The local population began to look for a new place to build housing for themselves. This is how the Novo-Tatar settlement appeared. Unlike the Staro-Tatarskaya Sloboda, which was inhabited mainly by wealthy segments of the population, such as merchants and merchants, cultural figures and intellectuals, mainly people of working professions settled in the new place. This also left an imprint on the appearance of new buildings - artisans most often built the simplest wooden houses and small wooden mosques. Having mastered the new territory, local residents decided that it was time to start building a solid stone mosque. The first such building was the Iske-Tash Mosque, also known as the Ninth Cathedral Mosque or the Old Stone Mosque.
Story
In 1749, a big fire occurred in the city of Kazan, after which many wooden buildings of that time burned out, including many houses and mosques of the Old Tatar Settlement. At this time, Orthodox Bishop Luka Konashevich decided to begin construction of a religious educational institution for non-Muslim Tatars. Religious Muslims were unhappy with this situation, so they asked the authorities of the city of Kazan to allocate them a new place of residence, far from the Orthodox community. This is how the Novo-Tatar settlement appeared.
In 1802, the first stone of the Iske-Tash mosque, whose name translates as “old stone,” was laid. There is a legend that in the place where the mosque now stands there are mass graves of soldiers who defended Kazan in 1552. To prevent the burial site from being lost, it was marked with a large stone. This is where the name of this mosque came from, which surprisingly never changed throughout its existence. Subsequently, this historical stone, preserving the memory, was for a long time in front of the entrance to the mosque, and for some time even inside the mosque.
The construction was sponsored by the family of the merchant Utyamyshev, and the name of the author of the Iske-Tash mosque project has not reached our time. The famous theologian Gabdelnasir Kursavi supervised the construction so that, according to all Muslim canons, the mosque was directed towards Mecca. In the 1830s, the mosque was completed and expanded, with the active assistance of the architect Schmidt. At that time, the new Iske-Tash mosque became the central place of attraction for all Muslim believers in the New Tatar settlement. Almost all the time, the Amirkhanov family served as imams of the Iske-Tash mosque, among whom was also the famous writer Fatih Amirkhan in Tatarstan. The imams themselves and their families lived in a large house specially built not far from the mosque.
Of course, during the Soviet Union, the Iske-Tash mosque was closed and gradually destroyed. The Communist Party, by decree, established a school in this building. In 1994, the mosque was recognized as a historical monument of Tatar architecture and returned to the hands of Muslim believers. Since then and up to our time, the Iske-Tash mosque has been used for its direct historical religious purpose.
Architecture
The Iske-Tash Mosque was designed in the style of strict classicism, like many religious buildings of that time. It consists of two floors and two prayer halls - men's and women's. The mosque itself is rectangular in shape, its external walls are made of brick, plastered and painted white. The interior and exterior of the mosque are restrained and close to minimalism; there is practically no decoration or decoration on it. The Iske-Tash Mosque looks like an ordinary residential building, from which it is distinguished only by the minaret rising on the roof, consisting of three tiers.
You can enter the Iske-Tash mosque from the northern part of the building. Immediately at the entrance, on the right side, there is a staircase to the second floor of the mosque, consisting of three flights. The prayer halls are located on the second floor of the mosque, and on the first floor there are technical and service rooms and warehouses. A solid wall was built in the middle of the mosque, occupying most of the volume of the building’s interior, which is also the foundation of the minaret. A small staircase leading to the minaret is built inside the wall. The appearance of the minaret of the Iske-Tash mosque resembles the ancient minarets of the mosques of the ancient cities of Volga Bulgaria. The interior halls of the mosque are illuminated by paired rectangular windows.
How to get to the Iske-Tash Mosque
The mosque is located on the territory of the Novo-Tatarskaya Sloboda on Mazita Gafuri Street inside the blocks of this street and Mekhovshchikov Street. The closest public transport stop to the Iske-Tash Mosque is the Aquapark bus stop. You can get there by bus number 31. Tourists can use taxi services: Yandex. Taxi, Uber, Gett, Maxim and others.
