CSP 8: The Muslims Of Russia

Professor Walter Comins-Richmond

Presentations

The historical fate of Tatar People, its culture, arising and development of Kazan - the capital of Tatarstan - are intertwining with the history of Volga Bulgaria, Golden Horde, Kazan Khanate, Russian State.

Volga Bulgaria

Black Chamber Mosque
"Black Chamber" Mosque in Bolgar
(XIV century) Volga Bulgaria - the feudal state formed on the verge of IX-X centuries in Middle Volga region. The main population was bulgars - immigrants from Azov region, who conquered the native Finno-Ugrians and Turkish-speaking tribes. The largest towns Bolgar and Buljar in area and population surpassed London, Paris, Kiev, Novgorod and Vladimir of that time.

Volga Bulgaria exported to Middle Asia, China, Vizantium, Russia the fur, timber, leather footwear, arms and other handmade goods. The capital of Volga Bulgaria town Bolgar in X-XIV centuries was built of stone and brick. Already the public water supply was here. Nowadays remained the ruins of "The Black Chamber" Mosque, Minor Minaret, Khan's Tomb, Northern Mausoleum, Cathedral Mosque.
Khan's Tomb (Eastern Mausoleum)

Smaller Minaret Bulgars were the pagans. In 922 the Embassy from Baghdad came to Bulgaria and the congress of Bulgarian tribes adopted Islam as the state religion. The ancient Turkish written language was substituted by the Arabic one. (In 1928 the Arabic alphabet was substituted by the Latin one; in 1938 the contemporary Tatar alphabet on the basis of Cyrillic alphabet was adopted).
In the beginning of the X century there were schools in Bulgarian villages.

Bulgars had their own scientists and poets. Jakub ibn-Nogman who wrote "The History of Bulgaria" lived in the first half of XII century. The scholar Burchan ibn-Bulgari wrote the book on rhetoric and medicine. The poem by Kul-Gali "Tale about Yusuf" (XIII century) was well known far from Bulgaria and greatly influenced the development of Bulgarian and Tatar literature. Shamahil wall panel
"Shamahil" wall panel
with the text from the Holy Koran

Velvet kalfak
Velvet "kalfak" headdress
worked with gold embroidery The characteristic elements of Bulgaria culture were the jewellery of gold, silver, bronze, copper; pottery with engraved ornament; metal open-work decorations; bronze locks in the form of animals; leather goods; clothes decorated with beads and silver.

Kazan Khanate

Woman's traditional dress In the XIII century Volga Bulgaria suffered from the mongol Batu-Khan aggression. In 1236 Bulgaria was conquered and annexed to Golden Horde. Golden Horde was the largest medieval state of Eurasia, the heart of rich civilization, represented by classic symbiosis of prior nomadic and new city cultures. The true masterpieces of medieval Tatar literature were created here.

After the final downfall of Golden Horde in the third-fourth decades of the XV century in its vast area were formed separate Tatar states. They include Kazan Khanate (1445) situated in the northern boundaries of Volga Bulgaria from the river Sura in the west to the river Belaya in the east. Kazan became the capital of Kazan Khanate. The XV century and the first half of the XVI century was the period of prosperity of Kazan Khanate and its capital. The Cap of Kazan
"Cap of Kazan" (Khan's Crown)
(XV-XVI century)

Interior of the main prayer hall
of Azimov Mosque The main population of Kazan Khanate consisted of descendants of bulgars and new-comers kipchako-tatars. Their culture, religion and written language were adopted from Volga Bulgaria and Golden Horde. In the period of Kazan Khanate and other Khanates (Crimean, Kasimov's, Siberian and Astrakhan) the formation of the Tatar Nationality was finished.

As a result of armed conflicts, fires and rebuilding, among architectural constructions of Kazan Khanate Epoch only Suyumbika Tower (Khan's Mosque) and Nuraliev Mosque reserved on Kremlin territory.
According some of Tatar legends, Suyumbika Tower was erected at the tomb of Kazan Khan Safa-Girey by his wife - Queen Suyumbika. Today it is one of the "falling" towers (deviation from axis is 194 cm).
Suyumbika Tower

Annexation of Kazan Khanate to Russian State

St. John the Baptist's Cloister
in Sviyazhsk Sviyazhsk is an ancient fortress, built in 1551 by famous Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible for the siege of Kazan.
Building of Sviyazhsk is an outstanding event in the history of Russian town-planning. Cut in the forests of central Russia before one-thousands kms from this place, it was pulled down and delivered on rafts by Volga to the mouth of Sviyaga-river (25 kms far from Kazan) and assembled here in 4 weeks, only. Sviyazhsk-fortress became the first-class fortification construction of its time.
Beginning from the second half of the XVI century and till the end of the XVII century Sviyazhsk was the administrative, trade and Christian center of Russians to the East of the State.

In 1552 Tsar Ivan IV (the Terrible) conquered Kazan and annexed Kazan Khanate to Russian State. Tatar population was ousted to the suburbs. The violent christianization began.
(Presently along with Islam and Orthodoxy Christianity there are some other religious communities in Tatarstan: Catholic Church, Old-believers, Protestants, Adventists of the 7th day, Evangelic and Lutheran, Judaic, Krishna propagation Center, etc).
Close to the end of the XVI century Tatar Settlement became the place where Tatar people lived.
Burnaev Mosque's Minaret
(1895)

Kazan Kremlin In 1556 under guidance of Russian church and city master Postnik Yakovlev the white stone parts of new Kazan Kremlin were built with Spasskaya Tower, Taynitskaya (Secret) Tower and Annunciation Cathedral. The remaining wooden walls were substituted by the brick one in the XVII century.

After annexation of Kazan Khanate the construction of Christian cathedrals began in Kazan. In 1556-1562 the Annunciation Cathedral was built in place of Kremlin Cathedral Mosque.
Taynitskaya (Secret) Tower expresses the ancient spirit most of all. It was called so because of the underground secret passage to the drinking water fountain was here. During the siege of Kazan by the army of Tsar Ivan IV this tower was blown (but restored later). Annunciation Cathedral

Amulet holder
(XVIII-XIX century) In 1593 the Ukase (Decree) of Tsar Theodor Ioannovitch to destroy all mosques at the Kazan territory was edited. Tatar Nation lost the possibility to develop Great Arts and expressed their creative imagination in a jewelry, architectural and artistic forging of metal, creation of decorations and utensils.

In 1708 the multinational Kazan Government was formed with center in town Kazan according to Ukase of Peter I. In the first quarter of XVIII century an industry active developed here. In 1714 the cloth manufacture was built. In 1718 the Admiralty was formed. The sea and river ships were built in dockyards. The engineer school (college) functioned at Admiralty. Alexandrovsky Passage
"Alexandrovsky" Passage
(built in 1880-83)

Peter and Paul Cathedral In 1726 the Peter and Paul яathedral was built by Moscow and Florentine craftsmen (owing to financial support of the merchant Michlyaev) in order to commemorate the stay of Peter I in Kazan. It is a specimen of Russian Baroque style in the XVIII century.

Katherine II abolished the prohibition to build mosques, and the first stone Mosque arose in Kazan in 1766-70; it was named after Mardzhani - the outstanding scientist-orientalist, philosopher and educator. Mardzhani Mosque

This material has been borrowed from Kazan State University