Kadarchy monument, Shepherd monument in Kyzyl, Russia

The Kadarchy monument is located near the airport and features a shepherd figure in traditional Tuvan dress surrounded by white-painted stones. These stones symbolize the herds that were and remain vital to the region.

The sources do not record a construction date or any renaming of Kyzyl; the monument stands on a small conical hill 9 km along the Kyzyl–Erzin road, facing Kyzyl airport. After it was put up, people judged the shepherd incomplete without animals, so more than a hundred stones were laid around it and painted white to stand for a flock of sheep. It is counted among Tuva's best-known sights.

The shepherd wears the ton, a warm Tuvan robe, and a pointed hat, with a knife and a flint-and-steel fire striker hanging from his belt. His outstretched arms rest on a staff and his gaze is fixed on the distance. Across the road from the hill lies Tos-Bulak, a spring the Tuvans call an arzhaan, held to be healing.

The monument is accessible and easy to reach when arriving from the airport or exploring the area. Best visits occur during daylight when the sculpture details and surroundings are clearly visible.

The stones were added after the shepherd was installed: people judged it wrong for him to stand without a flock, so over a hundred stones were laid around the hill and painted white to stand for sheep. The shepherd himself wears a ton, the padded Tuvan coat, with a knife and flint at his belt.