Internatinal Caravan Expedition “Along the great silk road”
An expedition is organised in accordance with decree No 17 of January 14, 2006, by the President of the Russian Federation On the Celebration of the 400th Anniversary of the Voluntary Accession of the Kalmyk People to Russia, and the Plan of Main Activities for Preparations and Celebration of the 400th Anniversary of the Voluntary Accession of the Kalmyk People to Russia, ratified by executive order No 17 of January 14, 2006, by the Government of the Russian Federation.
The expedition, comprising both Russian and Mongolian representatives, will run through the ancient capital of the former Mongolian Empire, Karakorum, which was part of the Great Silk Road in the 13th century. The expedition is expected to reach the Russian-Mongolian border by about June 30 in the vicinity of the town of Tashanta, then cross a number of Russian regions including the Altai Republic and Altai Territory, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tyumen, Kurgan and Chelyabinsk regions, the Bashkortostan Republic, Orenburg, Samara, Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, covering a total of 6,500 km and eventually arriving in Elista, the capital of the Kalmykia Republic on October 31. The route will be similar to that followed by the Kalmyk Ulusy people in the early 17th century to voluntarily join Russia.
The expedition will be completed using only camels and horses for personal transport.
Fyodor Konyukhov will lead the expedition.
