He Who Was the First to Take Photographs of Lhasa: ‘Three Journeys to Lhasa (1898–1901)’, a Travel Diary by O. Norzunov (Transl. by D. K. Voronina, Comment. by B. L. Mitruev)

The article aims to introduce into scientific discourse Tibetan travel notes made by the member of the Russian Geographic Society Ovshe M. Norzunov at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries. The notes were published in the early 20th c. in French by the famous French natural scientist and anthropologist J. Deniker never to have been published in Russian. The diary notes have been translated from French into Russian by D. K. Voronina, edited and commented by B. L. Mitruev.
Between 1898 and 1901, Norzunov took three journeys to Tibet. The first journey – its route passed through Urga – took place in 1898–1899 and aimed to deliver some presents and Agvan Dorzhiev’s letter informing the Dalai Lama about the negotiations. The second attempt to reach Tibet from Darjeeling was made in early 1900 but Norzunov’s endeavor failed, and he was deported back to Russia. In late 1900, Norzunov joined a group headed by Khambo Lama Agvan Dorzhiev that on 28 February 1901 entered Lhasa. Norzunov was granted an audience with the 13th Dalai Lama and took the photographs of Lhasa to be subsequently published by J. Deniker and the Russian Geographic Society.
The travel materials collected by O. Norzunov are contained in St. Petersburg archives of the Russian Geographic Society. In 1901, Ovshe M. Norzunov was awarded a Big Silver Medal to distinguish his achievements in the service of the organization. In the same year, a photograph of his picturing the Potala was published by J. Deniker in the October issue of La Géographie (magazine). So, O. Norzunov became the first to have authored a published photograph of Lhasa.
In 1903, the RGO Bulletin (Rus. Izvestiya RGO) published a report by G. Ts. Tsybikov along with lists of best photographs by O. Norzunov and G. Tsybikov (45 and 32 images respectively). The lists were supplemented with 9 photographs of Lhasa by Norzunov picturing the Ganden and Tashi Lhunpo Monasteries (the latter being the Panchen Lama’s residence). Later the lists and corresponding photographs were printed additionally.
In the West a number of photographs by Norzunov and Tsybikov were published in various journals in 1903–1905, including as supplements to two articles by J. Deniker. Those provided a detailed narrative about Norzunov’s three journeys, the second publication being a French translation of his travel notes. Both the articles contained photographs taken by O. Norzunov in Lhasa and on his way to Tibet.
No Russian translation of Norzunov’s travel diaries have been published before. The paper provides a commented translation of O. Norzunov’s diaries, the source text being that of the French edition.

1. НА РК — Национальный архив Республики Калмыкия. Ф. Р. 3. Оп. 2. Ед. хр. 508А. Л. 187. [Natsional’nyy arkhiv Respubliki Kalmykiya. Fund P. 3. Ser. 2. Arch. it. 508A. P. 187. (In Rus.)]

2. Алексеева 2010 ― Алексеева П. Э. О людях и времени. Элиста: КИГИ РАН, 2010. 176 с. [Alekseeva P. E. O lyudyakh i vremeni [About people and time]. Elista: Kalmyk Humanities Research Institute of RAS, 2010. 176 p. (In Rus.)]

3. Андреев 2012 — Андреев А. И. История первых фотографий Тибета и Лхасы [электронный ресурс] // Культурное наследие буддизма. 01/03/2012. URL: http://shakyamuni.ru/articles/67 (дата обращения: 01.04.2018). [Andreyev A. I. The earliest photographs of Tibet and Lhasa. Kul’turnoe nasledie buddizma. 01 March 2012. An Internet resource: see hyperlink above (accessed: 01 April 2018). (In Rus.)]

