On the Trail of
Ghengis Khan
A 10,000km odyssey by horse, camel and
foot in search of the nomad spirit from
Mongolia to Hungary
The dream
In June 2004 young Australian adventurer Tim Cope stepped into the saddle on a historical quest to travel by
horse, foot and camel,10,000km in the hoof prints of Mongols and the legendary Ghengis Khan from
Mongolia to Europe. Setting forth from the one time capital of the Mongolian Empire, Karakorum, with three
horses, his aim was to traverse the Eurasian steppe to the far reaches of the former empire in distant
Hungary, and in doing so come to know the heart and soul of the steppe nomad. No one in living memory
had carried out such a journey and probably not for several centuries.... and this was to be no mean task for
someone who had barely ridden a horse in his life.
Who is Tim?
Tim Cope is a 28-year old from Australia who has previously spent two and a half years travelling Russia,
Siberia and Mongolia by bicycle, rowboat, and many other means. He speaks fluent Russian, has worked as
a guide in Antarctica, and most of all enjoys coming to know people in their home environments by traveling
in traditional and local ways. Sharing his experiences through writing and film is his passion-turned career,
and to date he is the author of ‘Off the Rails: Moscow to Beijing by Bike’ (Penguin 2003), and maker of two
documentary films for ABC Australia and National Geographic. Tim was awarded Australian Adventurer of
the Year 2006, and is a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society.
Inspiration
In 2000 during the latter stages of a cycling epic from Moscow to Beijing with his mate Chris, Tim found
himself in the Gobi desert pushing his bike through sand and increasingly frustrated with being limited to
tracks in such an open landscape. Every now and then horsemen would suddenly appear from over the
horizon, rush towards them, and then gallop off in an equally random direction. Tim was struck not only by
these people who seemed to live in a forgotten world of mounted warriors but by the incredible freedom that
these horsemen traveled with. Although Mongolia today is considered unique as a land where the nomad
lifestyle has survived intact, it fascinated Tim to think that these horsemen with their collapsible felt tents
once lived a nomadic existence right across the breadth of the Eurasian steppe from Mongolia to Hungary.
Further intriguing was that it was from this largely empty landscape that came one of the greatest world
leaders of all time: Ghengis Khan.
Although on the back end of a journey and looking forward to some of the comforts of home, a question was
nagging; if the steppe used to be connected as one, then did the many people scattered in todays modern
world from here to Europe still have a common culture and connections? Were there still traces of the
Mongols and Ghengis Khan to be found in the minds of steppe dwellers in Europe? Who were the nomads
and what was their lifestlye like? What would it have been like as a Mongol to leave his home and arrive in
Europe? There was only one way to find out.
During the unfolding journey, that would only begin four years later, he dreamed to write a book, and make a
film, bringing to life the characters, culture, and history of the steppe for others.
On a personal note, Tim was inspired by a sense of adventure and wish to come to know the intricate human
face of this expansive part of the world that often falls into a 'bermuda triangle' type hole in knowledge of
geography in the west.
The era of exploring unknown continents and great untrodden mountains may be in the past, but Tim
believes that learning about the world around us can be just as revealing, adventurous, and valuable now in
the 21st century as it has always been.
Discovering the nomad rulers of the greatest empire in History
The Mongol Empire at its height stretched from China to Iraq, Poland to Indonesia, and to this day remains
as the largest empire in history. In today's world it may surprise some that three Billion people (half the
worlds population) live in lands conquered by Ghengis Khan and the Mongols. What made this empire stand
out to Tim even more than its incredible proportions or notorious legends of barbary, is that its rulers in our
eyes were fundamentally different: they were nomads.
The steppe and nomadism has always remained alien and on the very edge of the European consciousness.
Perhaps it is due to this that the average European today knows little more about the people of Eurasia and
the Mongol Empire now than his ancestors did 800 years ago when mounted hordes were threatening to
take over the entire known world. So who were these nomads and where did they come from?
