Shagonar (Tuv. Shagaan-Aryg) is a city (since 1945) in the Tyva Republic of the Russian Federation. The administrative center of the Ulug-Khem kozhuun. It forms an urban settlement, the city of Shagonar, as the only settlement in its composition.
The name from the hydronym of the Tsaganaryg river is Mongolian tsagan - "white", arag - "dry bed"; this name was distorted by Tuvinians in Shagonar.
The modern city was rebuilt mainly in the 1970s - 1980s. by the trust
"Shagonartyazhstroy" (1978; leaders - B.N. Glazkov and A.M. Novitsky;
chief engineer A.N. Serzhantov) with the participation of specialists
from the cities of Krasnoyarsk and Kirovograd (now Kropivnitsky), 70
Komsomol members from the Ukrainian SSR. Among the buildings erected
then: five-story residential buildings, the administration building, the
House of Culture, a hospital, a cinema hall, and schools.
In
2012–2014 in correctional colony No. 4, a wooden church of St. Seraphim
of Sarov was built. Since 2018, a Buddhist khuree (temple) has been
under construction in the eastern part of the city (as of early 2023).
Monuments were erected in Shagonar: to the Hero of the Soviet Union
T. B. Kechil-ool (1990), to the soldiers - participants in the Afghan
conflict of 1979-1989. (2016).
On the left bank of the Yenisei River, 9 km northeast of Shagonar,
there is the sacred mountain Khayyrakan (height above sea level - 1043
m). It is one of the most revered natural objects of the subject of the
Russian Federation. In 1992, the mountain was consecrated by the Dalai
Lama XIV as a "place of special power", a pilgrimage is made to its foot
every year.
15 km southwest of Shagonar, in the town of
Beldir-Kezhii, there is an ethnocultural museum-reserve "Beldir-Kezhii"
(2016) - a branch of the National Museum of the Republic of Tyva named
after Aldan-Maadyr. The museum-reserve includes: a pavilion with a
suburgan "Nogaan Dariygi" (2015, sculptor L. Kh. Urzhuk), monuments to
the Tuvan language (2016) and Subedey-Maadyru, the largest Buddha statue
in Tyva (height 3 m, weight 3 tons ; sculptor L. Kh. Urzhuk) and others.
To the west of Shagonar there are a number of settlements of the
Uighur Khaganate (Shagonar and others; some are flooded by the waters of
the Sayano-Shushenskoye reservoir).
In the vicinity of the city
there are reserves of minerals - coal, iron ores, barite, fluorite,
strontium; gravel (Shagonar and Iyi-Tal deposits), clay and loam
(Torgalyg, Choduraa, Khayyrakan deposits), sand and limestone
(Khayyrakan deposit), alluvial gold (Serlig-Kuylug-Khemskoye deposit).
There are (2021) in the city: 4 preschool educational institutions, 3 secondary general educational institutions (2 schools and 1 gymnasium); Children's art school, sports school of Ulug-Khem kozhuun.
Shagonar is a town in the Republic of Tuva (also known as Tyva),
a federal subject of Russia located in southern Siberia. It serves
as the administrative center of the Ulug-Khemsky District and is
situated approximately 124 kilometers (77 miles) west of Kyzyl, the
republic's capital. Geographically, Shagonar lies at coordinates
51°33′N 92°46′E, on the left (northern) bank of the Yenisei River,
which is locally known as the Ulug-Khem in its upper reaches. The
town is positioned in the Tuva Basin, a large intermontane
depression surrounded by mountain ranges, and sits at an elevation
of about 560 meters (1,840 feet) above sea level, with the
surrounding terrain averaging around 1,756–1,759 feet. This location
places Shagonar in a transitional zone between the Siberian taiga to
the north and the steppes and semi-deserts of Inner Asia to the
south, making it part of a borderland region with diverse natural
and cultural influences.
The modern town was rebuilt in the 1970s
after the original settlement was flooded by the creation of the
Sayano-Shushenskaya Reservoir, formed by the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam
downstream on the Yenisei. The new site is about 7 kilometers (4.3
miles) from the original, reflecting human modifications to the
landscape in this seismically active and hydrologically dynamic
area.