4. Андреев 2006 ― Андреев А.И. Тибет в политике царской, советской и постсоветской России. СПб.: Изд-во С.-Петерб. ун-та; Изд-во А.Терентьева «Нартанг», 2006. 464 с. [Andreyev A.I. Tibet v politike tsarskoy, sovetskoy i postsovetskoy Rossii [Tibet in the policies of Tsarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet Russia]. St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg State Univ.; Nartang (A. Terentiev), 2006. 464 p. (In Rus.)]

5. Андреев 2004 — Андреев А. И. Храм Будды в Северной столице. СПб.: Нартанг, 2004. 220 с. [Andreyev A. I. Khram Buddy v Severnoy stolitse [Buddha’s temple in Russia’s northern capital]. St. Petersburg: Nartang, 2004. 220 p. (In Rus.)]

6. Бакаева 1997 ― Бакаева Э. П. Лувсан Шарап Тепкин и его время / Шамбала. Элиста, 1997. № 5–6. С. 9–17. [Bakaeva E. P. Luvsan Sharap Tepkin and his time. Shambala. Elista. 1997. No. 5–6. Pp. 9–17. (In Rus.)]

7. БСЭ 1972 — Большая советская энциклопедия: [в 30 т.] / Гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. 3-е изд. Т. 8. М.: Советская энциклопедия, 1972. 592 с. [Bol’shaya sovetskaya entsiklopediya: [v 30 t.] [Great Soviet Encyclopedia: (in 30 vol.)]. A. M. Prokhorov (ed.). 3rd ed. Vol. 8. Moscow: Sovetskaya Entsiklopediya, 1972. 592 p. (In Rus.)]

8. Доржиев 2003 ― Доржиев А. Занимательные заметки: Описание путешествия вокруг света (Автобиография) / Агван Доржиев; Пер. с монг. А. Д. Цендиной; Транслитерация, предисл., коммент., глоссарий и указ. А. Г. Сазыкина и А. Д. Цендиной. М.: Вост. лит., 2003. 160 с. (Памятники письменности Востока). [Dorzhiev A. Zanimatel’nye zametki: Opisanie puteshestviya vokrug sveta (Avtobiografiya) [Wonder notes: my round-the-world-trip (autobiography)]. A. D. Tsendina (transl.); A. G. Sazykin, A. D. Tsendina (comment., foreword, etc.). Moscow: Vost. Lit., 2003. 160 p. (In Rus.)]

9. Отчет ИРГО 1905 ― Отчет ИРГО за 1905 год. СПб.: Тип. А. В. Орлова, 1907. XII+158 с. (Электронный ресурс) // https://lib.rgo.ru/reader/flipping/Resource-629/RuPRLIB12047813/index.html (Дата обращения 11.01.2018). [Otchet IRGO za 1905 god [The 1905 Yearly Report of the Russian Imperial Geographic Society]. St. Petersburg: A. V. Orlov, 1907. XII+158 p. An Internet resource: see hyperlink above (accessed: 11 January 2018). (In Rus.)]

10. Отчет ИРГО 1901 ― Отчет ИРГО за 1901 год. СПб.: Тип. Суворина, 1902. XII+64+25 с. (Электронный ресурс) // https://lib.rgo.ru/reader/flipping/Resource-635/RuPRLIB12047817/index.html (Дата обращения 11.01.2018). [Otchet IRGO za 1901 god [The 1901 Yearly Report of the Russian Imperial Geographic Society]. St. Petersburg: Suvorin, 1902. XII+64+25 p. An Internet resource: see hyperlink above (accessed: 11 January 2018). (In Rus.)]

11. Рерих 1982 ― Рерих Ю. Н. По тропам Срединной Азии. Хабаровск: Хабаровское кн. изд-во, 1982. 304 с. [Roerich Yu. N. Po tropam Sredinnoy Azii [Following the remote paths of Inner Asia]. Khabarovsk: Khabarovsk Book Publ., 1982. 304 p. (In Rus.)]