Iske-Tash Mosque on Google panoramas
Video of Iske-Tash Mosque
Kazan is rightfully considered the cultural center of Islam in the Russian Federation. There are about 20 large mosques. It is not for nothing that the main architectural complex of the city, the Kazan Kremlin, was included in the list of sites under the auspices of UNESCO. In addition, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan recently celebrated its millennium.
Mosques of Kazan
Almost all Muslim prayer capitals were built before 1917. Many of them were subsequently closed or reconstructed.
Today, the main mosque in Kazan is located in the capital's Kremlin. It was erected in honor of the famous imam-sayid named Kul Sharif. The Kremlin mosque amazes with its scale and color. Also famous throughout the Islamic world are the prayer buildings of Marjani, Yardem, Nurulla, Iske-Tash and many others.
In total, there are more than two dozen mosques in the city: Apanaevskaya, Golubaya, Burnaevskaya, Galeevskaya, Azimovskaya, Sultanovskaya, Kazakovskaya, Belaya, etc. The oldest of them is the Second Cathedral. This is the second name. It was erected back in 1771. For a long time, since the 1930s, the mosque was used for social purposes, as a kindergarten. However, after a major restoration in 2011, the Second Cathedral reopened to parishioners. In addition, the Zakabannaya and Powder Mosques of Kazan are popular among Muslims.
The addresses of all city prayer services show that they are located along the perimeter of the entire capital. This was done for the convenience of parishioners from different parts of Kazan and all of Tatarstan.
Kul Sharif Mosque
This main architectural heritage of the city is located within the famous Kazan Kremlin. The first stone for the foundation of the modern temple was laid in 1996. The grand opening was timed to coincide with the 1000th anniversary of the capital.
The height of the temple reaches 58 meters. The architectural complex includes 4 grandiose minarets. The dome is decorated with a “Kazan hat”, which in ancient times represented the crown of the khans. The exterior is completely made in accordance with local traditions and culture. This is noticeable in the decor of the minarets, the main gates, ceremonial arches, and powerful columns.
Inside, the main mosque in Kazan is decorated with huge crystal chandeliers, unique stained glass windows, gilding and mosaics. The floor and counters are made of pure marble and granite brought from the Urals. One of the features of the temple are two massive viewing balconies, where excursions are often held.
In addition to the mosque itself, the complex includes the Museum of Islamic History and the imam's office. At night, the temple is illuminated with thousands of colorful lights. Today, many famous mosques in the world cannot compare with Kul Sharif in terms of scale, richness and grace. The temple is rightfully considered one of the primary Muslim prayer houses in Europe.
Al-Marjani Mosque
This architectural structure is located in the Old Tatar Settlement of the capital, near Lake Nizhny Kaban (address - K. Nasyri St., 17). (Kazan) is a historically significant temple of the entire Islamic people. The first version of the building was erected at the end of the 18th century by order of Catherine II. The construction cost the treasury 5,000 rubles, which was unthinkable money at that time.
In its modern form, the mosque is made in the best traditions of medieval Tatar architecture. During the reconstruction, much attention was paid to such a style as Baroque. Despite the fact that the building is only two floors, the minaret rises up three tiers. The temple received its name in honor of Imam Marjani, who served there for 39 years until 1889.
The inside and outside of the mosque is decorated with gold finials and crescents. All walls and vaults of the interior are decorated with light ornaments and stucco.
Yardem Mosque
This prayer complex is notable for the fact that on its territory there is a Rehabilitation Center for blind people. The honorary imam of the temple is Ildar Bayazitov. He also concurrently holds the post of Deputy Mufti of Tatarstan.
The Yardem Mosque (Kazan) is currently the only Islamic organization in Russia that has received a national award for volunteerism. Today the temple is considered the main patron of people with disabilities from all over the city and even the Republic.
The building itself is designed in a restrained style. The exterior is unremarkable. The inside of the temple is decorated in warm colors. The interior is noticeably different from the usual Islamic prayer services in its minimalism. The mosque is located on Serova Street, 4a.
Nurullah Mosque
This religious building is a building of two floors. The approximate date of construction is the late 1840s. The Nurull mosque in Kazan has a spacious hall with a deep, colorful dome. The minaret consists of three tiers and is located above the southern entrance.
