly appreciated by the world scientific community. The IRGO, which equipped the expedition, awarded the traveler for his outstanding contribution to the study of Central Asia with its highest award - the Konstantinov gold medal.
Kozlov’s next expedition, the Mongol-Sichuan expedition (1907–1909), made him famous for his unique archaeological finds, made during excavations of the “dead” city of Khara-Khoto on the river. Edzin-gol, in the sands of the southern Gobi. In one of the religious buildings - the reliquary suburgan, called “famous”, P.K. Kozlov was lucky enough to find a rich collection containing thousands of books and manuscripts in the Tangut, Chinese, Tibetan and Uyghur languages, hundreds of sculptures and icons, shrines from Buddhist temples etc. Materials from the “famous” suburgan allowed scientists to reconstruct the history of the forgotten Tangut state of Xi-Xia, which existed for about 250 years (982-1227) on the territory of modern northern China.
The discovery and sensational excavations of Khara-Khoto received great resonance in scientific world, which brought Kozlov the highest awards of the Italian and London Geographical Societies, the Prize named after. P. A. Chikhachev of the French Academy of Sciences, and the Imperial Russian Geographical Society and the Hungarian Geographical Society elected him an honorary member, respectively, in 1910 and 1911.
Another important event in Kozlov’s life during this period was his acquaintance with the spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet, the 13th Dalai Lama. Their first meeting took place in 1905 in the capital of Outer Mongolia, Urga, where the Dalai Lama was forced to flee due to the British invasion of Tibet. Captain Kozlov greeted the Tibetan high priest and presented him with gifts on behalf of the Russian Geographical Society for the hospitality provided to the Mongol-Kama expedition in 1899–1901, and also, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the General Staff, discussed the possibility of Russia providing assistance to Tibet. Kozlov’s meeting with the Dalai Lama, which took place at such a dramatic moment for Tibet, marked the beginning of their warm friendly relations that lasted for many years.
In 1909, the traveler paid a new visit to the ruler of Tibet - this time in Buddhist monastery Gumbum (in Amdo province, Eastern Tibet). Establishing close relationships with the Dalai Lama and his associates was not only important political significance, from the point of view of strengthening Russian-Tibetan ties, but it was also very useful on a personal level, since it opened the doors to Lhasa, forbidden to Europeans, for an inquisitive researcher.
Kozlov tried to take advantage of this circumstance in 1914, starting preparations for a new great trip. The expedition was designed as a Mongol-Tibetan expedition. Its goal was to further explore the ruins of Khara-Khoto and study the Tibetan Plateau, mainly the basins of the upper reaches of the three great rivers of Asia: the Yangtze, Mekong and Saluen. At the same time, Kozlov secretly hoped that he would finally be able to fulfill his and his teacher’s cherished dream - to visit Lhasa. But his plans were unexpectedly interfered with World War. As a result, Colonel of the General Staff P.K. Kozlov went to Southwestern Front, where for some time he served as commandant of the cities of Tarnov and Iasi. And then in 1915 he was sent to Mongolia at the head of a special government expedition (“Mongoleks”), which was engaged in the purchase of livestock for the needs of the active army.
Kozlov perceived the October Revolution ambiguously, but did not refuse cooperation with the Bolsheviks. Not the least role in this was played by his demand by the new government. Already in November 1917 Russian Academy Sciences appoints Kozlov as commissioner to the famous Crimean acclimatization zoo-reserve Askania-Nova. This appointment was not accidental: well acquainted with the zoo itself and its founder F. E. Falz-Fein, Kozlov, even before the war, energetically advocated the speedy nationalization of this unique corner of nature. And in the new political conditions, he continued the fight to preserve the zoo from looting and destruction, the result of which was a government decree Soviet Ukraine about the “saving” of Askania-Nova in April 1919
Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov (1863-1935)
Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov is one of the greatest explorers of Central Asia. An associate and successor of the works of N. M. Przhevalsky, he, together with the latter, basically completed the elimination of the “blank spot” on the map of Central Asia. PK Kozlov's research and discoveries in the field of nature and archeology earned him an honorable name far beyond the borders of our homeland.
Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov was born on October 16, 1863 in the town of Dukhovshchina, Smolensk province. His father was a small farmer. He was a man of little culture, illiterate, who did not pay attention to his children and did not care about their education and upbringing. The mother was also absorbed in taking care of the household. Thus, P.K. Kozlov grew up outside the influence of his family. However, thanks to his inquisitive and inquisitive nature, he early became addicted to books, especially geographical books and books about travel, which he literally read.