12. Российские экспедиции 2013 ― Российские экспедиции в Центральную Азию: Организация, полевые исследования, коллекции. 1870–1920-е гг. : Сб. статей / Под ред. А. И. Андреева. СПб.: Нестор-История, 2013. 332 с. [Rossiyskie ekspeditsii v Tsentral’nuyu Aziyu: Organizatsiya, polevye issledovaniya, kollektsii. 1870–1920-e gg. [Russia’s expeditions to Central Asia: arrangements, field studies, collections. 1870–1920s]. Coll. papers. A. I. Andreyev (ed.). St. Petersburg: Nestor-Istoriya, 2013. 332 p. (In Rus.)]

13. Хождение в Тибет 1987 ― Хождение в Тибет калмыцкого бакши Пурдаш Джунгруева. Ч. 1. Путь в Тибет / Пер. А. Д. Руднева. Редакция перевода, предисловие и примечания А. Г. Сазыкина // Филологические исследования старописьменных памятников. Элиста, 1987. С. 126–144. [Khozhdenie v Tibet kalmytskogo bakshi Purdash Dzhungrueva. Ch. 1. Put’ v Tibet [A pilgrimage to Tibet by the Kalmyk Bagshi Purdash Dzhungruev. Part 1. The way to Tibet]. A. D. Rudnev (transl). A. G. Sazykin (ed., comment. etc.). Filologicheskie issledovaniya staropis’mennykh pamyatnikov. Elista, 1987. Pp. 126–144. (In Rus.)]

14. Хождение в Тибет 1988 ― Хождение в Тибет калмыцкого бакши Пурдаш Джунгруева. Ч. 2. У святынь Тибета / Перевод А. Д. Руднева. Редакция перевода, предисловие и примечания А. Г. Сазыкина // Проблемы монгольской филологии. Элиста, 1988. С. 135–153. [Khozhdenie v Tibet kalmytskogo bakshi Purdash Dzhungrueva. Ch. 2. U svyatyn’ Tibeta [A pilgrimage to Tibet by the Kalmyk Bagshi Purdash Dzhungruev. Part 2. Visiting the holy sites of Tibet]. A. D. Rudnev (transl). A. G. Sazykin (ed., comment. etc.). Problemy mongol’skoy filologii. Elista, 1988. Pp. 135–153. (In Rus.)]

15. Цыбиков 1991 ― Цыбиков Г. Ц. Избранные труды. В 2 тт. Том 1. Буддист-паломник у святынь Тибета. Новосибирск: Наука. Сибирское отделение, 1991. 266 с. [Tsybikov G. Ts. Izbrannye trudy [Selected works]. In 2 vol. Vol. 1. A Buddhist pilgrim at the holy sites of Tibet. Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1991. 266 p. (In Rus.)]

16. Цыбиков 1903 — Цыбиков Г. Ц. О Центральном Тибете [электронный ресурс] // Известия ИРГО. Т. XXXIX. СПб: Тип. Безобразова и комп, 1903. С. 187–218. URL: https://elib.rgo.ru/safe-view/123456789/73839/1/RuPRLIB12047052.pdf (дата обращения: 01.07.2018). [Tsybikov G. Ts. About Central Tibet. Izvestiya IRGO. Vol. XXXIX. St. Petersburg: Bezobrazov and Co, 1903. Pp. 187–218. An Internet resource: see hyperlink above (accessed: 01 July 2018). (In Rus.)]

17. Лхаса 1903 — Лхаса и главнейшие монастыри Тибета в фотографиях (9 фотографий) [электронный ресурс] // Известия ИРГО. Т. XXXIX. СПб: Тип. Безобразова и комп, 1903. С. 187–227. https://elib.rgo.ru/safe-view/123456789/73839/1/RuPRLIB12047052.pdf (дата обращения: 01.07.2018). [Lhasa and Tibet’s main monasteries (9 photographs). Izvestiya IRGO. Vol. XXXIX. St. Petersburg: Bezobrazov and Co, 1903. Pp. 187–227. An Internet resource: see hyperlink above (accessed: 01 July 2018). (In Rus.)]

