Bolghar
Bolghar was the capital of
Volga Bulgaria, a predecessor state of the Khanate of Kazan, which in turn has cultural links to today's Russian republic of
Tatarstan. Today, the capital of Tatarstan is
Kazan, but many Tatars consider Bolghar to be their ancient and religious capital and to contain a glimpse of Tatar life before the
Mongol invasion of the 13th century.
The city was capital of Volga Bulgaria as early as the 8th century. Later, after Russian pressure the capital was moved to Bilar. After the destruction of Bilar during the Mongol invasion, it became capital of the Bulgar Duchy of
Volga Bulgaria under Mongol rule.
Encyclopedia
Bolghar was the capital of
Volga Bulgaria, a predecessor state of the Khanate of Kazan, which in turn has cultural links to today's Russian republic of
Tatarstan. Today, the capital of Tatarstan is
Kazan, but many Tatars consider Bolghar to be their ancient and religious capital and to contain a glimpse of Tatar life before the
Mongol invasion of the 13th century.
The city was capital of Volga Bulgaria as early as the 8th century. Later, after Russian pressure the capital was moved to Bilar. After the destruction of Bilar during the Mongol invasion, it became capital of the Bulgar Duchy of
Volga Bulgaria under Mongol rule. In the 14th and 15th centuries it was endangered by
Timur and Russian forces and finally was destroyed in the 15th century by Vassili of Moscow. As a religious center it was preserved until the 15th century when the
Khanate of Kazan was conquered by the Russian czar
Ivan IV and incorporated into the Russian state.
During the Tsarist rule this city's environs was settled by Russian commoners and it was finally ruined.
Peter the Great proclaimed a special Ukase to preserve this ruins and it became one of the first laws to preserve a historical city in Russia.
Bolghar was the center of a local Islamic movement known as
The Little Hajj that was popular during the Soviet period.
Muslims from Tatarstan and other parts of the
Soviet Union could not participate in the hajj to
Mecca, and instead travelled to Bolghar.
A nearby small modern town of 8,655 , known as
Kuibyshev until 1991, is now officially renamed to Bolgar. It is located at .
See also