By traveling on horseback through the very conditions that shaped these once nomadic world leaders Tim’s
aim was to learn about the nomad way of life from a human story point of view and imagine what it might
have been like for a Mongol leaving his home on the steppe and arriving in Europe. Furthermore, Tim was
inspired to understand in what ways the Mongols and nomads in general had contributed to the development
of the modern world. Although we usually only hear of the destruction and cruelty of Ghengis and the
Mongols, any empire as large and long lasting as theirs must have also had some very constructive and
ingenious achievements to its name.
Why and how by Horse?
Travelling specifically by horse was the logical decision since nomads of the steppe were the first people in
history to tame and ride horses, and it was this great advancement that brought them into Europe and
conflict with the sedentary world. Incidentally, the horse, and horsemanship, which initially gave nomads the
military edge over Europe, may be considered in the end the greatest contribution by nomads to the modern
world.
The horse still plays a central role in the life, and culture of all steppe societies and so arriving with his
caravan of three mounts would allow Tim to know the heart mind and soul of the steppe nomad. In addition,
horses would allow Tim to experience a craved for sense of freedom and adventure, and importantly offer an
opportunity to be a participant in the communities he passed through, rather than just an observer.
Although Tim had almost no experience with horses, he was able to research the art of travelling by horse
largely through an organisation called the 'Long Riders Guild.' Tim would have three horses: two pack horses
(one for carrying grain, the other for carrying equipment) and the third would be a riding mount. In some
areas of rough terrain walking by foot or incorporating camels would also be essential.
The Experience at a glance
Three years, four summers, and three winters on in the saddle, Tim has travelled across a kaleidoscope of
countries and conditions- including Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Southern Russia, Ukraine and Hungary- in what
has become an odyssey reminiscent of a bygone era of exploration and true adventure. At many times, such
as when he was invited to meet the deputy prime minister of the republic of Kalmikia and in Crimea
welcomed into the Khan's palace with his horses, he was compared to a modern day Marco Polo.
Nomads live in particularly extreme and dramatic landscapes, and these have been a feature, and inspiration
throughout Tim's journey. Often navigating with just compass and GPS, Tim and his horses have traversed
high ice capped Altai mountains, snowy arctic-like wilderness on the 'Starving Steppe' of Kazakhstan, Camel
country in the burning heat of Kazakhstan deserts, the spectacular black sea coast on Crimea, the forested
craggy peaks of the Carpathians and finally the plains of Hungary where the Eurasian Steppe gives way to
the temperate climate of Europe.
Experiences among nomads, and sometimes in extreme isolation, have ranged from horse stealing on three
occasions, temperatures ranging from -50 to +54 celsius, bungled bureaucracy and delicate diplomacy on
national borders, more than 160 families who have invited him into their homes, and a constant struggle to
find grass and water for his caravan.
In the searing summer he traveled only at night with the addition of a camel, while in winter he struggled to
travel in the few daylight hours when the temperature rose marginally. At one stage he was stuck in no
mans land between Kazakhstan and Russia in a bureaucratic battle that eventually lasted almost six weeks.
A mix of diplomacy and perseverance allowed him to get through this struggle and many others, and as a
result Tim's caravan still includes two horses that have struggled and pulled Tim through from the distant
Altai.
Memory and traces of the Mongols in Europe have been many and intriguing. Among the hutsuls- a
mountain people of the Carpathians- he came across herds of horses that are renowned as the mounts left
behind after the Mongols returned to their homeland.
Although you could fly the distance from Mongolia to Hungary in a matter of hours -and with the border
problems that Tim experienced it would have been admittedly faster to walk- it is not time or distance that is
a measure of Tim's journey, but the rich experiences, hundreds of special people, and rare insights that
would not have been possible by travelling in any other way. Incidentally, one Kazakh, upon learning on how
long Tim had been travelling remarked: 'Well thank god then that Ghengis Khan didn't travel by turtle!'
The journey and not the destination has never been more important.
