On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Land of the NomadsThe relationship between man and horse on the Eurasian steppe gave rise to a succession of rich nomadic cultures. Among them were the Mongols of the thirteenth century – a small tribe, which, under the charismatic leadership of Genghis Khan, created the largest contiguous land empire in history. Inspired by the extraordinary life nomads still lead today, Tim Cope embarked on a journey that hadn't been successfully completed since those times: to travel on horseback across the entire length of the Eurasian steppe, from Karakorum, the ancient capital of Mongolia, through Kazakhstan, Russia, Crimea and the Ukraine to the Danube River in Hungary. From horse-riding novice to travelling three years and 10,000 kilometres on horseback, accompanied by his dog Tigon, Tim learnt to fend off wolves and would-be horse-thieves, and grapple with the extremes of the steppe as he crossed sub-zero plateaux, the scorching deserts of Kazakhstan and the high-mountain passes of the Carpathians. Along the way, he was taken in by people who taught him the traditional ways and told him their recent history: Stalin's push for industrialisation brought calamity to the steepe and forced collectivism that in Kazakhstan alone led to the loss of several million livestock and the starvation of more than a million nomads. Today Cope bears witness to how the traditional ways hang precariously in the balance in the post-Soviet world. |
Contents
Mongolian Dreaming | |
Hungary | |
The Last Nomad Nation | |
Wolf Totem | |
A Fine Line to the West | |
The Roaring River Mountain | |
Kazakhstan | |
Stalins Shambala | |
Russia | |
Lost Hordes in Europe | |
Cossack Borderlands | |
The Timashevsk Mafia | |
Crimea | |
Where Two Worlds Meet | |
The Return of the Crimean Tatars | |
Ukraine | |
7 | |
Tokym Kagu Bastan | |
Balkhash | |
Wife Stealing and Other Legends of Tasaral | |
The Starving Steppe | |
The Place That God Forgot | |
Otamal | |
Ships of the Desert | |
The Oil Road | |
Crossroads | |
Taking the Reins | |
Among the Hutsuls | |
The End of the World | |
Epilogue | |
Glossary | |
Selected Bibliography | |
A Note on the Author | |
Other editions - View all
On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Land of the Nomads Tim Cope Limited preview - 2013 |
On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Land of the Nomads Tim Cope Limited preview - 2013 |
On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Land of the Nomads Tim Cope Limited preview - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
Akbakai animals Aral Sea army arrival Aset Australia Baitak Balkhash began blankets border camel camp Caspian Central Asia century Cossacks Crimea Crimean Tatars culture Danube dark Darya Dashnyam desert drink Eurasian steppe Europe eyes farm feeling felt forest Genghis Khan Golden Horde grass grazing hand head herd herders hooves horizon horse’s horses Hungary Hutsul journey Kalmykia Kalmyks Kathrin Kazakh Kazakhstan Khan’s Kharkhorin known lake Lake Balkhash land legs lived looked Madagol meat Meirim Mongol Empire Mongolia months morning mountains moved night nomads Ogonyok Oirat passed pasture pulled reached ride river rode Ruslan Russian saddle saiga Seryoga Shashibek sheep sleep snow Soviet stallion summer Syr Darya Taskonir tent Tigon told took town traditional Turkic turned Ukraine Ukrainian Ulanbel valley village vodka weeks western winter wolves yurt