Abakan

Abakan (Russian: Абака́н; Khakas: Ағбан, Ağban, or Абахан, Abaxan) is the capital city of Khakassia, Russia, located in the central part of the Minusinsk Depression, at the confluence of the Yenisei and Abakan Rivers. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 165,214[6]—a slight increase over 165,197 recorded during the 2002 Census[14] and a further increase from 154,092 recorded during the 1989 Census.[15] Abakansky ostrog (Абаканский острог), also known as Abakansk (Абаканск), was built at the mouth of the Abakan River in 1675.[2] In the 1780s, the selo of Ust-Abakanskoye (Усть-Абаканское) was established in this area.[2] It was granted town status and given its current name on 30 April 1931.[3] In 1940, Russian construction workers found ancient ruins during the construction of a highway between Abakan and Askiz. When the site was excavated by Soviet archaeologists in 1941–1945, they realized that they had discovered a building absolutely unique for the area: a large (1500 square meters) Chinese-style, likely Han dynasty era (206 BC–220 AD) palace. The identity of the high-ranking personage who lived luxuriously in Chinese style, far outside the Han Empire's borders, has remained a matter for discussion ever since. Russian archaeologist Lidiya Yevtyukhova [ru] surmised, based on circumstantial evidence, that the palace may have been the residence of Li Ling, a Chinese general who had been defeated by the Xiongnu in 99 BCE, and defected to them as a result.[16] While this opinion has remained popular, other views have been expressed as well. More recently, for example, it was claimed by Aleksey Kovalyov [ru] as the residence of Lu Fang (盧芳), a Han throne pretender from the Guangwu era.[17]