The end of a modern day odyssey
On September 22 when Tim finishes this epic journey in Hungary he will have made it to the edge of the
Mongol Empire, where in 1241 the Mongols were on the verge of conquering Western Europe. It was in this
same year however that the great Khan (Ogodai) died and the Mongols returned home to elect a new leader
never to return with aspirations of conquering Europe again.
For Tim, just as significant is that Hungary is where the great Eurasian steppe gives way to the temperate
climes and landscape of Europe. Here at the very fringe of the steppe, and therefore the end of the nomad's
world, Tim can rest in the knowledge that he, like the common Mongol soldier, can pack up and go home,
mission complete!
To add to a sense of History Tim arrived in geographical Europe in the 800th year celebrations of the
founding of the Mongolian empire. Ghengis would surely have approved!
The heroic equines to join celebrations
With Tim at the end will be the animals in which he has trusted, and who are the real heroes of this epic trek.
Taskonir (which means Brown stone in Kazakh) is a 14 year old Gelding. and has been Tims main reliable
mount since Tim bought him in the Altai region of Kazakhstan in October 2004.
Ogonyok, a tough pack horse up to the task of carrying heavy loads, is a seven year old gelding who is also
from the Altai of Kazakhstan.
Kok (which means 'green' in Kazakh) is a young five year old gelding, and a relative necomer to the team.
Together these horses have weathered all of the extremes that Tim has encountered an more. They are all
tough steppe breeds, who unlike sedentary animals can survive in any temperature without cover.
Historically it was these kinds of horses that allowed Ghengis khan and the Mongols to travel so far and fast.
The steppe breeds can survive without hay and grain, and in Winter are accustomed to digging through the
ice and snow to find pasture.
Tigon the honourable travelling dog
Although Tim has travelled solo for most of the journey, he has not been entirely alone. In late in 2004 he
was given a black Kazakh hunting dog as a gift called 'Tigon'- his name is the Kazakh word for hawk or fast
wind. It was owned by a young disabled Kazakh boy, whose father 'Aset' accompanied Tim by horse for ten
days. Upon departing Aset said 'Tim, take Tigon. You need a friend, heater, and protection on your long
winter nights.' The very next day Tim phoned home via satelite to Australia to discover that the family pet dog
had died. Tim took this as an omen, and ever since Tigon has become an invaluable companion with whom
Tim could not do without.
Tigon has grown up on the road and parallel adventures include being stolen, resuscitated in a sauna with
raw eggs and vodka, being hit by a car, but most importantly accepted as an honoured guest right across
Eurasia leaving many friends and memories in his past. Like a true reincarnation of Ghengis Khan he has
been marking his territory across the globe and now probably has the largest territory of any dog on earth.
Usually Tigon can be seen running ahead, leading the way, or protecting Tim from dangerous sheep and
cows!
Tim plans to eventually take Tigon to Australia and write a children's book about this young fearless canine
traveller.
Researching the condition of the Nomad and the Eurasian steppe.
Along the journey, Tim -who speaks fluent Russian and can therefore communicate well with most on the
Eurasian steppe- has lived among Mongols (including various tribes), Kazakhs, Kalmiks, Cossacks, Crimean
Tatars, Russians, Hutsuls, Ukrainians, and Hungarians. All of these people are still culturally linked due to
an ancient common history of nomadism, and in the case of Slavs constant co-existence and conflict with
nomads.
Integral to Tim's journey is researching the past and present condition of these nomad cultures which has
involved meeting with everyone from herders, government officials, historians, musicians, and religious
leaders. High in the ice capped peaks of the Altai, and in the sandy camel country of Western Kazakhstan he
has been lifted by a strong sense of pride in a nomadic existence, but in other regions, where society was
crushed by the soviet era, he has come into contact with former nomads seeking strength and identity from
their past. In Kalmikia for example, -a little known buddhist republic of ethnic Mongols in Europe that was
severely repressed in Stalin years- Tim was embraced by the head lama of a newly constructed temple.