At the age of twelve he was sent to school. At that time, the Russian traveler to Central Asia Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky was in the aura of world fame. Newspapers and magazines were full of reports about his geographical discoveries. His portraits were published in almost all periodicals. Young people read with delight the fascinating descriptions of Przhevalsky’s travels, and more than one young man, reading about the discoveries and exploits of this remarkable intrepid traveler, began to dream of similar exploits. P.K. Kozlov greedily caught everything that was published about Przhevalsky. The articles and books of Przhevalsky himself sparked in him a boundless love for the vastness of Asia, and the personality of the famous traveler in the young man’s imagination took on the appearance of an almost fairy-tale hero.
At the age of sixteen, P.K. Kozlov graduated from a four-year school and, since he had to earn a living, he entered the service in the office of a brewery 66 kilometers from his native Dukhovshchina, in the town of Sloboda, Porech district. Monotonous, uninteresting work in the factory office could not satisfy the lively nature of P.K. Kozlov. He was greedily drawn to learning and began to prepare to enter a teacher's institute. But one summer evening in 1882, fate made a different choice. As he himself later wrote: “I will never, never forget that day, that day is one of the most significant for me.”
The young man was sitting on the porch. The first stars twinkled in the sky. The endless expanses of the universe opened up to his eyes, and his thoughts, as always, hovered in Central Asia. Immersed in his thoughts, P.K. Kozlov suddenly heard:
What are you doing here, young man?
He looked around and froze in amazement and happiness: standing in front of him was N.M. Przhevalsky himself, whose image he had imagined so well from portraits. N. M. Przhevalsky came here from his estate Otradny in the same Smolensk province. He was looking for a cozy corner here where he could write his books in between travels.
What are you thinking so deeply about? - N. M. Przhevalsky simply asked.
With barely contained excitement, with difficulty finding the right words, I.K. Kozlov replied:
I think that in distant Tibet these stars should seem even more sparkling than here, and I will never, never have to admire them from those distant, deserted heights...
Nikolai Mikhailovich was silent for a moment, and then said quietly:
So that's what you're thinking about, young man!.. Come to me. I want to talk to you.
Sensing in Kozlov a man who sincerely loved his work, to which he himself was selflessly devoted, Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky took an ardent part in the life of the young man. In the fall of 1882, he settled P.K. Kozlov in his home and began to supervise his studies.
The first days of life in the Przhevalsky estate seemed to P.K. Kozlov simply a “fairy-tale dream.” The young man was under the spell of Przhevalsky's exciting stories about the delights of a wandering life, about the greatness and beauty of the nature of Asia.
“After all, not long ago I was only dreaming, just dreaming,” wrote P.K. Kozlov, “how a sixteen-year-old boy can dream and dream, under the strong impression of reading newspapers and magazines about the return to St. Petersburg of the glorious Przhevalsky expedition..., dreamed and dreamed, being terribly far from the real thought of ever meeting face to face with Przhevalsky... And suddenly my dream and dreams came true: suddenly, unexpectedly, that great Przhevalsky, to whom all my aspiration was directed, appeared in Sloboda, enchanted by its wild charm and settled in it..."
P.K. Kozlov firmly decided to go as Przhevalsky’s companion in the near future. But it wasn't that easy. N. M. Przhevalsky composed his expeditions exclusively from military personnel. Therefore, P.K. Kozlov, willy-nilly, had to become a military man.
But first of all, he considered it necessary for himself to complete his secondary education. In January 1883, P.K. Kozlov successfully passed the exam for the full course of a real school. After this, he entered military service as a volunteer and, after serving for three months, was enlisted in the expedition of N. M. Przhevalsky.
There was no end to my joy,” writes P.K. Kozlov. - Happy, infinitely happy, I was experiencing the first spring of real life.
P.K. Kozlov made six trips to Central Asia, where he explored Mongolia, the Gobi Desert and Kham (the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau). The first three trips were carried out under the command - successively - of N. M. Przhevalsky, M. V. Pevtsov and V. I. Roborovsky.
P.K. Kozlov's first trip on N.M. Przhevalsky's expedition to explore Northern Tibet and Eastern Turkestan was a brilliant practical school for him. Under the guidance of an experienced and enlightened researcher, N.M. Przhevalsky himself, he received good training, so necessary to overcome the difficult conditions of the harsh nature of Central Asia, and a baptism of fire in the fight against superior numbers armed forces population, repeatedly set against a handful of Russian travelers by fanatic lamas and other enemy elements of the regions of Asia.
