The Volga Tatars, also known as Volga-Ural Tatars or simply Tatars (; ) are a Turkic ethnic group native to the Volga-Ural region of western Russia, and contains multiple subgroups. Tatars are the second-largest ethnic group in Russia after ethnic Russians. They are primarily found in Tatarstan, where they make up 53.6% of the population. Their native language is Tatar, and are primarily followers of Sunni Islam.
"Tatar" as an ethnonym has a very long and complicated history, and in the past was often used as an umbrella term for different Turkic and Mongolic tribes. Nowadays it mostly refers exclusively to Volga Tatars (known simply as "Tatars"; Tatarlar), who became its "ultimate bearers" after the founding of Tatar ASSR (1920–1990; now Tatarstan). The ethnogenesis of Volga-Ural Tatars is still debated, but their history is usually connected to the Kipchak-Tatars of the Golden Horde (1242–1502), and also to its predecessor, Volga Bulgaria (900s–1200s), whose adoption of Islam is celebrated yearly in Tatarstan. After the collapse of the Golden Horde, ancestors of modern Tatars formed the Khanate of Kazan (1438–1552), which lost its independence to Russia after the Siege of Kazan in 1552.
After hundreds of years under Russian rule, the Tatars are now well integrated into Russian society. However, they continue to maintain a distinct culture, characterized by their Islamic faith and native Turkic language. Since the industrialization of the Soviet Union, the Tatar language has been increasingly replaced by Russian in daily life, and separatist sentiments occasionally emerge. Islam has regained a stronger presence among the Tatars following the anti-religious policies of the Soviet era. The muftiate of Tatarstan is the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan, currently led by Kamil Samigullin.
Some notable Tatars include Gabdulla Tukay, Ayaz Ishaki, Shihabetdin Mardzhani, Galimdzhan Ibragimov, Rustam Minnikhanov, Rashid Nezhmetdinov, Rudolf Nureyev, Rinat Fakhretdinov, Aida Garifullina, and Marat Safin.
History
The cultural center for Idel-Ural Tatars is the Republic of Tatarstan (Russian Federation). Its predecessor was the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, established in 1920. It was the first successful Tatar formation since the Kazan Khanate. Tatars have been the subjects of Russia since after the Siege of Kazan in 1552. Many Tatars live in different regions of Russia, outside of Tatarstan as well. They have diasporas across the globe also, such as the Finnish Tatars.Bedretdin, Kadriye (editor): Tugan Tel – Kirjoituksia Suomen tataareista. Helsinki: Suomen Itämainen Seura, 2011.
During the period of the Russian Empire, the Turkic Muslim population of Idel-Ural region were generally called Tatars, and eventually, the name was extended to most of the other Turkic peoples of Russia as well (Azerbaijanis – Transcaucasian Tatars). The history of the ethnonym traces back to the times of the Golden Horde, when its feudal nobility used it to denote its citizens. Russian feudals and the Tsar government started using it also. These different tribes usually identified themselves by their geographical group name, or, generally as Muslims (Qazanlı, Möselman, etc.). The name Bolgar was also referenced. They avoided using the term Tatar due to the negative connotation of the Mongol-Tatars of the past.Halikov, A. H.: Tataarit, keitä te olette?. Suomentanut Lauri Kotiniemi. Abdulla Tukain kulttuuriseura, 1991. . (p. 146-159)
Nowadays, many of the ethnic differences between Volga Tatar groups of Volga-Ural have disappeared. Some, especially unique dialectical features remain. The majority of Volga-Ural Tatars (Kazan Tatars and Mishars) are usually thought to be descendants of the Kipchaks of Golden Horde. Others emphasize the role of its predecessor, Volga Bulgaria, but many also think these both played a part. quote (p 563): "Regarding the Volga Tatar people of today, it appears they took on the endonym of their Mongol conquerors when they overran the Dasht-i-Kipchak. It was preserved as the prevailing ethnonym in the subsequent synthesis of the Mongols and their more numerous Turkic subjects who ultimately subsumed their conquerors culturally and linguistically as al-Umari noted by the fourteenth century [32, p. 141]. I argue that the name 'Tatar' was adopted by the Turkic peoples in the region as a sign of having joined the Tatar conquerors – a practice which Friar Julian reported in the 1230s as the conquest unfolded. The name stands as a testament to the survivability and adaptability of both peoples and ethnonyms. It became, as Sh. Marjani stated, their 'proud Tatar name.'" Tatar historian G. R. Yenikeev criticizes the phenomenon of identifying with Bulgars and thinks, that this happened due to the "pro-western rulers of the Romanov government", with the help of Bulgarist-mullahs and European historians, that created a negative and distorted image of the ancient Tatars, which ended up causing them to reject the term and lose national consciousness. Finnish historian Antero Leitzinger: "They [Bulgarists] emphasize the contribution of the Bulgars mainly due to the feeling of inferiority created by the Russians, which is often attached to the Orda (organization) population".Leitzinger, Antero: Mishäärit – Suomen vanha islamilainen yhteisö. Helsinki: Kirja-Leitzinger, 1996. . (pp. 29–30)
Today, while the legacy of the Golden Horde is largely embraced, Volga Bulgaria is also seen as an integral part of the Tatar history, one way or another. The Bulgar conversion to Islam in 922 is celebrated yearly in Tatarstan. Tatar encyclopedia Tatarica: "The people of the Volga Bulgarian state formed the basis of the Tatar ethnos. The culture of the Volga Bulgarian state is one of the most important components of the historical and cultural heritage of the Tatar people".