The exterior of the temple is decorated with ornaments typical of the medieval Middle East. Until 1908, the imam-khatib of the mosque was the famous public figure Gabdulla Apanaev, who was also the owner of the Azat publishing house. After his departure, the temple was closed and partially destroyed by order of the Tatarstan authorities. It was only in 1992 that the Nurullah mosque was restored to its former grandeur and significance. Towards the end of the 1990s, the temple was completely reconstructed.
Iske-Tash Mosque
One of the few active historical Novo-Tatar settlements was built back in 1802.
According to legend, the Old Stone Mosque in Kazan existed in the mid-16th century. Then in its place there was a huge one for the soldiers defending the city from the army of Ivan the Terrible. As a result, the old stone, which played the role of a monument, became the first brick in the foundation of a modern mosque.
The three-level minaret is made in the style of classicism with characteristic severity and monochrome. The temple itself consists of two halls.
The Iske-Tash Mosque is located in the Novo-Tatar settlement of Kazan. Sometimes it is called the Ninth Cathedral Mosque or the Old Stone Mosque. It is located in an intra-block development between Mekhovshchikov and Gafuri streets, the official address is Gafuri Street, 34-a.
History of the Novo-Tatar settlement
The Novo-Tatar settlement appeared on the map of Kazan after the great fire of 1749. Many areas of the city suffered then, including the Staro-Tatarskaya Sloboda. Bishop Luka Konashevich decided to take advantage of this. He began to build a seminary for baptized Tatars on the ashes. The seminary was closely adjacent to the areas of the Muslim Tatars, who really did not like it. The Muslims petitioned the city authorities to be moved away from the seminary. The request was granted. The territory of the Novo-Tatar settlement was allocated for Muslims. The entire Russian village “Popovka” was evicted from this territory so that Muslims would not coexist with Christians. And Empress Elizabeth removed Luka Konashevich from Kazan by special decree so that he would not sow enmity between Muslims and Christians.
Mostly simple people moved to the new settlement: workers, artisans. They built themselves small wooden houses and mosques. The intelligentsia, merchants, and industrialists chose to stay in the Staro-Tatar settlement.
As an architectural monument, the New Tatar settlement is inferior in importance to the Old Tatar settlement. But still there are significant buildings in it: two stone mosques, one of which is Isk-tash.
Iske-tash - old stone
Urban legend says that the mosque was built on the mass grave of soldiers who defended Kazan from the troops of Ivan the Terrible in 1552. Previously, there was a stone at this place (Tat. “zur iske tash” - “big old stone”), hence the name of the mosque. The mosque was built in 1882 by the merchant Utyamyshev. Architect unknown. The mosque was built in the style of classicism.
The direction to Mecca was calculated by the famous Muslim theologian-reformer Kursavi. In the 1830s, the mosque was rebuilt and expanded. The mosque is two-story, two-hall, with a minaret on the roof. The minaret rests on a thick transverse wall.
The mosque was the social center of the Novo-Tatar settlement. It is interesting that the imams in it were representatives of the Amirkhanov family, from which came the famous Tatar writer Fatykh Amirkhan.
During Soviet times, the mosque was closed and housed a school. When a new, more spacious school building was built next to the mosque, the mosque began to be used as a school warehouse. In 1994, the mosque was returned to believers.
Iske-Tash is no different in its elegance and colorfulness - a rectangular mosque with a minaret on the roof, a white facade, and the only decorative elements are concave platbands. If it were not for the rounded three-tiered minaret with a massive base, one could mistake the building for an ordinary residential building.
At the end of June, the VI International Forum “Pax Tatarica: the genesis and legacy of the statehood of the Golden Horde” was held in Kazan, dedicated to the 750th anniversary of this medieval state. Perhaps its main result was the creation of the International Association of Researchers of the Golden Horde, which, most likely, will be based in the capital of Tatarstan. Realnoe Vremya talked about the newly created organization with the head of the Center for Research of the Golden Horde and Tatar Khanates. M.A. Usmanov Institute of History. Sh. Marjani Ilnur Mirgaleev. In his interview, the historian also spoke about the peoples-successors of the Ulus of Jochi, the correctness of the term “Mongol-Tatars” and who will become an example for Horde scholars.
Horde scholars of all countries, unite!
— Ilnur Midkhatovich, last week the Golden Horde forum took place in Kazan. What conclusions did its participants come to?
