The report examines the characteristics of diaries Russian traveler P. Kozlov as a major source for the history of exploration of Central Asia in the early 20th century. The diaries of Kozlov’s Mongolian-Sichuan expedition spanning the period between November 1907 and 20 August 1909 are unique records, which allow us to look into the everyday activities of Kozlov and his party; they shed light on the peculiar character of his field work, his contacts with the Academy of Sciences, the Russian Geographical Society and other Russian and foreign scientific societies; help understand his motivations as an explorer. Kozlov’s travel records cite some little known facts, sketch the expedition day-to-day life, describe the relations between the travelers and the local (Chinese) authorities and allow us to trace in detail one of the most remarkable archeological discoveries of the early XXth century, that of the ‘dead city’ of Khara-Khoto in the Gobi sands. The archeological finds from Khara-Khoto allowed to reconstruct the history of the forgotten Tangut’s state Xi-xia, which had existed for about 250 years (892–1227) on the territory of the present-day Northen China.

The diaries of the Mongolian-Szechuan expedition reveal some new and valuables facts related to the history of Russia’s relationship with the polities of Central Asia, such as Tsing’s China and her outer territories – Mongolia and Tibet, that can help in solving scientific and historiographic issues. Written vividly in Kozlov’s peculiar style, the diaries will be of interest to students of Central Asia and the broad reading public.

(The research was supported by RGNF, N 12-33-01065)