Topography and Natural Features
Shagonar's
topography is characterized by the flat to gently rolling terrain of
the Tuva Basin, which occupies roughly 20% of the republic's land
and is encircled by high mountain ranges that cover over 80% of
Tuva. To the west and southwest, the Altai Mountains dominate with
ridges and spurs exceeding 3,000 meters (9,843 feet), including
notable peaks like Mongun-Taiga (3,976 m/13,045 ft, the highest in
Eastern Siberia), Ak-Oyuk (3,608 m/11,837 ft), Mengulek (3,485
m/11,434 ft), and Kyzyl-Taiga (3,121 m/10,240 ft). In the north and
east, the Western and Eastern Sayan Mountains rise to averages of
2,000–3,000 meters (6,562–9,843 feet), creating a natural barrier
that isolates the region climatically and culturally.
The basin
itself features steppe and semi-arid steppe landscapes (about 40% of
Tuva's territory), interspersed with larch forests, subalpine
meadows, and tundra at higher elevations. Near Shagonar, the
landscape includes dry and stony steppes along the Alash and
Khemchik river basins on the Alash Plateau, with limited agriculture
supported by chernozem soils in floodplains. The area is dotted with
extinct volcanoes, particularly around the Biy-Khem River source on
the Derby-Taiga Plateau, and experiences occasional seismic
activity, though often in remote zones.
A prominent local feature
is Haiyrakan Mountain (1,014 m/3,327 ft), a marquee-shaped peak on
the left bank of the Ulug-Khem, about 105 km (65 miles) from Kyzyl
but within the Ulug-Khemsky District near Shagonar. It boasts steep
cliffs, caves, grottoes, and a small waterfall, and is revered as a
spiritual site for shamanic and Buddhist rituals, even blessed by
the Dalai Lama XIV in 1992. This mountain is emblematic of the
district and appears on its coat of arms.
The Yenisei River is
the defining hydrological feature, flowing through the town and
forming part of the Arctic Ocean drainage basin. Upstream, it
originates from the confluence of the Biy-Khem and Ka-Khem rivers
near Kyzyl, and in the Shagonar area, it widens into the
Sayano-Shushenskaya Reservoir, which has altered local ecosystems by
submerging valleys and creating new water bodies for fishing and
recreation. Other nearby water features include Lake Sut-Khol and
the Ulug-Dorgun spring, supporting limited irrigation and pastoral
activities.
Climate
Shagonar experiences a sharply
continental climate, marked by extreme temperature swings, low
humidity, and distinct seasonal variations. The annual temperature
range spans from -4°F (-20°C) in winter to 82°F (28°C) in summer,
with rare extremes below -16°F (-27°C) or above 93°F (34°C). There
is no muggy season, as humidity remains dry year-round, with zero
muggy days annually.
Precipitation is low overall, totaling
around 7–8 inches annually, mostly as rain from May to September
(wet season: May 19–September 8, with July peaking at 8.3 wet days
and 1.6 inches). Winter sees minimal snow (0.2–0.4 wet days, often
as snow alone from November to March). Winds are strongest in spring
(March–June, averaging 5.5–6.9 mph, predominantly from the west),
calming in winter. Cloud cover is clearer from late April to early
October (50–60% clear skies, August clearest at 60%), and cloudier
in winter (up to 55%). Daylight varies dramatically: shortest in
December (7 hours 49 minutes) and longest in June (16 hours 39
minutes).
This climate supports a growing season from around May
2 to October 2, ideal for steppe vegetation and limited agriculture,
but challenges include warming trends, aridification, glacier melt,
reduced river runoff, and permafrost degradation, exacerbating
droughts and affecting local herding and ecosystems.