— This forum is held every two years and is a great event for Horde and Tatar studies. It brings together prominent scientists from all over the world - more than 100 participants from 10-15 countries. New topics are discussed and joint projects are proposed. For example, the ideas for the collection “The Golden Horde in World History” and the magazine “Golden Horde Review” were born on this site. This year the forum was special: it coincided with the 750th anniversary of the Talas Kurultai, at which the descendants of Genghis Khan gathered and legally recognized the independence of each other’s territories. This anniversary attracted the attention of the general public, and the scientific world monitors these events.
Our Institute of History named after. Sh. Marjani proposed to write a book on the history of other Chingizid polities. First of all, we want to tackle the Chagatai ulus, because it has something to do with us. Connections between the Tatars and Central Asia can be traced back to ancient times. Our cooperation with Uzbekistan is actively developing, we are looking for new sources in their archives. However, unfortunately, there are not many specialists in the Chagatai ulus. But we have agreed with some colleagues and are waiting for proposals for our topics.
After this we want to take on the Hulaguids (Ilkhans, Iran). This direction is also interesting: for many years the Golden Horde khans fought with them, made peace, collaborated - in a word, actively interacted. As you know, Tatars live in Iran and eastern Turkey - these are the remnants of the Tatar-Mongols of the Hulaguid times. Now they use Turkmen and Turkish. There are also people who speak Persian, but remember that they are Tatars - we are also interested in them. They came to Kazan for the Tatar Congress. Such groups of Tatars also live in Afghanistan. There are enough specialists on the history of the Hulaguids; they are also in Israel, Iran, and the Arab world.
Photo by Timur Rakhmatullin
It is necessary to raise the status of what we do: forums, magazine... Our platform has grown in status. There is an urgent need to create an International Association of Golden Horde Researchers
Vadim Trepavlov (pictured)
Next, if we have enough strength, we will take on the Yuan Empire. But this has its own difficulties: for example, Chinese researchers do not write entirely according to European traditions. So for now we will work on the Chagatai ulus - those with whom we discussed these issues at the forum agreed with this. In the fall, we will discuss the details and decide on the team of authors for this monograph.
The second proposal on behalf of Moscow colleagues was made by Vadim Trepavlov. He said that it is necessary to raise the status of what we do: forums, magazine. According to him, our site has grown in status. There is an urgent need to create an International Association of Researchers of the Golden Horde. We discussed this issue with the leadership of the Institute of History. Sh. Marjani and received support, discussed it with a group of Moscow colleagues from the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Now there is active correspondence, we are discussing details and sharing our visions of how to organize such an association. So far we have agreed that it will be based in Kazan - at our institute. Our magazine “Golden Horde Review” will become a printed organ.
We are open to all suggestions. Perhaps other scientific institutions see this differently. Everything is discussed. The main thing is that the forum supported this idea - the creation of the International Association of Golden Horde Researchers.
— So Kazan can become a world center for Golden Horde research?
— If we look at the history of the Golden Horde, we will see that this is not only the history of the Tatars, not only the history of Russia, it is the history of Eurasia. The Genghisid states covered a vast territory and influenced many nations for hundreds of years. And there is great interest in the topic: in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey, Iran, European countries, America. Very powerful research schools, in addition to Kazan, exist in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, and Siberia. A large circle of researchers is concentrated in Hungary, led by Maria Ivanich and Istvan Vasari. This school is also developing in Romania; by the way, there is a Tatar diaspora there. There are also major specialists in other European countries: Roman Hautala, Alexander Uzelac, Marie Favero, Peter Jackson, etc. Today the world works in other positions: coordination of such key topics takes place on international platforms. And colleagues believe that the status of what we are doing should be determined by an international association.
Photo by Maxim Platonov
If we look at the history of the Golden Horde, we will see that this is not only the history of the Tatars, not only the history of Russia, it is the history of Eurasia. The Genghisid states covered a vast territory and influenced many peoples for hundreds of years
Ilnur Mirgaleev
— Were there opponents to this idea of creating a center in Kazan?
