Tatar nation. History of the Tatars and the Tatar language (a brief historical excursion)

A fascinating excursion by the famous scientist Edward Parker into the history of nomadic tribes East Asia will introduce you to the origin, formation and evolution of the conglomerate, which emerged as a result of complex and contradictory historical processes. This unique book tells about the life, traditions and social structure of the Tatar people, traces the dynastic ties of the ruling elite, talks about bloody battles and the creation of nomadic empires.

The true history of the nomadic tribes of East Asia dates back to approximately the same time and develops in almost the same way as history northern peoples Europe. The Chinese Empire, like the Roman Empire, owed its prosperity to discovery and conquest, which resulted in closer contacts between peoples and their mutual assimilation, constant border conflicts and global displacement political centers. Similar processes also occurred in Greece and Persia.

Unlike Chinese and Roman authors, Herodotus, when talking about the Scythians, focused more on recreating a picture of the life and customs of this people than on presenting their political history. And yet, Herodotus’ story corresponds to the portrait of the Xiongnu drawn by the Chinese, on the one hand, and the Roman idea of ​​the Huns, on the other. Since the etymological connection between the Xiongnu of China and the Huns of the West can hardly be supported by irrefutable evidence, we will limit ourselves to a simple presentation of the facts recorded in Chinese sources, leaving the reader the right to his own point of view and trying not to put forward groundless hypotheses.

China's neighbors to the north

During the period to which the beginning of our story refers, the Chinese knew nothing about the Japanese, Burmese, Siamese, Indians, and Turkestanis. They had very little understanding of Korea, the Tungus tribes, the peoples inhabiting the territory south of the great Yangtze River, and the Tibetan nomads. China's foreign relations were actually limited to contacts with the horse-riding nomads of the north. In ancient times they were known as different names, more or less similar in sound to the above-mentioned name adopted in general history.

However, it would be a mistake to assume, as many European authors do, that the name “Xiongnu” came into use only from the 2nd century BC. e. The historian MaDuan-lin, who lived six hundred years ago, himself refutes this fact and quotes from two sources, trying to prove not only that this name was in use long before the indicated time, but also that the community whose name is in question speech has already become quite significant. The Chinese themselves did not pay much attention to the Xiongnu until 1200 BC. e., when a member of the ruling family, who may have committed some misdeed, fled to the nomads of the north and founded something like a dynasty there.

Where did the name Tatars come from?

Despite the fact that for many centuries, until 200 BC. e., the northern states of the Chinese Empire were in conflict with these nomads, there was no written evidence left about their tribes and succession to the throne. As much is known about them as about the Scythians from the stories of Herodotus. Equally little was known about the Tungus, or the eastern branch of the nomads, with whom the Chinese came into close contact only two centuries later. The Chinese had much more information about the great nomadic people of the Xiongnu. Later, the words "Turkic" and "Turkic-Scythian" were used to designate the various homogeneous tribes that formed the Xiongnu empire. However, the word “Turk” was completely unknown until the 5th century AD. e., therefore, we cannot yet talk about the “Turks”, since this would be a chronological error. The same is true with the word “Tatars”.

Curiously, the Chinese used it, giving it the same vague meaning that we do. This word did not appear in history in any form until the 2nd century AD. e., but even after that, as subsequently with the “Turks,” it was used in relation to one small tribe. Thus, whatever we may think about the identification of the words "Xiongnu" and "Huns", it is quite clear that the Chinese had no other name for the horse-riding meat-eating and kumis-drinking nomads of North Asia, just as the Europeans had the name " Huns" was the only one for horse-riding nomads from Northern Europe who eat meat and drink kumiss.

The ways of the nomads

These nomads appeared in Europe after the ruling Xiongnu castes were expelled from China. Moreover, the Scythians of Herodotus, who encountered the Greeks and Persians, led exactly the same way of life as the Xiongnu from China and the Huns from Europe. Thus, we can come to the conclusion, supported by scattered evidence, that there was some kind of ethnographic connection between these three peoples.
The nomadic Xiongnu people lived on horseback. "Their country was the horse's back." They moved from place to place, driving their herds and flocks in search of new pastures. Horses, cattle and sheep are their usual possessions.

