Gombojab Tsybikov
Russian explorer of Tibet (1873-1930)
Gombojab Tsybikov (Russian: Гомбожаб Цэбекович Цыбиков Gombozhab Tsebekovich Tsybikov; Buryat: Цэбэгэй Гомбожаб, Mongolian: Цэвэгийн Гомбожав, alternatively romanized as Gombozhab and Tsybikoff; 20 April 1873 – 20 September 1930) was a Russian explorer of Tibet from 1899 to 1902. Tsybikov specialized in ethnography, Buddhist Studies, and after 1917 was an important educator and statesman in Siberia and Mongolia.
Tsybikov is mostly credited for being the first photographer of Tibet, including Lhasa. His travelogue, issued in Russian in 1919, 1981, and 1991, and translated into several languages (Chinese, Czech, English, French, and Polish), included a lot of materials from Tibetan sources on Tibetan history and first-hand accounts on Tibetan affairs of the time, making it an important reference source.
Biography
Early years
Gombojab Tsybikov, also during early life surnamed Montuev (Монтуев), was born to a Tibetan Buddhist family of Transbaikalian (Aga region) Buryats. Upon the traditional divisions, his family belonged to a Khori Buryat tribe of Kubdut, clan of Nokhoi Kubdut. His father Tsebek Montuyev studied Mongolian and Tibetan written languages and was locally elected to represent his kinsmen. Originally his idea was to send Gombojab to a Buddhist monastery to study, but later he sent his son to Aga (Orthodox Christian) parish school to study Russian, and later to Chita Gymnasium which Gombojab finished with honors. This earned him a Korf scholarship so that he could pursue a university degree. At that time he set his mind on becoming a medical doctor.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1255243. VIAF identifies the subject as 229031335. The Library of Congress control number is n82126737. 6 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1873, 1930, 1899 and 1902.
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