“At least no one opposed it.” Many colleagues then came up to me and expressed support for the idea. I, in turn, asked them to send their proposals. Together with the author of the idea, Vadim Trepavlov, we went to the management of the institute, they also supported this proposal. Vadim Vintserovich said that we have everything for this. Perhaps there will be new directions and areas of research. For now, we gather for the forum once every two years. We will discuss the frequency of forums with colleagues, primarily with our “elders”: Trepavlov, Kramarovsky and others.
— Are the Tatarstan leadership aware of this idea?
— Not yet about the association. Haven't reported yet. Probably, Rafael Sibgatovich (Khakimov, director of the Sh. Mardzhani Institute of History - editor's note) will discuss this issue with the leadership of the republic in the near future.
Orientation towards Byzantinists
— Are there any examples that you could use as a guide when creating an association?
— Such associations are created when the topic is relevant, broad, interdisciplinary, and of interest not to just one state or people, but to a fairly wide range of specialists from different countries. Here we look primarily at the Byzantinists.
The association of Byzantinists, as far as I remember, is already about 200 years old. They hold their conferences every 5 years. In terms of structure, they have national committees (Russian committee, Czech committee, etc.). Perhaps we will act in a similar way. But for now we are discussing everything. Of course, we want to choose the best option so that everything does not go to the detriment of our activities, so that there is no unnecessary bureaucracy. We don't need any membership fees either. I want something democratic and with a high status, so that the association brings only benefits to the topic.
— To obtain a high status, you need an institution higher than the regional level. Maybe you can create it under the auspices of the Russian Academy of Sciences?
— The association precisely assumes this level. But we want it without an “aegis.” It is the international association, which is based here, perhaps in other institutions - no problem. There will still be a lot of work.
Now Russian Byzantinists are supervised by Moscow State University, Sergei Pavlovich Karpov. I hope he will also join our association, because he is one of the best specialists in Latin sources, including those related to the Golden Horde, he has also published with us, and I have an excellent relationship with him. And, of course, we will invite other leading world-famous specialists, including foreign ones.
hist.msu.ru
Now Russian Byzantinists are supervised by Moscow State University, Sergei Pavlovich Karpov (pictured). I hope he will also join our association, because he is one of the best specialists in Latin sources, including those related to the Golden Horde
Ilnur Mirgaleev
— Is it too early to talk about the financial side?
- Yes, it’s too early. Our center is the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan. What we are already doing has practically reached the world level - I mean our publications, our magazine and the Golden Horde forum. We have publishing and scientific platforms that operate successfully. We will also apply for international grants. Of course, I would like, for example, the International Golden Horde Forum to have its own fixed, permanent funding.
— Will the association be formalized somehow legally?
— At the general meeting of the VI Golden Horde Forum, we decide that, at the suggestion of our colleagues, such an association is created. Now we will work out how it will function. Of course, this will be a non-profit organization. We will try our best to avoid any bureaucracy and other difficulties. We will study the experience of other associations. Colleagues who proposed creating such an association see that the headquarters of this scientific union should be here in Kazan. First of all, we are waiting for proposals from specialists in our field, then, I hope, there will be negotiations with the leadership of the republic, and some common denominator will be found. I think both Vadim Trepavlov and the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences will make their contribution here.
The heirs of Ulus Jochi and “the authorities are hiding”
— Are Golden Horde forums still taking place somewhere?
— This is a purely Kazan invention. There are broader forums where the topic of the Golden Horde is also discussed, or special round tables are held. Conferences were held in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Kazakhstan. But such large-scale events dedicated specifically to the Golden Horde take place only in Kazan. At one time, conferences dedicated to the Golden Horde were held by Ravil Fakhrutdinov and Mirkasym Usmanov. Now we, the “youth”, have been holding the forum since 2009 and on an ongoing basis. There are quite a lot of researchers, each working in their own direction: numismatists, source scientists and others. They are more interested in discussing narrow aspects among themselves.
— Yulai Shamiloglu, who works at Nazarbayev University, said that similar conferences are held in Kazakhstan, and on a no less large scale.
— He probably meant Turkological conferences - this topic is much broader. Nazarbayev University wants to study this topic extensively. For this purpose, it recruits graduate students in many areas of Turkic studies. I hope everything works out for them.