Returning from his first trip (1883-1885), P.K. Kozlov entered a military school, after which he was promoted to officer.
In the fall of 1888, P.K. Kozlov set off with N.M. Przhevalsky on his second trip. However, at the very beginning of this journey, near the city of Karakol (on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul), the head of the expedition, N.M. Przhevalsky, fell ill and soon died. He was buried, as requested, on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul.
Interrupted by the death of N. M. Przhevalsky, the expedition resumed in the fall of 1889 under the command of Colonel, and later Major General M. V. Pevtsov, author of the famous book “Essay on a trip to Mongolia and the northern provinces” Inland China"(Omsk, 1883). The expedition collected rich geographical and natural-historical material, a considerable share of which belonged to P.K. Kozlov, who explored the regions of East Turkestan.
The third expedition (from 1893 to 1895), of which P.K. Kozlov was a participant, took place under the command of Przhevalsky’s former senior assistant, V.I. Roborovsky. Its task was to explore the region of the Nan Shan mountain range and the northeastern corner of Tibet.
On this journey, the role of P.K. Kozlov was especially active. He independently, separately from the caravan, carried out surveys of the surrounding area, traveling along some routes up to 1000 km, in addition, he provided the overwhelming number of specimens from the zoological collection. Halfway through the journey, V. I. Roborovsky fell seriously ill; P.K. Kozlov took over the leadership of the expedition and successfully brought it to the end. He presented a full report on the expedition, published under the title “Report of the assistant head of the expedition P.K. Kozlov.”
In 1899, P.K. Kozlov made his first independent travel as head of the Mongol-Tibetan expedition. 18 people took part in the expedition, 14 of them were from the convoy. The route started from the Altai postal station near the Mongolian border; then he walked first through the Mongolian Altai, then along the Central Gobi and along the Kama - the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, almost unknown to the scientific world.
As a result of this trip, P.K. Kozlov gave detailed descriptions numerous physical and geographical objects of the route - lakes (including Lake Kuku-nor, which lies at an altitude of 3.2 km and has a circumference of 385 km), the sources of the Mekong and Ya-long-jiang rivers (a large tributary of the Yangtze River). Jiang), a number of the greatest mountains, including two powerful ridges in the Kuen-lun system, unknown to science until then. P.K. Kozlov named one of them the Dutreil-de-Rance ridge, after the famous French traveler to Central Asia, who shortly before died in these places at the hands of the Tibetans, and the other - the Woodville-Rockhill ridge, in honor of the English traveler.
In addition, P.K. Kozlov gave brilliant essays on the economy and life of the population of Central Asia, among which stands out the description of the curious customs of the Tsaidam Mongols with an extremely complex celebration ritual major events life - the birth of a child, weddings, funerals, etc. From this expedition P.K. Kozlov took away an abundant collection of fauna and flora of the areas traversed.
During the expedition, travelers more than once had to fight their way through bloody battles with large armed detachments, numbering up to 250-300 people, set against the expedition by local fanatical lamas. The almost two-year isolation of the expedition from the outside world, due to its surrounding by a hostile ring, was the reason for persistent rumors that reached St. Petersburg about its complete destruction.
The Mongol-Tibetan expedition was described by P.K. Kozlov in two large volumes: Volume I - "Mongolia and Kam" and volume II - "Kam and the way back." For this journey, P.K. Kozlov was awarded a gold medal by the Russian Geographical Society. In 1907-1909 P.K. Kozlov made his fifth journey (Mongol-Sichuan expedition) along the route through Kyakhta to Urga (Ulaanbaatar) and further into the depths of Central Asia. It was marked by the discovery in the sands of the Gobi of the dead city of Khara-Khoto, which provided archaeological material of enormous historical and cultural value. Of exceptional importance is the library of 2,000 books discovered during the excavations of Khara-Khoto, mainly consisting of books in the “unknown” language of the Xi-Xia state, which turned out to be the Tangut language. This was a discovery of exceptional significance! None of the foreign museums or libraries has any significant collection of Tangut books. Even in such large repositories as British museum in London, there are only a few Tangut books. Other finds in Khara-Khoto are also of important historical and cultural significance, since they clearly depict many aspects of the culture and life of the ancient Tangut state of Xi-xia.
