Chuisky Tract: Breathtaking Views And A Dark History

National Geographic calls the Chuisky Tract in Russia's Altai one of the most beautiful roads in the world. It's a road that comes with a breathtaking landscape and a unique, dark history.

The Altai extends over four countries - Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China. Within Russia, it is divided into the Altai Krai (Region) and the Republic of Altai. The population of the Altai Region is overwhelmingly Russian while in the Republic of Altai, native Altaians account for about 35 per cent. The status of Republic gives them certain constitutional rights that help them preserve their language, traditions and culture. Who are these people and what are some of their traditions? A drive along the Chuisky Tract, a highway that runs through the Altai to Russia’s border with Mongolia, can answer these questions. That is when you can tear your gaze away from the enchanting landscape.

What stayed with me apart from the landscape was the monument -- To the builders of the Chuisky Tract. This is a monument to the indigenous people of Altai who built the Chuisky Tract. It attracted my attention for two reasons: the statues depicting the indigenous Altai people and the words on the plaque describing the Chuisky Tract as The Road of Life and Death intimately interwoven with their history. 

The origins of native Altaians are still a matter of debate. They are believed to be nomads who migrated south along the Yenisei River into the Altai, around 2000 BCE. Genetic studies show them related to the indigenous people of the Americas, Japan and Korea. The language and culture of these tribes were unlikely to have been Turkic although they are now described as a Turkic people. Turkic people are supposed to have originated in Northeastern China. They migrated west around 3000 BCE, first to Mongolia and then into the Central Asian steppes. Their language and culture prevailed over the varied ethnic populations with whom they came into contact and conflict. Around the 5th century BCE, these ‘Turkified’ populations of Mongolia and Central Asia began to intermingle with the people in the Altai region. Gradually the Altaians were ‘Turkified’. 

As we travelled along the Chuisky Tract some of this history was evident in the facial features of the local people. They ranged from high cheekbones, small eyes, flat noses, and rounded faces to a more oval face, larger eyes and a sharper nose, with several gradations between. We could soon distinguish an Altaian from a Kazakh. This monument, designed and executed by Altaians and installed in 2020, asserts the distinct Altaian identity in a region of much intermingling over millennia. 

Perhaps Altaians managed to preserve their identity because of a decision made in the mid-18th century by the heads (zaysans) of several tribes. The Qin emperor had conquered neighbouring Dzungaria (today’s northern Xinjiang) and was threatening to overrun Altai. The defeated Mongols were also on the rampage. Russia had already built a line of forts in southern Siberia and the Altaians were wary of their military, though trade between the two had been flourishing for over a century. Caught in a dangerous situation, the zaysans decided the Russian Empire would be their best protector. This voluntary accession prevented major bloodshed though there were Russian attempts to uproot them from their lands and resettle them along the Volga. The Orthodox Church tried to convert them but Altaians managed to retain their faith in spirits and shamans, a respectful attitude towards their natural environment, and pride in their traditions without rejecting the benefits of education and technology.

Until 1756 when Altai became a part of the Russian empire, the Tract was a treacherous mountain trail. It connected Siberia with Mongolia and China through the Northern Silk Route. Goods were transported on horseback or camels. Russian merchants and local authorities tried to build a road for carts, but it wasn't until 1902 that they succeeded. By 1914 it was already in a state of disrepair and Vyacheslav Shishkov, an engineer who later became a writer, was sent to prepare a proper alignment and costing for the Tract. The route he proposed is largely unchanged till today. 

Construction of the road was delayed by the First World War, the 1917 Revolution, and the Civil War. Work on an unpaved road began only in 1928. Progress was slow because of a shortage of labour and finances, mismanagement and corruption. As in all previous road-building efforts, households within 50 km of the Tract were forced to supply pack animals, fodder, timber and other materials at very low rates or for free. Also, everyone living within 30 km of the Tract was forced to work on the construction sites. The Soviet state, unlike its predecessors, exempted invalids, the sick, pregnant women and mothers with children under eight, and students. Wages were minimal, the workers received some provisions, medical care and social benefits. 

These are the workers whose statues form the monument. The impact of the Tract on the lives of Altaians is reflected in many of Vyacheslav Shishkov’s stories. “This entire Tract could be paved with the gold and silver that merchants squeezed out of the Altaians and Mongols,” he wrote. It is his words that are etched on the plaque: “The tears shed from the narrow eyes of these almost primitive people with the pure heart of nomads could fill the entire Tract.” This was in 1914. 

Even worse was to follow in 1932, when the Tract came to be paved with bones. This was the time of Stalin’s repression of kulaks, other ‘enemies of the people’ and criminals by throwing them into penal camps. These men and women were used as cheap labour to speed up construction. Food, warm clothing, protective gear and equipment were scarce. There was no medical help and the death rate was high. Eyewitness accounts tell of corpses shovelled into the pit prepared for the road, and guards setting their dogs on those who tried to flee. Eventually, qualified labour was brought in and working conditions improved. The Chuisky Tract was completed on 1 January 1935, and during the Second World War, it served as a crucial route for humanitarian supplies from Mongolia. Over the past 20 years, it has been brought up to international standards and now ranks among the Top 10 best highways in the world for its scenic beauty. 

The problems that always plagued its construction turned out to be a blessing. It has no tunnels, unlike the highways that plunge literally into the Alps. The Chuisky Tract opens up the entire beauty of the Altai. 

The grisly human toll is hidden in memories, monuments and writing. 

In 1964 a younger writer, Vasily Shukshin, who grew up in these parts and was witness to the construction in the 1930s, described the Tract in one of his stories as “a beautiful, dashing road like the imprint of a whiplash on the mountains…”. 

All photographs are courtesy of Kala Sunder

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