Photo by Roman Khasaev
Probably, Shamiloglu (pictured) had in mind Turkic conferences - this topic is much broader. Nazarbayev University wants to study this topic extensively. For this purpose, it recruits graduate students in many areas of Turkic studies. I hope everything works out for them
Ilnur Mirgaleev
— Is there any jealousy towards the topic on the part of the Kazakhs?
- All sorts of talk about “jealousy”, “pulling the blanket over oneself” - I don’t like these things. Although you can sometimes see such disputes on social networks. At our conference, one of the largest delegations was from Kazakhstan. We have no contradictions with specialists from Kazakhstan, Moscow or anywhere else. We work together. The story is common, and there is no one “in charge” here. Even if you define the main one, you can just as well name the Tatars: the right wing of the Golden Horde remained with the Tatar khanates (Kazan, Crimean, Astrakhan, Siberian). Illiterate or biased people are trying to accuse us of something. Even Marjani gets it! By the way, Shihabuddin Hazrat also named the Kazakh Khanate among the heirs of the Golden Horde. And the Kazakh Khanate was formed on the basis of the left wing of the Golden Horde. Moreover, when the Nogai Horde ceased its history, it entered the Kazakh Khanate as the Junior Zhuz. That is, the Kazakhs increased their Golden Horde origins. But at the same time, the Senior Zhuz is the Chagatai Mughals. The Kazakh Khanate was formed on the disintegrated territory of the Chagatai ulus and the Golden Horde. This is also the Jochid-Chingizid dynasty - cousins of the khans, who rest in our Kazan Kremlin.
It is clear that when you write a general history, you pay attention to national history. Yes, we write for the Tatars too. Moscow colleagues write the history of Russia primarily for Russians, while Kazakh colleagues focus on Kazakhs. Everyone has the right to highlight their story. Why should we throw away our history for the sake of some ideas? Criticism also rained down on the 7-volume “History of the Tatars from Ancient Times.” So write your story - I don’t see a problem here. We don’t lay claim to anyone’s history, but we won’t give up ours either. This is the answer to all sorts of advisers from “friends” and “brothers”.
There were attempts to politicize our forum on the part of Tatar and non-Tatar social activists. There were also those who reproached that our programs were written in three languages, and not just Tatar. How can you blame a foreign speaker for not speaking in Tatar? Or criticize our small book “A Brief History of the Golden Horde” for allegedly “whitewashing the conquerors of Rus'”? We wrote it specifically for a wide range of readers, it contains a small text and excerpts from sources, a list of references.
— A kind of “Golden Horde for dummies”?
- You can put it this way. At one time, Ravil Fakhrutdinov wrote “A Brief History of the Tatars.” There are not many other popular works on medieval history. Unfortunately, so far popularized history is being written by extreme amateurs.
Some come and claim that they have found something secret, they say, “the authorities are hiding it.” It is clear that there were periods when some documents were hidden or even destroyed. Now what's the point of hiding something?
- And now they don’t hide anything anymore?
- Probably, they can hide, but only what concerns modern history or recent history. But there is no point in hiding historical facts concerning medieval history. Our NKVD archives are already being declassified, and all this is being published. No one is going to settle scores, everyone understands that this is already history. Why hide the Middle Ages? Perhaps some people have a feeling of understatement; there are also biased people. But no one specifically forbids research. So Ilya Zaitsev found Sergei Averkiev’s manuscript about the Tatar influence on Russian life - and we published it. Yes, since 1944 it was forbidden to study the Golden Horde. And Mirkasym Usmanov had to cheat - he called his book “Ulus Jochi”, others focused on archeology. All this happened.
Until now, the Tatars are credited with “yoke”, “Tatar oppression”, the country’s backwardness is associated with Batu’s campaigns! For researchers, such questions are irrelevant. We also try not to reduce these topics to the level of pseudo-ideological squabbles, since they are to the detriment of historical science.
Photo by Maxim Platonov
There is no point in hiding historical facts concerning medieval history. Our NKVD archives are already being declassified, and all this is being published. No one is going to settle scores, everyone understands that this is already history. Why hide the Middle Ages?
Ilnur Mirgaleev
— What areas of the history of the Golden Horde are being researched more now, what do scientists focus on?
