Tobolsk – Siberia, Russia
9 Jun
Am now in a remote – 6 hours by bus off the Trans-Siberian railway route in Tobolsk.
It was once a Tatar (Mongol-descended) stronghold taken by the Cossacks in the 16th century and fortified on a cliff top where two great rivers meet. Back then it – the Cossacks here – were renowned for wife-swapping, incest, and wife-stealing – so here the first Bishopric was set up in Siberia (although the population was solely Muslim) to stop such Cossack activity.
I’m here visiting this amazing Kremlin (fort) and monastery, the gold-onion-domed church offering a commanding view over the old town of Tobolsk, below the cliffs, beside wide rivers and the setting sun …
EXPLORE