Excavations "Khara-Khoto"
The collection of woodcuts (clichés) for printing books and religious images discovered in Khara-Khoto is remarkable, indicating that the East was familiar with printing hundreds of years before the latter appeared in Europe. She refutes the German "authorities" who attribute the honor of the discovery of printing to Gutenberg.
Of great interest is the collection of printed paper money, which is the world's only collection of paper money from the Tang dynasty of the XIII-XIV centuries.
Excavations at Khara-Khoto also yielded a rich set of statues, figurines and all kinds of figurines of cult significance and more than 300 Buddhist icons painted on wood, silk, linen and paper, many of which are of great artistic significance.
After the discovery of the dead city of Khara-Khoto, P.K. Kozlov’s expedition thoroughly studied Lake Kuku-nor with the island of Koisu, and then the huge little-known territory of Amdo in the bend of the middle reaches of the river. Huang-he. From this expedition, as well as from the previous one, P.K. Kozlov, in addition to valuable geographical material, brought back numerous collections of animals and plants, among which there were many new species and even genera.
The fifth journey of P.K. Kozlov is described by him in large volume under the title "Mongolia and Amdo and the dead city of Khara-Khoto." During his sixth trip, which he made in 1923-1926, P.K. Kozlov explored the relatively small territory of Northern Mongolia. However, here too he obtained major scientific results: in the Noin-Ula mountains (130 km northwest of the capital of Mongolia, Urga, now Ulaanbaatar), P.K. Kozlov discovered 212 burial grounds, which, according to archaeological research, turned out to be 2000-year-old Hunnic burials prescription This was the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century. Numerous objects were discovered in the burial grounds, which can be used to reconstruct the economy and life of the Huns during the period at least from the 2nd century BC e. to 1st century AD e. Among them were a large number of artistically executed fabrics and carpets from the times of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom, which lasted from the 3rd century BC. e. until the 2nd century AD e. and was located approximately in the northern part modern territory Iran, Afghanistan and northwestern India. The administrative and political center was the city of Bactra (now Balkh). In terms of the abundance of examples of Greco-Bactrian art, the Noinulin collection has no equal among collections of this kind throughout the world.
PK Kozlov's sixth trip was his last. After that, he lived in retirement, first in Leningrad, and then 50 km from Staraya Russa (Novgorod region), in the village of Strechno. In this place he built a small log house with two rooms and settled in it with his wife. Soon P.K. Kozlov gained great popularity among local youth. He organized a circle of young naturalists, whom he began to teach in collecting collections, the precise scientific identification of animals and plants, and the dissection of birds and animals. Now in Strechno there is a “memory corner of P.K. Kozlov”, where these collections are stored along with part of his personal library.
P.K. Kozlov was an excellent storyteller and lecturer. In between travels, he often spoke to various audiences with captivating stories about his travels. His appearances in print are no less interesting. PK Kozlov is the author of over 60 works.
Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov enjoyed wide worldwide fame as a researcher of Central Asia.
The Russian Geographical Society awarded P.K. Kozlov the medal named after N.M. Przhevalsky and elected him an honorary member, and in 1928 he was elected a full member by the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.
Among researchers of Central Asia, Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov occupies one of the most honorable places. In the field of archaeological discoveries in Central Asia, he is positively unique among all researchers of the 20th century.
P.K. Kozlov is dear to us not only as a talented researcher of nature, economics, life and archeology of Central Asia, but also as a Russian patriot, who was an example of courage, bravery and selfless devotion to the cause of his homeland, for the sake of whose glory he did not even spare his life.
The main works of P.K. Kozlov: Across Mongolia to the borders of Tibet (Mongolia and Nam), St. Petersburg, 1905; Kam and the way back, St. Petersburg, 1906; Mongolia and Amdo and the dead city of Khara-Khoto, M.-Pg., 1923; Brief report on the Mongol-Tibetan expedition Rus. Geographical Society 1923-1926, Leningrad, 1928; Three-year journey through Mongolia and Tibet, St. Petersburg, 1913; Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky, the first explorer of the nature of Central Asia, St. Petersburg, 1913; In the heart of Asia (in memory of N. M. Przhevalsky), St. Petersburg, 1914; Tibet and the Dalai Lama, Pg., 1920.
About P.K. Kozlov:Ivanov A.I., From the finds of P.K. Kozlov in the city of Khara-Khoto, St. Petersburg, 1909; Pavlov N.V., Traveler and geographer Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov (1863-1935), M., 1940.
Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov was born on October 15, 1863 in the town of Dukhovshchina, Smolensk province, into a poor large family. His father, Kuzma Egorovich, was engaged in driving cattle from Ukraine to the central provinces of the Russian Empire. Many years later, having become a traveler, Pyotr Kuzmich, recalling joint hikes with his father, will say that this is where it all began: he was seized by the dream of visiting distant countries. In his autobiography, Kozlov noted: “As far as I can remember, from my adolescence I have been possessed by one dream - of a free wandering life in the wide expanses of the deserts and mountains of the great Asian continent.”
Peter Kozlov. 1882-1883
After graduating from the city six-grade school in 1878, the young man got a job in the office of a local distillery in the village of Sloboda (now the village of Przhevalskoye, Smolensk region), not far from the estate of Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky, a famous traveler.
N.M. Przhevalsky. 1883
Thanks to a happy accident, Kozlov met Przhevalsky, who had just returned from his third Central Asian expedition (1879-1880). He saw a kindred spirit in young Pyotr Kozlov and offered to participate in his new expedition to Central Asia, visiting Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, forbidden to Europeans at that time. In the fall of 1882, Kozlov moved into Przhevalsky’s house and began to prepare for the trip. Since Przhevalsky formed his expeditionary detachment exclusively from the military, Kozlov had to enlist in military service - enlist in 1883 as a volunteer in the 2nd Sofia Infantry Regiment in Moscow. At the age of 19, he went on his first trip to Central Asia - together with Przhevalsky, which lasted from 1883 to 1885.
4th Central Asian Expedition N.M. Przhevalsky. Seated in the foreground: V.I. Roborovsky, N.M. Przhevalsky and P.K. Kozlov.
This first journey was a serious test for the novice researcher. The “winter expedition” to the northern Tibetan Plateau turned out to be especially difficult, carried out with great stress physical strength. “Colds, storms, thin air made themselves felt even by our strong bodies,” recalled Pyotr Kozlov. Only geographical discoveries of great importance - the discovery of new colossal ridges, lakes, to which, by the right of the first explorer, Przhevalsky gave his names; successful replenishment of zoological collections with large forms of mammals, only the awareness of the importance of the task alleviated all the difficulties and hardships and helped to explore a significant area that had not been visited by any European before us.” Kozlov also took part in the present for the first time military battle, when the expedition camp was attacked by Tangut nomads. For his courage, Przhevalsky awarded his assistant St. George's Cross. Recalling this journey, Kozlov would later write in an autobiographical essay: “From that time on, the study of Central Asia became for me the guiding thread that determined the entire course of my future life. I devoted the years of settled life in my homeland to improving natural sciences, ethnography and astronomy".
Upon returning from the expedition, Kozlov graduated from the infantry cadet school in St. Petersburg (1886–1887) and subsequently was most closely connected with St. Petersburg, where the Russian Geographical Society (hereinafter RGS) and the General Staff, the organizers of all scientific and geographical expeditions in Central and Central Asia.
View of the building of the Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg (Grivtsova Lane, building 10).
After Przhevalsky's death in 1888, Kozlov participated in two more trips under the leadership of Mikhail Vasilyevich Pevtsov (1889 - 1890) and Vsevolod Ivanovich Roborovsky (1893 - 1895).
Portraits of M.V. Pevtsov and V.I. Roborovsky.
On behalf of the Russian Geographical Society and the General Staff in 1905, Kozlov made another very important trip - to Urga (the modern name of Ulaanbaatar), where he met with the 13th Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso, who fled from his heavenly capital to Mongolia after the invasion of Tibet English military expedition Younghusband (Sir Francis Edward Younghusband). Kozlov managed to establish friendly relations with the Buddhist high priest, who openly sought the patronage of Tsarist Russia, and he, in particular, had the idea of forming a “Russian convoy” under the Dalai Lama to escort him back to Lhasa. If this project were implemented, Kozlov would become the first Russian traveler to visit the “forbidden Lhasa,” but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire unexpectedly rejected this project for political reasons. Four years later, Kozlov managed to meet with the Dalai Lama again - this time at the Gumbum Monastery during the Mongol-Sichuan expedition.
Later, Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov led three large independent expeditions - the Mongol-Kama (1899–1901), the Mongol-Sichuan (1907–1909) and the Tibetan-Mongolian (1923–1926). These travels brought Kozlov world fame and wide international recognition. The traveler was elected an honorary member of the geographical societies of Holland (1896) and Hungary (1911), awarded a large gold medal of the Italian Geographical Society, the Founder's Medal of the British Royal Geographical Society, one of the most prestigious in Europe (1911), and the P.A. Chikhachev of the French Academy of Sciences (1913). For its part, the Russian Geographical Society awarded Kozlov the N.M. silver medal. Przhevalsky for his work on studying the nature of Central Asia, based on the results of the expedition of M.V. Pevtsov in 1891 and then his highest award - the Konstantinovsky gold medal in 1902, awarded to him at the end of the Mongol-Kama expedition.
Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov was married twice. The first time was with Nadezhda Stepanovna Kamynina, with whom he had two children - Vladimir and Olga. Kozlov married for the second time in 1912 to Elizaveta Vladimirovna Pushkareva, the daughter of the St. Petersburg doctor Vladimir Iosifovich Pushkarev.
Pyotr Kuzmich and Elizaveta Vladimirovna Kozlov. 1912
After his marriage to Elizaveta Vladimirovna, Kozlov finally moved to St. Petersburg from Moscow. The young couple settled in house No. 6 on Smolny Prospekt, near the Smolny Institute, in a small three-room apartment (apartment No. 18), next to the apartment of Elizabeth’s parents (apartment No. 32). Later, in 1916, both families united in the spacious seven-room apartment of the Pushkarevs, the same one where P.K.’s apartment museum is now located. Kozlova.
After the revolution, Kozlov was actively involved in environmental activities. In 1917 – 1919 he served as government commissioner for the protection of the Askania-Nova zoo-reserve in the Kherson steppes in southern Russia. The reserve was created in late XIX century F.E. Falz-Fein on his own estate to preserve endangered species of rare animals. In 1899, thanks to the assistance of Kozlov, several individuals of the wild “Przhevalsky horse” were brought here from the Dzungarian steppes ( EquusPrzrwalskii) for their breeding in captivity. Currently, such horses can be seen, in addition to Askania-Nova, in zoos in Moscow and Berlin and in national park Khustain-Nuruu in Mongolia.
Askania-Nova. 1912-1914
Kozlov’s last expedition, the Mongol-Tibetan expedition, took place in 1923–1926, financed and with the active support of the state. This was the first Soviet expedition to Mongolia, marking the beginning of Soviet-Mongolian scientific cooperation. The traveler’s wife, an aspiring ornithologist, E.V., also took part in it. Kozlova (Pushkareva).
In 1927, shortly after the end of the Mongo-Tibetan expedition, despite his advanced age, P.K. Kozlov began to prepare for a new journey - again to Tibet, to the sources of the Blue Yangtze River, in order to erase the “last White spot» on the map of Asia. He planned to go to this lost mountain world in an unusual way - on two airplanes. His plans, however, were not destined to come true. At the beginning of the winter of 1935, Kozlov became seriously ill; in the summer he was placed in a sanatorium in Old Peterhof, where he died of a heart attack a few months later - on September 26, 1935. The famous traveler was buried at the Smolensk Lutheran cemetery, in a plot reserved for the burial of prominent figures Soviet science.
Monument at the grave of P.K. Kozlova. Smolensk cemetery in St. Petersburg.
Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov was remembered by his contemporaries as an unusually courageous and strong-willed man, purposeful and at the same time ambitious, deeply in love with nature, a patriot of his homeland. All his life he remained a zealous follower of his teacher N.M. Przhevalsky, his principles of organizing expeditions and the method of field research - route reconnaissance. Kozlov’s military career ended at the end of 1916, when he was awarded the rank of major general, and thus he stood on a par with his famous teachers, “geographical generals” - Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky and Mikhail Vasilyevich Pevtsov.
The scientific merits of Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov are great. His main achievements in the field of geography are the mountain ranges, lakes and rivers of the Tibetan Plateau, Amdo and Kama, Mongolia and Eastern Turkestan (Xinjiang) that he discovered, described and mapped. Its scientific and natural collections (zoological and botanical) are no less valuable. The zoological collection alone contains more than 1,400 specimens of mammals, some of which are quite rare or unique, such as wild camel, wild yak, Tibetan bear-eater, Chinese mountain deer; and over 5000 bird specimens. In addition, this collection includes hundreds of reptiles, fish, mollusks and tens of thousands of insects. According to zoologists A.I. Ivanov and A.A. Stackelberg, “Together with the collections of N.M. Przhevalsky, collections by P.K. Kozlov constitute a completely unique collection of the fauna of Central Asia, and thanks to them the Zoological Museum, now the Zoological Institute of the Academy of Sciences, has gained worldwide fame.”