Tim's journey exemplified the strength and culture his Kalmik ancestors who had themselves ridden from
Mongolia to Europe.
Through personal experience, Tim has understood very well that nomads have adopted such a way of life
because it is often the only way to survive on the steppe. The Eurasian steppe has a severe continental
climate with freezing arctic-like winters, searing hot summers and very little precipitaion. This means that the
earth is not very arable, and there is not enough grass to support animal husbandry in the one spot all year
round. Being nomadic also allows the people to retreat to cooler, more bearable areas in summer, escape
ticks, and other insects in Spring, and take cover from the cold winds of winter. It was this harsh landscape
and lifestyle -beyond the imagination for the sedentary European villager- that forged such tough and skilfful
warriors at the time of Ghengis Khan. Although modern technology, and the effects of the Soviet Era have
severely disrupted thousands of years of nomadism, it is likely that as long as people continue to live on the
steppe, nomads will survive still much longer into the future.
The ancient clash of nomad and sedentary society still echoing
Nomadism has always gone against the grain of sedentary society. While nomads adapt to the needs of
their animals, dictated by the environment, sedentary societies have a desire to control things for man’s
convenience. Nomads breath on the freedom that a land with no fences, no end in sight provides, while
sedentary souls crave the independence and freeing effect that environmental control brings. These
fundamental differences have historically created misunderstanding and conflict between nomad and
sedentary societies.
Moving west into Europe Tim began to experience the gulf between such two different cultures and how odd
the sedentary way of life appeared to a nomad. For the nomad ploughed fields, fences, dogs tied up, and
horses living in barns must have appeared as bizzarre. In August 2006 Tim also became involved in a violent
battle between Crimean Tatars and Russians in the old Crimean Khanate city of Bakchisarai. The conflict,
largely based on cultural differences echoed back to events in the days of Ghengis Khan.
Hospitality the rule not the exception on the steppe.
Kalmiks say that 'its better to hit a guest than to ask him if he wants to eat'- hospitality is after all obligatory,
not a choice for the guest in a nomad home. It makes sense then that the overwhelming experience on the
steppe for Tim and his animals has been one of kind hospitality and willingness to welcome a stranger
without hesitation.
The Kazakhs have a tradition whereby the traveler is welcomed for three days of eating and resting before
the host has the right to even ask where the guest is from or what he is doing. This openness and
opportunity to constantly live among locals not only offered Tim rare insight into the lives of people but was
responsible for his survival. A prime example of this occurred in the winter of 2004-2005 when Tim found
himself on the 'starving steppe' in temperatures around -35 with a limping horse, ripped tent, and near on
hypothermia. Late on evening in this state he stumbled into the village of Akbakai where he was taken in,
and as it would pan out, be looked after for almost three months. Later in the desert when the temperature
during summer hovered around 50 degrees -and there was no shade- he was taken into underground mud
huts with herders and offered fresh camel milk to quench an ever present thirst.
Far from Australia and missing his family sorely, he was ever grateful for locals who usually made him feel at
home so far from home.
The Mongolians say that 'a man on the steppe without friends is as narrow as a finger. A man with friends is
as wide as the steppe.' Tim knows that for him this rings very true, in fact he certainly wouldn't be in Hungary
today if it wasn't for the friends that he made along the way. The memories, and lessons learnt in many a felt
yurt tent in Mongolia have endured and helped Tim to the end.
The diet of Ghengis Khan
To understand the reality of the nomad existence, a quinessential is to eat like a nomad, and as Tim
experienced the diet today is probably much like it was in Ghengis Khans era.
In the summer of Mongolia Tim daily drank fermented mares milk, and carried with him dried mutton called
'borts.' This dried meat is so compact that Mongolians say you can 'carry a whole sheep in you pocket.' Light
weight food was one of the Mongols secrets as they conquered the world at a figurative gallop. Always in
Tims pocket was also rock hard dried curd called 'aral.' Tim came to appreciate they way that sucking on aral
kept the hunger at bay during long hours in the saddle.