— When we wrote “The Golden Horde in World History,” there was constant correspondence with the authors, we met at several conferences and discussed how we see how to present all this in a coherent way. The project was very big. And then we came to the conclusion that a lot of things had already been pulled out from the existing sources, interpreted, and they were well used in the reconstructions of modern researchers. Of course, we understand that they can be read in different ways, and new sources are also emerging. But if we do not begin now to purposefully work on source studies, to identify and introduce new sources into scientific circulation, then in almost the next few years we will run into a research dead end.
If you look at “The Golden Horde in World History,” you will see that the authors of sections on many aspects write: “These issues require further research.” This was our setup. And today this book is the best on the Golden Horde. Various topics are written by the best experts, but they are not fully covered. And we made a decision: to actively work to attract and identify new sources. We intend to work in this direction for at least the next 10 years. And in 10 years, perhaps, based on new sources, we will be able to write something different, more global.
And another serious area is Latin sources. We published one book by Roman Hautala based on Latin sources, mainly from the 13th century. Now he has finished the second book - these are Latin sources on the period of the Uzbek Khan, there are more than a thousand pages! These are new sources. And, of course, many colleagues came up and asked when these publications would be published.
As for Russian sources, fortunately, Moscow colleagues find many new ones, especially from the 16th-17th centuries. There is also a Golden Horde theme there - the post-Golden Horde world. Nowadays, many sources are being introduced into scientific circulation.
"Mongols" or "Tatars"?
— Today, both Russian nationalists and various kinds of “imperials” are neutralizing the significance of the Golden Horde. Is it worth fighting this phenomenon?
- Is it necessary to fight them? They are not the only ones who act this way. Pseudohistorical works are also published, and sometimes such books are presented to the leadership of Tatarstan. And officials ask us: “What can you say about these books?” Therefore, we are a little aware of this phenomenon.
Or, for example, some enthusiastic people appear, mostly pensioners, who do not have a historical education, but at the same time consider themselves great historians. They write large treatises and send them to the leadership of the republic or the leadership of the institute. And they say: “Give funding for the publication: there is a hidden story here!” You don’t work, but I worked, I wrote all this!” Unfortunately, there are many of them. Recently, someone wrote an article saying that there was no Mongol Empire - such Fomenkovism. And one Mongolian colleague writes to me: “Ilnur, you published such and such an article, are you going to respond?” I say: “Why? There are so many of them. And who is this man? He does not work in any academic historical institutes.” And in general, I don’t read such works! I can walk diagonally.
Therefore, if anyone should answer, then public activists can probably do it. Of course, I’m talking about competent social activists. And so, it makes no sense for us to react to everyone. It’s not history as a science, but ideology, through which they try to present their vision and, well, impose it. They have nothing to do with academic science. And we cannot be torn, we are not experts in these “philosophies”. The best answer is our publications.
Real time
If you look at “The Golden Horde in World History,” you will see that the authors of sections on many aspects write: “These issues require further research.” This was our setup. And today this book is the best on the Golden Horde. Various topics are written by the best experts, but they are not fully covered. And we made a decision: to actively work to attract and identify new sources
Ilnur Mirgaleev
— Perhaps there is not enough “popular” history?
- Yes, there is such a problem. Everyone asks: “Publish popular works, you write in such complex terms.” Because even experts may not understand these terms: you still need to add notes and footnotes to them. Naturally, the text becomes heavier. But our institute is small, but the topic is large, and here they study not only the Golden Horde, but also the whole history. Therefore, specialists cannot write popular works all the time. Or you need to come up with some projects, because people have to write, allocate their time, and this should also be paid. I myself tell our elder historians: “Write popular history.”
And then we have writers in Kazan. They could also help in popularizing some historical stories. Here artists came to us, they want to create a historical workshop, because there is a problem of visualization, we need a storyline. We gave them several plot ideas, and Rifkat aga Vakhitov made several sketches and based on them he drew panoramic portraits - how ambassadors are received, etc. These panoramic drawings and portraits are very important for understanding history; unfortunately, there are not enough of them. You can see these portraits at the exhibition at the Iske Kazan Museum.
