Siberian Route
Encyclopedia
The Siberian Route also known as the Moscow Route and Great Route , was a historic route that connected European Russia
to Siberia
and China
. Previously Siberian transport had been mostly by river via Siberian River Routes
. The construction of the road was decreed by the Tsar two months after the conclusion of the Treaty of Nerchinsk
, on 22 November 1689, but it did not start until 1730 and was not finished until the mid-19th century.
The route started in Moscow
as the Vladimir Highway and passed through Murom
, Kozmodemyansk
, Kazan
, Perm
, Kungur
, Yekaterinburg
, Tyumen
, Tobolsk
, Tara
, Kainsk, Tomsk
, Yeniseysk
and Irkutsk
. After crossing Lake Baikal
the road split near Verkhneudinsk. One branch continued east to Nerchinsk
while the other went south to the border post of Kyakhta
where it linked to camel caravans that crossed Mongolia
to a Great Wall
gate at Kalgan
.
In the early 19th century, the route was moved to the south. From Tyumen
the road proceeded through Yalutorovsk
, Ishim
, Omsk
, Tomsk
, Achinsk
and Krasnoyarsk
before rejoining the older route at Irkutsk. It remained a vital artery connecting Siberia with Moscow
and Europe until the last decades of the 19th century, when it was superseded by the Trans-Siberian Railway
and Amur Cart Road
. The automobile equivalent is the Trans-Siberian Highway
.
The Siberian Route was also known as the Tea Road, owing to the great quantities of tea
that were transported from China to Europe through Siberia. Charles Wenyon, who passed by the "Great Post Road" in 1893, subscribed to the popular belief that "the best tea produced in China goes to Russia". In 1915 China exported to Siberia 70,297 tons of tea, which accounted for 65% of the country's overall tea exports. The route is the namesake of the Russian Caravan
blend of tea.
It was imported primarily in the form of hefty hard-packed tea brick
s which allowed each camel to carry large quantities in a more compact manner and could also pass for units of currency. From Kyakhta tea was transported to the Irbit fair
for further commercial transactions. Another popular Chinese import item was dried rhubarb
root, which was sold west of St. Petersburg "for fifteen times what it cost in Kyakhta".
European Russia
European Russia refers to the western areas of Russia that lie within Europe, comprising roughly 3,960,000 square kilometres , larger in area than India, and spanning across 40% of Europe. Its eastern border is defined by the Ural Mountains and in the south it is defined by the border with...
to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Previously Siberian transport had been mostly by river via Siberian River Routes
Siberian River Routes
Siberian River Routes were the main ways of communication in the Russian Siberia before the 1730s, when roads began to be built. The rivers also were of primary importance in the process of Russian exploration and colonisation of vast Siberian territories...
. The construction of the road was decreed by the Tsar two months after the conclusion of the Treaty of Nerchinsk
Treaty of Nerchinsk
The Treaty of Nerchinsk of 1689 was the first treaty between Russia and China. The Russians gave up the area north of the Amur River as far as the Stanovoy Mountains and kept the area between the Argun River and Lake Baikal. This border along the Argun River and Stanovoy Mountains lasted until...
, on 22 November 1689, but it did not start until 1730 and was not finished until the mid-19th century.
The route started in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
as the Vladimir Highway and passed through Murom
Murom
Murom is a historic city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which sprawls along the left bank of Oka River. Population: -History:In the 9th century CE, the city marked the easternmost settlement of the Eastern Slavs in the land of the Finno-Ugric people called Muromians. The Russian Primary Chronicle...
, Kozmodemyansk
Kozmodemyansk
Kozmodemyansk is a town in the Mari El Republic, Russia, located at the confluence of the Vetluga and the Volga Rivers. It serves as the administrative center of Gornomariysky District, although it is not administratively a part of it...
, Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
, Perm
Perm
Perm is a city and the administrative center of Perm Krai, Russia, located on the banks of the Kama River, in the European part of Russia near the Ural Mountains. From 1940 to 1957 it was named Molotov ....
, Kungur
Kungur
Kungur is a town in the southeast of Perm Krai, Russia, located in the Ural Mountains at the inflowing of the Iren and Shakhva Rivers into the Sylva River . Kungur was founded in 1663 and granted town status in 1781. It serves as the administrative center of Kungursky District, although it is not...
, Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
, Tyumen
Tyumen
Tyumen is the largest city and the administrative center of Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located on the Tura River east of Moscow. Population: Tyumen is the oldest Russian settlement in Siberia. Founded in 16th century to support Russia's eastward expansion, the city has remained one of the most...
, Tobolsk
Tobolsk
Tobolsk is a town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tobol and Irtysh Rivers. It is a historic capital of Siberia. Population: -History:...
, Tara
Tara, Russia
Tara is a town in Omsk Oblast, Russia, located about north of Omsk, at the confluence of the Tara and Irtysh Rivers at a point where the forested country merges into the steppe. It serves as the administrative center of Tarsky District, although it is not administratively a part of it...