The Kazakh speciality, and often on Tims daily menu was 'kazy.' Kazy is a special horse meat sausage
which is often had often with the national dish of 'Bes Barmak.' Bes Barmak translates to 'five fingers'
because you literally need five fingers to be able to pick up the huge chunks of oily meat!
In western Kazakhstan Tim took great relief in drinking 'shubat' in the heat. Shubat is fermented camel milk
and believed to hold many medicinal qualities.
At first the sight of a camel, horse, lambs head on the table was a shock for tim who had grown up in
Australia with a low meat diet. However after some time he came to appreciate the sustence of meat in an
environment so extreme and where crops do not grow. The rituals that are adhered to during animal
slaughter showed a great understanding and gratitude to these animals. It is to these animals who often live
a fine line of survival on the steppe that the nomads owe their existence.
Other interesting foods included 'brinza' cheese in the carpathians which is made from sheeps milk, and of
course 'sala' -salted pig fat- which is the staple of the Cossacks in Russia and the Ukraine.
The dangers, difficulties and misadventures
The dangers on such a long and unknown journey were wide and varied. Before embarking Tim was warned
that the horses could 'turn him to dust in an instant.' Dealing with such powerful animals as an inexperienced
horsemen was one potential danger, but what worried Tim more was the possibilty of the horses galloping
away and leaving Tim stranded in the wilds of the steppe- especially in the depths of winter. This kind of
journey involves a symbiosis with the horses, and without the horses, Tims own survival would be in
question.
In the end mishaps when he and the horses came close to disaster include: a horse falling off a bridge,
horses galloping off in a panic with all the gear stranding Tim at night (this happened near Astrakhan in
Russia), a horse sinking in a swamp and almost drowning, attacks by wild stallions in Spring on the steppe.
Thirteen horses have participated in the journey, one of which was left behind after tragically stepping on a
long rusty nail that caused an infection in the bone.
Along the way there were constant warnings of wolves which in winter were rumoured to hunt in packs and
said to attack in winter when hunting during the mating season. For this Tim had firecrackers to warn the
wolves away. On one occasion in Mongolia his camp was surrounded by howling wolves which he kept at
bay by keeping a camp fire going all night.
As they say in Russian, the most dangerous wolf is that which walks on two legs. On three occasions Tims
horses were stolen in the night....but on every occasion he was miraculously able to recover them.
The other main warnings and real dangers were those inherent in such an extreme environment: getting lost
in blizzards in the minus forties on featureless steppe, running out of water in the desert, and generally
coping alone in the face of problems.
The fears for Tim personally were always the uncertainty and unknown with so many unpredictable
variables. He knew that one wrong move at the wrong time could spell the end.
There were of course times when he sorely missed the closeness of family and friends and would have done
anything for a break from the journey, even for a day. This experience taught Tim much about the
importance of family and friends in life in general.
The most challenging moment
Having travelled for two and a half years and with the toughest terrain and majority of distance behind him
Tim was in Southern Ukraine heading into winter. Ahead lay a mere 1500km to the Danube river in Hungary
and it it seemed that within a few months he would be home safe and sound.
On the 18th of November however Tims world was turned upside down. Via satellite phone Tim discovered
that his father, Andrew Cope, had just been killed in a tragic car accident. Tim left his horses for Australia
immediately. Andrew had had a huge impact on Tims decision to pursue a life of travel and adventure and
his relationship had ironically been close from afar during the journey.
The irony for Tim could not have starker; here he was living an adventure that had so many inherent risks
that many would consider it dangerous, yet here was his father killed just 50km from home in a car! Tims
world, like that of his two brothers, sister, and his mother Anne came to a halt. To deal with his dads death
Tim would have to draw on much of what he had learnt from the nomads and their profound understanding
of the transience of life.
What Tim considered would be a doddle to the end would actually now be the hardest part of his journey. In
April he saddled up to continue, this time more aware than ever that he was alone.