However, from time to time camels, donkeys, mules and other members of the equine family appeared in their herds, which could not be identified. Perhaps one of them was the onager (wild ass) from Assyria and Central Asia. The Xiongnu did not build cities or other settlements of this kind, but, although they did not stay long in one place, each tribe was assigned a certain territory. Since they did not engage in agriculture, each tent, or family, had its own personal plot of land. The Xiongnu did not have a written language, and therefore all orders and other administrative acts were transmitted orally.

From early childhood, the Xiongnu learned to ride sheep and hunt rats or birds with a tiny bow and arrow. As they grew older, the objects of hunting changed; now the hunters' goals were foxes and hares. Every adult man who could string a bow became a warrior. Everyone, old and young, ate meat and milk. They used the skins of killed animals as clothing, and felt capes were thrown over them. Full of strength warriors always received the best, the old and infirm were despised, they received crumbs.

For a thousand years, a custom flourished in Tataria, according to which the wives of the deceased father passed to the son (with the exception of his own mother), and the younger brothers inherited the wives of the elders. It is not known for certain who was given the right to choose - the son or the brother: perhaps the brother received the inheritance only in the absence of a son or a replacement. In peacetime, in addition to caring for livestock, the Xiongnu devoted a lot of time to hunting and shooting. Every man was ready for battle or raid. Retreating before the enemy was not considered a shame. In fact, the tactics of warfare consisted of sudden, poorly coordinated raids, feints and ambushes.

According to the Chinese, the Xiongnu were completely devoid of any sense of compassion or justice: they obeyed the only law - force. The Xiongnu used not only bows. In hand-to-hand combat, they demonstrated equally brilliant skill with a sword and knife. Some ancient sources mention the Xiongnu, who lived in caves in winter; however, this statement applies more likely to the Tungus tribes.
There is no need to consider early information about the Tatar wars, the description of which is rather vague. Suffice it to say that from 1400 BC. e. before 200 AD e. There are brief references to clashes between the Chinese and nomads. In each case, approximate dates are given, so this information can be considered historical. It should be remembered, however, that annual dating Chinese history begins only from 828 BC. e. The northern regions of the provinces now known as Shanxi, Shaanxi and Zhili 1 were then dominated by nomads.

For many centuries, during the so-called “warring states” period, the nomads were as powerful as China. The Emperor of China, like his restless vassal kings, different periods entered into marriage alliances with the ruling families of nomads, and at least one Chinese ruler deliberately borrowed Tatar costume and lifestyle. Now another etymological question arises, namely: does the Chinese word “tung-hu”, or “eastern Tatars” (a term as often applied to the ancestors of the Katai, Manchus and Koreans, as the name “Xiongnu” is used in relation to the ancestors of the Turks, Uyghurs) , Kyrgyz, etc.), any etymological connection with the European word “Tungus”.

If these two words are in no way related to each other, then we have an extremely curious coincidence, since both words in both Russian and Chinese have same value. The sources also mention another case, which is intended to show that the border states of the Chinese Empire were deeply affected by Tatar influence. One of the vassal lords had a cup made from the skull of a rival ruler - a fact as contrary to Confucian ideas as it is consistent with everything we know about the customs of the Xiongnu and Scythians.

Defeat of the Tatars

At the end of the 3rd century BC. BC, just before the western kingdom of Qin succeeded in destroying the old feudal system and uniting China into a single empire, the vassal state, under whose rule were the present provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Zhili, systematically resisted the invasions of the nomads and eventually forced the Tatar king engage in open battle, during which the Tatar troops were completely defeated. Tatar losses amounted to 100,000 people.

After this, Emperor Qin annexed this state to the others, and the famous military leader Meng Tian, ​​at the head of several hundred thousand warriors, was sent on a campaign against the Tatars. He managed to recapture the Yellow River (Huang He) along its entire length, including the section of the bend now known as the Ordos Plateau. The Tatars were pushed north of the Great Steppe. Countless detachments of criminals and other unfortunates were sent north to build a military road and perform garrison duty. About forty fortresses and fortified cities were built along the border. Finally, from the outskirts of the modern capital of Gansu province - the city of Lanzhou - the Great Wall stretches to the sea.

Since it is marked on almost all modern maps of China, the reader will make his task easier if he keeps such a map before his eyes. This will save us from having to give numerous and bizarre Chinese place names - and also names that often vary according to the location of each successive dynasty.