Surrounding Landscapes and Environmental Context
The broader
Ulug-Khemsky District around Shagonar encompasses the Central Tuva
ethnocultural landscape, featuring dense population centers with
steppe-dominated terrain suitable for transhumance herding (sheep,
goats, cattle), grain cultivation on irrigated floodplains, and
fishing in the reservoir. Mountainous taiga forests (50% of Tuva) to
the north support hunting and reindeer herding, while the south
opens to Mongolian influences with semi-deserts.
Human
activities, such as mining (e.g., asbestos near Ak-Dovurak) and dam
construction, have reshaped the environment, flooding valleys and
creating recreational opportunities like boating on the reservoir.
The region's isolation by mountains has preserved unique
biodiversity, including centuries-old forests, crystal-clear lakes,
and sacred sites, but ongoing climate change and socio-economic
shifts (e.g., tourism growth, rural migration) are transforming
these landscapes.
The foundation date of Shagonar is considered to be 1888, when
the Cossack of the Minusinsk district M.F. Tarkhov built the first
stone house on the site of the future city. In 1916 a school was
opened in this building. By the time the Russian protectorate was
established over the Uryankhai region (1914), there were 28 houses
and over 200 inhabitants in Shagonar.
In the spring of 1918,
Soviet power was briefly established in Shagonar. In 1918–1920 power
has changed over and over again. In March 1921, the Mongolian arats
defeated detachments of Chinese troops near Shagonar.
After
the proclamation of the People's Republic of Tannu-Tuva Ulus (August
14, 1921), Shagonar in 1921-1923. was a member of the Beise-khoshun.
In 1923–1944 - the center of the Ulug-Khem khoshun of the People's
Republic of Tannu-Tuva Ulus (since 1926 - the Tuva People's
Republic).
After Tuva joined the USSR and transferred to the
RSFSR (1944) - the center of the Ulug-Khem khoshun (1944-1945) and
the region (1945-1994) as part of the Tuva Autonomous Region
(1944-1961), the Tuva ASSR (1961-1991) , Tuva SSR (1991), Republic
of Tuva (1991–1993), Republic of Tyva (since 1993). Since 1945 - the
city.
In the 1970s, due to the threat of flooding during the
construction of the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station,
the city was moved to a distance of 7 km in the direction of the
city of Kyzyl. Since 1994, the center of the Ulug-Khemsky kozhuun of
the Republic of Tuva. Since 2004, it has been the urban settlement
"City of Shagonar".
The economically active population is 6695 people, or 60.5% of the
total population of Shagonar (2017). The city's economy employs 3,426
people (2017). The level of officially registered unemployment (among
the economically active population) is 2.6%, according to the
methodology of the International Labor Organization - 17.5% (2017).
The basis of the urban economy is industry (food, textile, building
materials), trade; about 50% of the population is employed in public
sector organizations (public administration, education and healthcare).
Food industry enterprises produce bread and bakery products,
confectionery, dairy products, dalgan (coarse flour from roasted barley
grains), chinge-taraa (fried millet) and semi-finished products. There
are small enterprises for deep processing of wool and dressing of skins.
Commercial timber, lumber, cinder block bricks, etc. are produced.
Personal subsidiary farms of the population of Shagonar specialize
in cattle breeding. Officially, about 10% of the employed population
works in agriculture (2017).
There is one hotel (9 places, 2019).
The city of Shagonar is located in the time zone MSK + 4. The time offset from UTC is +7: 00.
Since 2012, there has been an Orthodox parish in Shagonar in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh. The parish uses the premises rented in the building of the City Administration for its activities. On the basis of the parish, since June 25, 2012, a missionary camp has been functioning, whose employees carry out educational work with both adults and children. An Orthodox church and an Orthodox community under construction in colony No. 4 are assigned to the parish. Negotiations are underway with the kozhuun administration to provide land for the construction of an Orthodox church. 90 percent of the population are adherents of Buddhism, Lamaism, and Shamanism.
In Shagonar, as well as in Kyzyl, there are 4 mobile operators - Beeline, MTS, MegaFon, ETK. It is also worth noting the appearance in the city of the third generation 3G network of operators Beeline, MTS, Megafon.