The journey broken down in a nut shell:
Mongolia (June – October 2004)
Beginning near the once Mongol empire capital of Karakorum Tim bought his first three horses and set off
into the unknown headed to the far western border. Through summer and into early autumn Tim traveled
through sweeping olive green valleys and steppe dotted with the yurt tents. Nomads in Mongolia still
consider Ghengis Khan a holy leader and live a life that still revolves around the nomadic needs of their
animals much like it was centuries ago. After having his horses stolen on just the fifth day of the journey he
had to learn very quickly to learn the rules of the steppe. In the west of Mongolia Tim reached the glacier
capped peaks of the Altai and came into contact with remote nomads who talked of their relatives still living
far away in Europe, left behind from mass migrations across Eurasia, the last of which occurred in the 18th
century. Mongolians warned Tim constantly of the danger of wolves, and on one occasion Tim’s camp was
surrounded by a howling pack. A Mongol elder later on gave Tim the ankle bone of a wolf to protect him and
for good luck.
Near the Border with Kazakhstan, Russia, and China Tim was forced to sell his horses due to veterinary
rules banning the export of horses from Mongolia.
Kazakhstan (October 2004 – December 2005)
As the temperature began to plummet Tim arrived in Kazakhstan - the largest and most challenging
environment of his journey-, and bought three new horses. Kazakhstan is a country as much unknown as it
is gigantic stretching around 3200km in a straight line from east to west. The Kazakhs are a Turkic speaking
people whose ancestors date back to some of the first horse riding nomads in history- the Scythians and
Saks.
Tims route took him from the Altai, along the shores of Lake Balkhash, across the Starving steppe to the Syr
Darya river, to the shores of the dying Aral sea, then through the western deserts to the Caspian sea.
The landscape in Kazakhstan is typified by a continental climate with sparsely populated steppe. In the
winter of 2004/2005 Tim endured an arctic-like winter on the 'Starving steppe’ where his journey nearly came
to a disastrous end in conditions that reached as low as -52 degrees celsius. In the summer of 2005 with the
addition of a camel Tim traveled at night to avoid the searing heat that rose as high as 54 degrees Celsius.
Tim came to know the various Kazakh tribes and clans, and discovered a rich nomadic culture, and a very
conscious memory of Ghengis Khan and the Mongols. Many Kazakhs believe that Ghengis was actually a
Kazakh and that contrary to common belief Ghengis was buried on the Kazakh steppe. Tims journey in
Kazakhstan came to a close near the Caspian sea in the beginning of winter after a six week delay on the
border with Russia.
Southern Russia – including republic of Kalmikia and Cossack country on the Kuban (December
2005 – May 2006)
West of the Caspian sea Tim finally crossed out of Kazakhstan onto the Volga river. Remaining with him
were his dog Tigon, and his three Kazakh horses- two of which had been with him from day one in
Kazakhstan where he bought them in the Altai.
Tims route now took hime across the Volga to the open steppe of Kalmikia, south to the province of
Stavropol, then west onto the Kuban steppe.
Near Astrakhan on the Volga a scare occurred when Tims horses bolted into the black of night with all his
equipment. Only with the help of the national rescue service and local police did he recover everything the
following morning.
Beyond the Volga river Tim arrived in the republic of Kalmikia. This little known nation is inhabited by ethnic
Mongols who migrated across the steppe from Mongolia in the sixteenth century. More then half of these
people then migrated back to Mongolia in the 18th century, half of whom perished along the way in a perilous
winter on the Kazakh steppe. Kalmik means ‘those who were left,’ and today they live in what is the only
Buddhist republic within Europe. One of the Kalmik tribes are the ‘torguts’ who were renowned as being the
personal body guards of Ghengis Khan in the 13th century. Not surprisingly Tim was embraced in Kalmikia as
a hero having come from their spiritual homeland of Mongolia by horse.
