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Bulgar

The Bulgar is one of few, if not the only, Volga Tatar historical and architectural complex of its kind. It is located on the craggy left bank of the Volga, 120 km from Kazan.

Historical and literary sources connect Bolgar with the names of Kul Gali, Peter I, Catherine II, Pallas, Marjani, Pushkin, and many famous scientists and travelers.

Bolgar (Bulgar) is not only a cultural pearl of great signifi cance, but also a treasure trove of knowledge of the rich history of the region and the peoples who live here. It is on the basis of this place that the foundations of the historiography and archeology of Tatarstan were laid, as well as its traditions of museum curation and art history.

This is a holy place for all Tatar, a place of worship and pilgrimage for Muslims who seek to complete a small haj to their own holy places, shrouded in legend and bound up with history.

It was here in Bolgar that the fi rst foundations of today's Tatar state were laid, and here that Bolgary, capital of Volga Bulgaria, offi cially converted to Islam and tied its fate to the cultures of the Muslim world.

Starting 1246, Bolgary (earlier, Bulgar) became the capital city of Volga Bulgaria and in the 13th and 14th centuries it struggled for its freedom from the Golden Horde. Over the course of these years, palaces, mosques, churches and mausolea were built in the city.

The preserve is classifi ed as a historical and cultural heritage site of federal signifi cance, and as an especially valuable site of cultural heritage of the Republic of Tatarstan. In 1998, the Bolgar historical and architectural complex was included in the UNESCO Preliminary World Heritage List (waiting list).

The preserve includes:

– Archeological museum, located in the 18th century Church of the Dormition;

– Exhibition space featuring the exhibit “Bolgary in the Visual Arts”;

– Monuments of Muslim masonry from of the 13th-14th centuries: Cathedral Mosque with its reconstructed Grand Minaret; North Mausoleum, housing an exhibit of notable inscriptions; East Mausoleum; Small Minaret; Khans' Tomb; White Ward; Black Ward; Lesser Town; Khans' Baths;

– Spassk-Kybyshev-Bolgar City Historical Museum;

– Ruins of the Suvar Settlement.