The ancient Tatar city of Bolgar was founded in the 10th century. It was located at the intersection of trade routes that passed along the Volga River, so it soon became the capital of the state of Volga Bulgaria. It was independent from the 9th to the 13th century, and then became part of the Golden Horde. For modern Tatars, the city of Bolgar is a sacred city, where their statehood was formed.
The Turkic tribe of Bulgarians inhabited the lands at the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers since the 4th century. Their main opponent was the Khazar state, where Judaism was professed. Ruler Almush united all the clans of the Volga Bulgarians and created a single state. In 922, he invited an embassy and priests from Baghdad to convert to Sunni Islam.
Until the 13th century, the capital of independent Volga Bulgaria was located on the territory of ancient Bolgar. The city was raided by Russian princes and steppe nomads. In 1236, it was captured by the Mongol Khan Batu during his campaign on Russian lands. Bolgar became the ulus of the Golden Horde. While Khan Byty was building his city Sarai-Batu, Bolgar was his temporary capital.
In the 15th century, the Bulgarians were raided by Russian princes and khans of the Golden Horde from other uluses. In 1431, the city of Bolgar was destroyed by the military commander of the Moscow Prince Vasily II, Fedor Palitsky. After that, the Bolgar were no longer revived, and the capital of the Khanate was moved to Kazan. Until the 16th century, the state was called the Kazan Khanate. In 1552, the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible conquered Kazan, and the khanate became part of the Russian state.
Sights of Bolgar
In the 10th century, Volga Bulgarians converted to Islam at this place, which is now professed in Tatarstan. The leadership of the Republic of Tatarstan in 2010 began a large-scale restoration of all the sights of Bolgar. In 2014, the Old Town of Bolgar was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Lists.
The territory of the ancient city of Bolgar occupies several tens of hectares. You need to plan for his visit all day. Leaving the car in the parking at the Western Gate, you need to walk 1.2 kilometers to the main attractions or go by electric car. Some tourists come to Bolgar on ships, during cruises along the Volga from Moscow to Astrakhan.
Not far from the Western Gate there are several small Museums in the village houses on Nazarova Street. Sometimes this street is called the Bolgar Museum Street. The main attractions are further away. A large building of the Museum of Bulgarian Civilization has been built at the pier where cruise ships are moored. Excavations of the Bulgarian settlement (12-13 centuries) were carried out near it on the high bank. Behind the museum stands a large building with a golden dome. This is a monument in memory of the adoption of Islam by the Volga Bulgarians in 922. It houses the Museum of Quran.
Next you can see the ruins of the Cathedral`s Mosque of the 13th century. Next to the mosque is the Assumption Church (museum), the Northern Mausoleum and the Eastern Mausoleum. On the high bank there is a pavilion with a glass roof, erected over the ruins of the Khan`s palace of the 13th century.
From the Khan`s Palace you can walk to the Khan`s Necropolis and the Black Chamber. Then you need to walk more than 2 kilometers to the White Mosque, so it`s better to return to the parking at the Western Gate and from there to the White Mosque by car. The White Mosque in Bolgar is one of the most beautiful mosques in Russia. There is an interesting Bread Museum near it.
