Kungurtug is now a name of a small settlement located in south-east Tuva at the elevation of 1583 m above sea level. Photographs were presented to Pravda.ru by members of expedition “Por-Bazhyn 2007”
Kungurtug is now a name of a small settlement located in south-east Tuva at the elevation of 1583 m above sea level. Photographs were presented to Pravda.ru by members of expedition “Por-Bazhyn 2007”.
The settlement is named after a small river; it is located in the middle reaches of its course
The settlement is named after a small river; it is located in the middle reaches of its course.
The river flows into one of the most beautiful and mysterious lakes in Tuva – lake Tere-Khol
The river flows into one of the most beautiful and mysterious lakes in Tuva – lake Tere-Khol.
Nobody is able to explain what the word “Kungurtug” means
Nobody is able to explain what the word “Kungurtug” means.
Most likely it is a compound word, and may consist of, for example, from the word kungur with an ending tug, or from the word kun/khun (sun) and word gurt/urt.yurt/churt with ending u the word yurt in ancient Turkic language meant homeland, country, living territory, and ending u adds the meaning whose homeland it is)
Most likely it is a compound word, and may consist of, for example, from the word kungur with an ending tug, or from the word kun/khun (sun) and word gurt/urt.yurt/churt with ending u the word yurt in ancient Turkic language meant homeland, country, living territory, and ending u adds the meaning whose homeland it is).
In the first case, the name of the river could refer to Ancient Turkic ungur (unkur, like in Tuvan, ungur = a den, or ongar = a pit) – a valley, depression, or ravine
In the first case, the name of the river could refer to Ancient Turkic ungur (unkur, like in Tuvan, ungur = a den, or ongar = a pit) – a valley, depression, or ravine.
In any of these cases, the name could have been applied to the whole Tere-Khol valley
In any of these cases, the name could have been applied to the whole Tere-Khol valley.
In the second case, we would get after all, Khun Churtu, literally, the Homeland of the Sun
In the second case, we would get after all, Khun Churtu, literally, the Homeland of the Sun.
This may be closer to the truth for two reasons
This may be closer to the truth for two reasons.
The first one: local people say that at one time the word Kungurtug was pronounced Khungurtu, and it meant Sunrise
The first one: local people say that at one time the word Kungurtug was pronounced Khungurtu, and it meant Sunrise.
The second one: There-Khol valley is located in the high mountains which rim the Great Tuvan depression from the east – from the direction of sunrise
The second one: There-Khol valley is located in the high mountains which rim the Great Tuvan depression from the east – from the direction of sunrise.
For that reason it is possible that this whole territory was called Khun Churtu – i.e. Home of the Sun or Sunrise by the ancient Turkic language tribes
For that reason it is possible that this whole territory was called Khun Churtu – i.e. Home of the Sun or Sunrise by the ancient Turkic language tribes.
In this way, Kungurtug is not only the name of the small river from which the settlement got its name, but the whole mountainous area in the east of Tuva is Khun Churtu
In this way, Kungurtug is not only the name of the small river from which the settlement got its name, but the whole mountainous area in the east of Tuva is Khun Churtu.
We would like to mention one interesting detail at this point – when somebody in Tuva says that he is from Kungurtug (Kungurtug churtug men), both the speaker and the listener understand that it is not concretely the settlement Kungurtug, but the entire mysterious, remote mountainous area, which lies south of “Tuvan Switzerland” – the mountain taiga part of north-east Tuva – beautiful, with many bodies of water, and with the alpine meadows of Todzha
We would like to mention one interesting detail at this point – when somebody in Tuva says that he is from Kungurtug (Kungurtug churtug men), both the speaker and the listener understand that it is not concretely the settlement Kungurtug, but the entire mysterious, remote mountainous area, which lies south of “Tuvan Switzerland” – the mountain taiga part of north-east Tuva – beautiful, with many bodies of water, and with the alpine meadows of Todzha.
So that means that Kungurtug is an ancient land and direction
So that means that Kungurtug is an ancient land and direction.