Crossing just north of the Caucasus mountains Tim entered the ‘Kuban’ which is traditionally the homeland
of the fearless ‘Cossacks.’ Cossacks are ethnic slavs who took to a life in the no mans land of the steppes to
life a life of independence from the Russian tsars. The Cossacks adopted much of the nomad culture and
became notorious mercenaries, at times fighting for and against Russians, turks, and nomads. Tim here was
also adopted as one of their own, and was intrigued to learn of the revival of their culture since the fall of the
soviet era. Tims journey in Russia came to a close on the Black and Azov Seas where his horses took a well
deserved swim in the salty waters.
Ukraine (May 2006 – August 2007)
From Russian Cossack territory Tim boarded a ferry with his three horses and dog for a crossing of the
Kerch strait into the Ukraine where he was met with much fanfare from TV reporters, the city mayor, and
curious border guards. Here, jutting out onto the Black Sea from the steppes is the legendary Crimean
Peninsula. Rising from sandy beaches are majestic mountains clad with oak forests and alpine plains that
cast their shadow over crystal blue waters awash with dolphins. Beyond the coast lie regions of dry steppe
with an aridity and openness comparable to the great steppe of Kazakhstan. This astounding diversity is
matched with cultural heritage that ranges from ancient Greek civilizations to nomad Scythians who
inhabited the interior with their nomad lifestyle.
Tims route took him three months through Crimea, north into mainland Ukraine, across the southern and
western provinces of Kherson, Mikolaiv, Odessa, Vinnitsa, Xmelitsa, Tornopil, to the Carpathians of Ivano
Frankivsk, then to Transcarpathia on the border with Hungary.
Travelling through the diversity of the Crimean peninisula Tim understood that nowhere else in the world has
there been such a flashpoint as enduring as Crimea for the conflict and collaboration between nomad and
sedentary societies. In modern times the indigenous Crimean Tatars, descendants of millennia of nomad
groups on the Crimea (and believed by the Slavs to be relatives of Mongol invaders) are still at odds with
their Russian colonizers. Bitterly cruel stories still run fresh among Tatars who remember their brutal
deportation to Central Asia and Siberia by Stalin. Russians on the other hand consider the Tatars to be
unlawful citizens of Crimea being the descendants of ‘barbaric Mongols’ who invaded Slavic lands and took
many into slavery.
In the old capital of the Crimean Khanate, Bakhchisarai Tim was at once invited into the khans palace,
compared to a modern day Marco Polo, and found himself in the midst of a modern day conflict between
Tatars and Russians. Tensions boiled over on the Bakhchisarai market when a confrontation turned violent
and the army was called in. To Tim, this echoed the ancient conflict between nomads and the sedentary
world.
On the Ukraine mainland heading into his third winter, Tim’s journey was broken for five Months when on
November 18 2006 The learned of the tragic death of his father, Andrew, in a car accident.
In April 2007 Tim returned to his horses and made his way trough isolated villages and into the Carpathian
mountains. Here he was embraced by a local mountaineer-turned priest who introduced Tim to the Hutsul
people. The Hutsuls are a proud mountain people who migrate up to the high plains in summer and through
whose land the Mongols made their final push into Europe on the plains of Hungary. The famous ‘Hutsul’
horses here are actually the descendants of Mongol horses left behind by the retreating Mongol army in
1241.
Tims journey in Ukraine came to an end on the river Tisa which separates the Carpathians from the steppe
of Hungary.
Hungary (August – September 2007)
On the 2nd of August after another long battle with bureaucracy, Tim historically rode across the border from
Ukraine into Hungary. The Hungarians trace their ancestry to mounted nomads who came from the Siberian
steppe. It is here in Hungary near the Danube river that the Eurasian steppe comes to an end. This is
therefore the western boundary of the steppe nomad’s domain. It was in Hungary too in 1241 that the
Mongol empire reached its great height before the great Khan (Ogodai at the time) died and the Mongols
retreated to elect a new leader.
The Ciskos of Hungary have still preserved the masterful art of their horsemen ancestors, and Tim was
privileged to ride among these people who reminded him strongly of the land he had begun his journey in
more than three years earlier.