, Kainsk, Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
, Yeniseysk
Yeniseysk
Yeniseysk is a town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. Population: 20,000 .Yeniseysk was founded in 1619 as a stockaded town—the first town on the Yenisei River. It played an important role in Russian colonization of East Siberia in the 17th–18th centuries...
and Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
. After crossing Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
the road split near Verkhneudinsk. One branch continued east to Nerchinsk
Nerchinsk
Nerchinsk is a town and the administrative center of Nerchinsky District of Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia, located east of Lake Baikal, east of Chita, and about west of the Chinese border on the left bank of the Nercha River, above its confluence with the Shilka River, which flows into the Amur...
while the other went south to the border post of Kyakhta
Kyakhta
Kyakhta is a town in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia, located on the Kyakhta River near the Russian-Mongolian border. Population: The town stands directly opposite the Mongolian border town of Altanbulag.-History:...
where it linked to camel caravans that crossed Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
to a Great Wall
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
gate at Kalgan
Zhangjiakou
Zhangjiakou, also known also by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province of North China, adjacent to Beijing to the southeast. Its administrative area has a population of 4.35 million, and covers...
.
In the early 19th century, the route was moved to the south. From Tyumen
Tyumen
Tyumen is the largest city and the administrative center of Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located on the Tura River east of Moscow. Population: Tyumen is the oldest Russian settlement in Siberia. Founded in 16th century to support Russia's eastward expansion, the city has remained one of the most...
the road proceeded through Yalutorovsk
Yalutorovsk
Yalutorovsk is a town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located on the Tobol River southeast of Tyumen. Population: It was founded in 1639 as the settlement of Yalutorovsky and was granted town status in 1782....
, Ishim
Ishim
Ishim is a town in the south of Tyumen Oblast, Russia. Population: -History:It was founded in 1670 as the village of Korkina Sloboda. In 1721 by the order of Tsar Peter the Great the village gained the right to establish Nikolskaya Trade Fair which rapidly became one of the most important trade...
, Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
, Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
, Achinsk
Achinsk
Achinsk is a city in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the right bank of the Chulym River near its intersection with the Trans-Siberian Railway, west of Krasnoyarsk. Area: . Population:...
and Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk is a city and the administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. It is the third largest city in Siberia, with the population of 973,891. Krasnoyarsk is an important junction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and one of Russia's largest producers of...
before rejoining the older route at Irkutsk. It remained a vital artery connecting Siberia with Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and Europe until the last decades of the 19th century, when it was superseded by the Trans-Siberian Railway
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
and Amur Cart Road
Amur Cart Road
The Amur Cart Road or Amur Wheel Road was a 2,000 km cartage road in Amur Oblast of Imperial Russia that connected Khabarovsk with Blagoveshchensk through mostly uninhabited areas of taiga and swamps.The road was built during 1898–1909 with nearly exclusive usage of katorga...
. The automobile equivalent is the Trans-Siberian Highway
Trans-Siberian Highway
The Trans-Siberian Highway is the unofficial name for a network of federal highways that span the width of Russia from the Baltic Sea of the Atlantic Ocean to the Japan Sea of the Pacific Ocean. In the Asian Highway Network, the route is known as AH6. It stretches over from St. Petersburg to...
.
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
that were transported from China to Europe through Siberia. Charles Wenyon, who passed by the "Great Post Road" in 1893, subscribed to the popular belief that "the best tea produced in China goes to Russia". In 1915 China exported to Siberia 70,297 tons of tea, which accounted for 65% of the country's overall tea exports. The route is the namesake of the Russian Caravan
Russian Caravan
Russian Caravan is a blend of Oolong, Keemun and Lapsang Souchong teas, all produced from Camellia sinensis— Kuntze, 1887—the Chinese tea plant. It is described as an aromatic and full-bodied tea with a sweet, malty taste...
blend of tea.
It was imported primarily in the form of hefty hard-packed tea brick
Tea brick
Tea bricks or compressed tea are blocks of whole or finely ground black tea, green tea, or post-fermented tea leaves that have been packed in molds and pressed into block form...
s which allowed each camel to carry large quantities in a more compact manner and could also pass for units of currency. From Kyakhta tea was transported to the Irbit fair
Irbit fair
The Irbit fair was the second largest fair in Imperial Russia after the Makariev Fair. It was held annually in winter, trading with tea and fur brought along the Siberian trakt from Asia....
for further commercial transactions. Another popular Chinese import item was dried rhubarb
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a group of plants that belong to the genus Rheum in the family Polygonaceae. They are herbaceous perennial plants growing from short, thick rhizomes. They have large leaves that are somewhat triangular-shaped with long fleshy petioles...
root, which was sold west of St. Petersburg "for fifteen times what it cost in Kyakhta".