We ended the Golden Horde Forum with a trip to Iske Kazan. I remembered the well-known legend that a khan came here, he had a golden cauldron, a cauldron, his servant went to get water, dropped the cauldron, he was not found, and from this event the name “Kazan” came. And most importantly, a Hun cauldron, bronze, was found in Iska Kazan; it is in the local museum. I say: “Well, here’s an idea, let’s somehow revive this legend. Let’s “find” this place on the banks of the Kazanka River where the boiler was lost, let’s erect some kind of monument here, a sign that we lost it here. Let's bring this popular legend to life." Let the guides tell you that we have Iske Kazan, the legend, how we lost the boiler, if you want to travel 40-50 km, let's go. There is a museum and an Iskekazan ancient settlement there. There is something to see and show.
By the way, recently in Bolgar we held a round table on the book of Mahmud al-Bulgari “Nahj al-Faradis” (“The Path to Paradise”). At the direction of Rustam Nurgalievich [Minnikhanov], a gift version was published: facsimile and transcription with translation. The book was prepared by employees of our Center and published jointly with the Council of Muftis of Russia. The famous artist Farit Valiullin painted a portrait of Mahmud al-Bulgari - now the painting hangs in the Bulgarian Islamic Academy. The author of this theological work asked the question: the Golden Horde seemed to be a strong state, but problems began: diseases (plague), political unrest. He explains the misfortunes that befell the state by the fact that people moved away from religion. We say: there are a lot of interesting plots in this book, take it and write it, visualize it. This work should still be used today in teaching in madrassas. No wonder it was used in the palaces of the sultans of Egypt and the Ottoman Empire.
Photo by Timur Rakhmatullin
The term “Mongol-Tatars” is historical. Researchers put into this definition the understanding that this conglomerate is primarily Turkic-Mongolian; it was then called “Mongol-Tatars”, “Tatar-Mongols”. And there are no problems here. People judge by superficial information, but experts put a completely different understanding into this term
Ilnur Mirgaleev
— How appropriate is the term “Tatar-Mongols”, around which there is also serious controversy?
- Absolutely correct. Yes, there is debate, they say that the term was invented by pre-revolutionary Russian historians. Sergei Klyashtorny said that it was time to ethnically separate the Tatars from the Mongols. But these are slightly different things. The term “Mongol-Tatars” is historical. The same Arab sources write about “Maghul-Tatars”. Moreover, they also have “Maghul-Faris” (Mongol-Persians). Chinese sources also used this form. Crimean author Abdulgaffar Kyrymi writes “Maghul ve Tatar”.
Regarding “Mongols,” there is an excellent study by the historian Pavel Rykin - why Genghis Khan suddenly decided to call himself, his people and his dynasty and state Mongolian. Although his commanders, Mukhali for example, said: “We are Tatars!” And in Chinese sources they are also called “black Tatars”. Although the Mongols themselves, who existed hundreds of years before Genghis Khan and successfully fought with the Chinese, lived in another place, several thousand kilometers from Mongolia, and were not their ancestors. But Genghis Khan took the name “Mongol” for his dynasty. Although everyone called them Tatars, and the sources included either Tatars or Mongol-Tatars in order to understand who they were talking about.
This construct is a term from the 13th century, and it continues to live on; there are processes of ethnic consolidation, according to the names of peoples, the formation of medieval Tatars, other peoples and the Mongols themselves. Both ethnic and political processes are taking place in a vast space. On the territory of the Chagatai ulus, Turkic-Mongolian nomads become “Moguls”. It was the Timurids, led by Babur, who left under the onslaught of the Jochids and created the Mughal Empire in India. And in the lands of the Hulaguids, in Iran, those who came with Hulagu’s troops are also assigned the name “Tatars.” In the Golden Horde, the term “Tatars” is assigned not only to those who came with Batu, but also to local Turks, Kipchaks, Bulgarians and others.
Thus, the term “Mongol-Tatars” is historical. Researchers put into this definition the understanding that this conglomerate, primarily Turkic-Mongolian, was then called “Mongol-Tatars”, “Tatar-Mongols”. And there are no problems here. People judge by superficial information, but experts put a completely different understanding into this term. I believe that this term helps to understand the entire complex ethnic picture in the Chingizid states.
Timur Rakhmatullin, Rustem Shakirov
Cover photo: “Albәtә”