According to the author of the book, the Great Wall is a bloody trail along which millions of human skeletons whiten, marking a thousand-year struggle. It should be noted, however, that Meng Tian with half a million slaves only strengthened the already existing wall, since we know that the Chinese king, who took over Tatar customs, had already built the Great Wall from northeast Shanxi to the westernmost point of the Yellow River Bend. And shortly before this, the increasingly powerful Qin rulers further to the west built another wall.

To the east, the border kingdom of Yan, located in the territory of modern Beijing, built the Great Wall approximately at the longitude of Beijing to the sea, so that Meng Tian only had to complete or strengthen the existing fortifications. Later, various northern dynasties also contributed - they added new sections to the Great Wall or extended its line towards Beijing.

So the magnificent and almost perfect structure that modern travelers see at a distance of almost fifty kilometers from the capital has little in common with the ancient Great Wall, built two thousand years ago. Most of the ancient wall is now in a dilapidated state.

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Each nation has its own distinctive features, which make it possible to determine a person’s nationality almost without error. It is worth noting that Asian peoples are very similar to each other, since they are all descendants of the Mongoloid race. How can you identify a Tatar? How do Tatars look different?

Uniqueness

Without a doubt, every person is unique, regardless of nationality. And yet there are some common features, which bring together representatives of a race or nationality. Tatars are usually classified as members of the so-called Altai family. This is a Turkic group. The ancestors of the Tatars were known as farmers. Unlike other representatives of the Mongoloid race, Tatars do not have pronounced appearance features.

The appearance of the Tatars and the changes that are now manifested in them are largely caused by assimilation with Slavic peoples. Indeed, among the Tatars they sometimes find fair-haired, sometimes even red-haired representatives. This, for example, cannot be said about the Uzbeks, Mongols or Tajiks. Do Tatar eyes have any special characteristics? They do not necessarily have narrow eyes and dark skin. Are there any common features of the appearance of Tatars?

Description of the Tatars: a little history

The Tatars are among the most ancient and populous ethnic groups. In the Middle Ages, mentions of them excited everyone around: in the east from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic coast. A variety of scientists included references to this people in their works. The mood of these notes was clearly polar: some wrote with rapture and admiration, while other scientists showed fear. But one thing united everyone - no one remained indifferent. It is quite obvious that it was the Tatars who had a huge influence on the course of development of Eurasia. They managed to create a distinctive civilization that influenced a variety of cultures.

The history of the Tatar people has had both ups and downs. Periods of peace were followed by brutal times of bloodshed. The ancestors of modern Tatars took part in the creation of several strong states at once. Despite all the vicissitudes of fate, they managed to preserve both their people and their identity.

Ethnic groups

Thanks to the works of anthropologists, it became known that the ancestors of the Tatars were not only representatives of the Mongoloid race, but also Europeans. It was this factor that determined the diversity in appearance. Moreover, the Tatars themselves are usually divided into groups: Crimean, Ural, Volga-Siberian, South Kama. The Volga-Siberian Tatars, whose facial features have the greatest characteristics of the Mongoloid race, are distinguished by the following characteristics: dark hair, pronounced cheekbones, brown eyes, a wide nose, a fold above the upper eyelid. Representatives of this type are few in number.

The face of the Volga Tatars is oblong, the cheekbones are not too pronounced. The eyes are large and gray (or brown). Nose with a hump, oriental type. The physique is correct. In general, the men of this group are quite tall and hardy. Their skin is not dark. This is the appearance of the Tatars from the Volga region.

Kazan Tatars: appearance and customs

The appearance of the Kazan Tatars is described as follows: a strongly built, strong man. The Mongols have a wide oval face and a slightly narrowed eye shape. The neck is short and strong. Men rarely wear a thick beard. Such features are explained by the fusion of Tatar blood with various Finnish nationalities.

The marriage ceremony is not like a religious event. From religiosity - only reading the first chapter of the Koran and a special prayer. After marriage, a young girl does not immediately move into her husband’s house: she will live with her family for another year. It is curious that her newly-made husband comes to her as a guest. Tatar girls are ready to wait for their lover.

Only a few have two wives. And in cases where this happens, there are reasons: for example, when the first one is already old, and the second one, younger, now runs the household.

The most common Tatars are of the European type - owners of light brown hair and light eyes. The nose is narrow, aquiline or hump-shaped. Height is short - women are about 165 cm.

