The leaders of the special project "Nine Treasures", which involved voting for so-called treasures of the republic, is the snow leopard and lake Sut-Khol. The representative of the organizing committee  announced that the majority of  participants in the internet voting voted fro the snow leopard (17% of total votes), and lake Sut-Khol was voted for by the SMS voting, which went on during the period 1-10 December.

The project "Nine Treasures" was started in January of this year, and associated with the Year of Tourism in Republic Tuva. More than 230 entries were submitted by March 15, and the Expert council selected 110 attractions; then 45 were selected for the final voting. These include rivers, mountains, snow leopard, Scythians, more exactly their gold, national holidays, and ancient Slavs also were included, with their history.

Today marks 81 years from the birth of the National writer of Tuva, Laureate of Government prize of the republic, member of  the Writers’ Union of Russia and Tuva, Kyzyl-Enik Kyrgysovich Kudazhy (1929-2006). A native of Iyi-Tal of Ulug-Khem district, he was born on December 13 1929 in a small village Cheenik, in the clan of Baryk Kyrgystary (Kyrgyses of Baryk, settled along river Baryk, a tributary of Yenisei).  Later, he described these places in his novel-trilogy “Uygu chok Ulug-Khem” (Restless Ulug-Khem), which then became a classic.

Kudazhy first took up his pen in 1948. His first book of verse was published 10 years later, in 1958.

The wooden cabin, which has been already for many years the headquarters of the chief scholar of Tuvan shamanism, Mongush Borakhovich Kenin-Lopsan, was transferred into his private ownership. This decision was announced yesterday at the presentation of the second, expanded edition of the novel-essay “Buyan-Badyrgy”, dedicated to the memory of the prominent statesman of Tuva, by the head of Tuva, Sholban Kara-ool. “It is not for me. It is for history, for posterity, - Mongush  Borakhovich did not hide his pleasure. The writer is happy that the book about one of the founders of Tuvan State received a new life.

These are the preliminary results of Internet voting:

Today in Government House a press-conference took place, where the journalists were told about the next, the most significant stage of  the special project “Tos Ertine” (Nine Treasures) - the popular voting for the nine most important noteworthy attractions of the republic, which will take place on December 1-10. The 45 entries, which were selected by the Expert Council for the final vote were introduced to those present.

In Krasnoyarsk, the master of throat-singing performs in small halls. But in the USA, his album “Back Tuva Future” got to be among the 10 best, according to “New York Post”, together with John Lennon’s disc.

-  I have traveled throughout the world with concerts, and I have not been only to Australia and Africa.  I can tell you that definitely it is much more complicated to organize a concert in Russia than abroad. The tastes of our young people have been conquered by pop. Of course, that is not our weight category - we work only for real aficionados of national culture, and there are very few of those in Russia.

Practically the entire collective of Khakass Philharmony participated in the program of Days of Khakass Culture in Tuva, where it was associated with the Day of National Unity.

Now even many Tuvan children know what a chatkhan is. It is a Khakass musical instrument in the shape of an elongated rectangular box with horse-hair strings stretched length-wise; it is a symbol of the Khakass nation. It was precisely a chatkhan which was used to accompany the heroic epics, “alyptyg nymakhi”.

Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Putin participated in another action associated with protection of animals. The main goal  of the Prime minister’s expedition to the “Ubsunur Depression” nature preserve, located in Republic Tyva, was to verify the areas of habitation of  the snow leopard,  which is listed in the Red Book and under threat of extinction.

The Premier’s visit to the preserve, which is in South Siberia in a depression of the same name near the salt-water lake Ubsu-Nur, took place in September, but the photos first showed up in the media only days ago. On October 30, a series of photos was published by the official site of the Prime Minister.