Yakutsk's Cabinet of Rarities Unveils Centuries of Hidden Treasures

Yakutsk Museum Offers Curator-Led Tours of "Cabinet of Rarities" Exhibition

A tyuktyuyé—an 18th-century Udagan burial vessel believed to hold a person's soul—and the belt of Sofron Syrinov, great-grandson of Mazara Bozekov, the first governor of the Yakut region. A diamond-studded choron (traditional Yakut drinking vessel) gifted to Brezhnev and a 17th-century church banner from Zashiversk, a town wiped off the map over 150 years ago. A one-of-a-kind Chinese souvenir: an ivory grain of rice, its microscopic surface etched with a poem by Chairman Mao Zedong. And European decorative arts from the 18th to 20th centuries, once part of the collection of Feodora Rakoshi, a woman from Olyokminsk who became the wife of Hungary's prime minister.

All these treasures are on display in the "Cabinet of Curiosities" exhibition at Yakutsk's Yaroslavsky Museum, dedicated to the memory of Yegor Spiridonovich Shishigin—a renowned historian, local lore expert, museum organizer, and public figure. Visitors can explore the stories behind these artifacts on special curator-led tours, with the next session scheduled for December 17 at 1:15 PM and 5:00 PM.