Peculiarities

Some features were noticed in the character of a Tatar man: hard work, cleanliness and hospitality border on stubbornness, pride and indifference. Respect for elders is what especially distinguishes the Tatars. It was noted that representatives of this people tend to be guided by reason, adapt to the situation, and are law-abiding. In general, the synthesis of all these qualities, especially hard work and perseverance, makes a Tatar man very purposeful. Such people are capable of achieving success in their careers. They finish their work and have a habit of getting their way.

A purebred Tatar strives to acquire new knowledge, showing enviable perseverance and responsibility. Crimean Tatars have a special indifference and calmness in stressful situations. Tatars are very curious and talkative, but during work they remain stubbornly silent, apparently so as not to lose concentration.

One of the characteristic features is self-esteem. It manifests itself in the fact that the Tatar considers himself special. As a result, there is a certain arrogance and even arrogance.

Cleanliness sets Tatars apart. They do not tolerate disorder and dirt in their homes. Moreover, this does not depend on financial capabilities - both rich and poor Tatars zealously monitor cleanliness.

My home is your home

Tatars are very hospitable people. We are ready to host a person, regardless of his status, faith or nationality. Even with modest incomes, they show warm hospitality, ready to share a modest dinner with a guest.

Tatar women are distinguished by their great curiosity. They are attracted by beautiful clothes, they watch with interest people of other nationalities, and follow fashion. Tatar women are very attached to their home and devote themselves to raising children.

Tatar women

What an amazing creature - a Tatar woman! In her heart lies immeasurable, deepest love for her loved ones, for her children. Its purpose is to bring peace to people, to serve as a model of peacefulness and morality. A Tatar woman is distinguished by a sense of harmony and special musicality. She radiates a certain spirituality and nobility of soul. The inner world of a Tatar woman is full of riches!

Tatar girls from a young age are aimed at a strong, long-lasting marriage. After all, they want to love their husband and raise future children behind solid walls of reliability and trust. No wonder the Tatar proverb says: “A woman without a husband is like a horse without a bridle!” Her husband’s word is law for her. Although witty Tatar women complement - for any law, however, there is an amendment! And yet these are devoted women who sacredly honor traditions and customs. However, don’t expect to see a Tatar woman in a black burqa - this is a stylish lady who has a sense of self-esteem.

The appearance of the Tatars is very well-groomed. Fashionistas have stylized items in their wardrobe that highlight their nationality. For example, there are shoes that imitate chitek - national leather boots worn by Tatar girls. Another example is appliques, where patterns convey the stunning beauty of the earth's flora.

What's on the table?

A Tatar woman is a wonderful hostess, loving and hospitable. By the way, a little about the kitchen. National cuisine Tatars are quite predictable in that the main dishes are often based on dough and fat. Even a lot of dough, a lot of fat! Of course, this is far from the most healthy eating, although guests are usually offered exotic dishes: kazylyk (or dried horse meat), gubadia (a layer cake with a wide variety of fillings, from cottage cheese to meat), talkysh-kalev (an incredibly high-calorie dessert made from flour, butter and honey). You can wash down all this rich treat with ayran (a mixture of katyk and water) or traditional tea.

Like Tatar men, women are distinguished by their determination and perseverance in achieving their goals. Overcoming difficulties, they show ingenuity and resourcefulness. All this is complemented by great modesty, generosity and kindness. Truly, a Tatar woman is a wonderful gift from above!

I am often asked to tell the history of this or that people. Among other things, people often ask questions about the Tatars. Probably, both the Tatars themselves and other peoples feel that school history lied about them, lied something to please the political situation.
The most difficult thing when describing the history of peoples is to determine the point from which to begin. It is clear that everyone ultimately descends from Adam and Eve and all peoples are relatives. But still... The history of the Tatars should probably begin in 375, when a great war broke out in the southern steppes of Rus' between the Huns and Slavs on the one hand and the Goths on the other. In the end, the Huns won and, on the shoulders of the retreating Goths, went into Western Europe, where they disappeared into the knightly castles of the emerging medieval Europe.

The ancestors of the Tatars are the Huns and Bulgars.