The 1921–1922 famine in Tatarstan was a period of mass starvation and drought that took place in the Tatar ASSR as a result of war communism policy, in which 500 thousand to 2 million peasants died. The event was part of the greater Russian famine of 1921–22 that affected other parts of the USSR, in which up 5 million people died in total. Tatar authorities have attempted since the 1990s, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, to reverse the Russification of Tatarstan that took place during the Soviet period.
Culture
Language
Tatar is a Turkic language which belongs to the sub-branch of Kipchak languages called Kipchak–Bulgar. According to 2002 census, there were 5,3 million Tatar speakers in Russia, and in 2010, 4,3 million.
Tatar can be divided into two main dialects:
Central (Urta / Kazan – most common and also the literary language) Western (Könbatış / Mishar) Some linguists think that Siberian Tatar is a third dialect of Tatar.Jazyki Rossijskoi Federatsii i sosednih gosudarstv. Tom 3, p. 67–68. Moskva: Nauka, 2005. . Crimean Tatar is a different language, although also part of the Kipchak group.
Most of the Uralic languages in the Volga River area have strongly influenced the Tatar language, as have the Arabic, Persian and Russian languages. One characteristic feature of Tatar is its use of the Arabic ğayn; whereas other Turkic languages generally disregard the Arabic ayin sound, Tatar always replaces it with ğayn (Turkish sanat [art], Tatar sənğət / сәнгать; from Arabic صنعة, ṣanʕa).
What most noticeably separates the Mishar dialect from Standard Tatar is that it doesn't pronounce the uvular ğayn or qâf, and both c and ç are affricates (instead of [ʑ] and [ɕ]).Jazyki Rossijskoi Federatsii i sosednih gosudarstv. Tom 3, p. 68. Moskva: Nauka, 2005. ISBN 5-02-011237-2.
Example sentence of Tatar language in the Latin script: Əlifba reformalarına qadər törki xalıqlar ğərəp imləsındağı əsərlərne uqıp, ber ük ədəbi teldə aralaşa torğan bulğan. Ğərəp-farsı lisannarı belən tanış bulu böten möselman ömməteneñ əsərlərenə ireşüne ciñeləytkən. ("Before the alphabet reforms, Turkic peoples read works written in Arabic script and communicated in a shared literary language. Familiarity with the Arabic and Persian languages made it easier to access the works of the entire Muslim ummah").
Names Ever since the Arabic influence spread among Tatars due to adoption of Islam, Tatar names have been mostly rooted in Arabic, though some Turkic-Persian names are still in use, such as Bulat and Aygöl. Compound Arabic-Turkic-Persian names used to be very common for Tatars (Möxəmmətzakir, Əxmətcan, Xodaybirde; Bibifatıyma, Ğaliyəbanu, Şəmsebənat). Many of these compound names were shortened later (Şəymöxəmmət, Şəymi).
A Tatar surname is the personal name of one's male ancestor from the times of the surname law (early 1900s), accompanied by a Russian suffix, like Nizametdin –> Nizametdinov / Nizametdinova, Musa –> Musin / Musina.
Religion
The Islamic roots of the Volga region trace back to Volga Bulgaria (922). Since then, Islam also has a centuries old history in Russia. Volga Tatars played a significant role in the national and cultural movements of Muslims during Russian Empire and also in Soviet Union. Islam is currently the majority religion in Tatarstan.Azade-Ayse Rolich, The Volga Tatars, 1986, page 11. Richard Frye, Ibn Fadlan's Journey to Russia, 2005, page 44 gives 16 May 922 for the first meeting with the ruler. This seems to be the official date of the conversion.
In September 2010, Eid al-Fitr and 21 May, the day the Volga Bulgars embraced Islam, were made public holidays. During that time the head of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov negotiated for use of Islamic banking and the first halal food production facility opened with foreign companies expressing their interest to expand the project in Tatarstan.
The muftiate of Tatarstan is the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Radicalism
The religious situation of the Tatars began to change significantly in the 2010s. The new generation was dissatisfied with their spiritual life and experienced a stronger sense of religious identity. During the Soviet era, this had been weakened by the anti-religious policies of the time, which had led to the break with their largely Sufi-influenced tradition. The Tatars had also played a significant role as representatives of the reform movement Jadidism.
New attitudes were already noticeable in the 1990s. Tatar imams used to be trained in Bukhara or Tashkent, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union these connections were severed. As a result, they increasingly began to receive their training abroad, especially in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Turkey. "In these countries they see a great contrast between local traditions and the fading traditions familiar from Tatarstan, leading to their radicalization."
The term "Caucasization of Tatarstan" or Volga-Urals has been coined to describe some of the radical Islamic elements found in the region, that mainly come from the Caucasus. Muslim migration from Central-Asia has also played a part. In 2006, Dokka Umarov stated: "We will never separate the lands of the Caucasus from the Volga region. . . . We will also liberate other lands occupied by Rusnya [a derogatory Chechen term for Russia]. These include Astrakhan and the lands along the Volga that are under the hoof of the Russian kafirs."
More radical versions of Islam were previously very rare and sporadic in Tatarstan. The most famous examples were the Ittifaq Party, whose leader Fauziya Bairamova was pro-Salafist in the 2000s. Imam Rustem Safin in Kazan was suspended for two years for his association with the pan-Islamic Hizb al-Tahrir party. A few dozen Tatars participated in the Chechen separatist wars, and in 2010 the Tatarstan Interior Ministry disbanded a short-lived formation in Nurlat district that had tried to imitate the Dagestan extremist movement of the 1990s.