18. Лхаса и главнейшие монастыри 1903 — Лхаса и главнейшие монастыри Тибета в фотографиях. СПб.: Тип. В. Безобразова и К°, 1903. 9 с., 9 л. ил.; 24 см. — Отт. из: Известия ИРГО. Т. XXXIX. Тип. В. Безобразова и К°, 1903. С.187–217. [Lkhasa i glavneyshie monastyri Tibeta v fotografiyakh [Lhasa and Tibet’s main monasteries: photographs]. St. Petersburg: Bezobrazov and Co, 1903. 9 p. 24 cm. — Reprint from: Izvestiya IRGO. Vol. XXXIX. St. Petersburg: Bezobrazov and C°, 1903. Pp. 187–217. (In Rus.)]

19. Andreyev 2013 ― Andreyev A. (ed.). Tibet in the earliest photographs by Russian travelers 1900–1901. New Delhi: Studio Orientalia, 2013. 203 p. (In Eng.)

20. dge ‘dun chos ‘phel, 2002 ― Chos ‘phel. gangs can bod kyi gnas bshad lam yig gsar ma. lha sa sa khul gyi gnas yig [Guidebook to pilgrimage sites in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). Lhasa region]. Vol. 2. Beijing: Nationalities Publ. House. 2002. (In Tib.)

21. Murakami 2013 ― Murakami, Daisuke. The Trapchi Lhamo Cult in Lhasa. Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines. 2013. October. No. 27. Pp. 21–54. (In Eng.)

22. Deniker 1901 ― Deniker Joseph. La première photographie de Lhassa (photographie d’Ovché Narzounof) [The first photograph of Lhasa]. La Geographie. Vol. IV (4). October, 1901. Pp. 242–247. (In French)

23. Deniker 1903 ― Deniker, Joseph. New Light on Lhasa, the Forbidden City, with photographs by Ushe Narzunof. The Century magazine (The Century Illustrated monthly magazine). New York. No. 66. August 1903. Pp. 544–554. (In Eng.)

24. Deniker 1904 ― Deniker, Joseph. Trois Voyages a Lhassa (1898–1901) par Ovché Narzounov, pélerin kalmouk. Présentés par M. J. Deniker [Three voyages to Lhasa (1898–1901) by Ovshe Norzunov]. Le Tour du Monde. Journal des voyages et voyagers. Paris: Library Hachette et C*, 1904. Nouvelle Serie. Vol. X. No. 19, 20: 7–14 May 1904. Pp. 217–240. (In French)

25. Karsten 1997 ― Karsten Joachim G. On Some ‘Chinese’ and Chinese-Named Tibetan Sites in Lhasa (17th–20th Centuries) [электронный ресурс] // First draft for the conference on the ‘Lasa Valley’ held in 1997, in Paris. URL: https://www.academia.edu/9130327/Chinese_and_Chinese-Named_Sites_in_Lhasa (дата обращения: 01.07.2018). [As aforesaid. An Internet resource: see hyperlink above (accessed: 01 July 2018). (In Eng.)]

26. Larsen 2001 ― Larsen Knud, Sinding-Larsen Amund. The Lhasa Atlas: Traditional Tibetan Architecture and Townscape. London: Serinda Publications, 2001. 180 p.: ill.,plans, maps. (In Eng.)

27. Snelling 1993 ― Snelling, John. Buddhism in Russia: the story of Agvan Dorzhiev, Lhasa’s emissary to the Tzar. Shaftesbury, Dorset: Rockport, Mass.: Element Books, 1993. 352 p. (In Eng.)

28. Webb 1987 ― Webb, James. The harmonious circle. The Lives and Work of G. I. Gurdjieff, P. D. Ouspensky, and Their Followers. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1987.611 p. (In Eng.)