The Huns are often considered to be some mythical nomads who came from Mongolia. This is wrong. The Huns are a religious-military formation that arose as a response to the disintegration of the ancient world in the monasteries of Sarmatia on the middle Volga and Kama. The ideology of the Huns was based on a return to the original traditions of the Vedic philosophy of the ancient world and the code of honor. It was they who became the basis of the code of knightly honor in Europe. By race, they were blond and red-haired giants with blue eyes, descendants of the ancient Aryans, who from time immemorial lived in the area from the Dnieper to the Urals. Actually, “Tata-Ars” is from Sanskrit, the language of our ancestors, and is translated as “fathers of the Aryans.” After the army of the Huns left Southern Rus' for Western Europe, the remaining Sarmatian-Scythian population of the lower Don and Dnieper began to call themselves Bulgars.

Byzantine historians do not distinguish between the Bulgars and the Huns. This suggests that the Bulgars and other tribes of the Huns were similar in customs, languages, and race. The Bulgars belonged to Aryan race, spoke one of the Russian military jargons (a variant of the Turkic languages). Although it is possible that the military groups of the Huns also included people of the Mongoloid type as mercenaries.
As for the earliest mentions of the Bulgars, this is the year 354, “Roman Chronicles” by an unknown author (Th. Mommsen Chronographus Anni CCCLIV, MAN, AA, IX, Liber Generations,), as well as the work of Moise de Khorene.
According to these records, already before the Huns appeared in Western Europe in the middle of the 4th century, the presence of Bulgars was observed in the North Caucasus. In the 2nd half of the 4th century, some of the Bulgars penetrated into Armenia. It can be assumed that the Bulgars are not exactly Huns. According to our version, the Huns are a religious-military formation similar to today’s Taliban in Afghanistan. The only difference is that this phenomenon then arose in the Aryan Vedic monasteries of Sarmatia on the banks of the Volga, Northern Dvina and Don. Blue Rus' (or Sarmatia), after numerous periods of decline and rise in the fourth century AD, began a new rebirth into Great Bulgaria, which occupied the territory from the Caucasus to the Northern Urals. So the appearance of the Bulgars in the middle of the 4th century in the North Caucasus region is more than possible. And the reason that they were not called Huns is obviously that at that time the Bulgars did not call themselves Huns. A certain class of military monks called themselves Huns, who were the guardians of the special Vedic philosophy and religion, experts in martial arts and bearers of a special code of honor, which later formed the basis of the code of honor of the knightly orders of Europe. All Hunnic tribes came to Western Europe along the same route; it is obvious that they did not come at the same time, but in batches. The appearance of the Huns is a natural process, as a reaction to the degradation of the ancient world. Just as today the Taliban are a response to the processes of degradation of the Western world, so at the beginning of the era the Huns became a response to the decomposition of Rome and Byzantium. It seems that this process is an objective pattern of development of social systems.

At the beginning of the 5th century, wars broke out twice in the northwestern Carpathian region between the Bulgars (Vulgars) and Langobards. At that time all the Carpathians and Pannonia were under the rule of the Huns. But this indicates that the Bulgars were part of the union of Hunnic tribes and that they came to Europe together with the Huns. The Carpathian Vulgars of the early 5th century are the same Bulgars from the Caucasus of the mid-4th century. The homeland of these Bulgars is the Volga region, the Kama and Don rivers. Actually, the Bulgars are fragments of the Hunnic Empire, which at one time destroyed the ancient world, which remained in the steppes of Rus'. Most of the “men of long will,” religious warriors who formed the invincible religious spirit of the Huns, went to the West and, after the emergence of medieval Europe, disappeared into knightly castles and orders. But the communities that gave birth to them remained on the banks of the Don and Dnieper.
By the end of the 5th century, two main Bulgar tribes were known: the Kutrigurs and the Utigurs. The latter settle along the shores of the Azov Sea in the Taman Peninsula area. The Kutrigurs lived between the bend of the lower Dnieper and Sea of ​​Azov, controlling the steppes of Crimea right up to the walls of Greek cities.
They periodically (in alliance with Slavic tribes) raid the borders of the Byzantine Empire. So, in 539-540, the Bulgars carried out raids across Thrace and Illyria to the Adriatic Sea. At the same time, many Bulgars entered the service of the Byzantine emperor. In 537, a detachment of Bulgars fought on the side of besieged Rome against the Goths. There are known cases of enmity between the Bulgar tribes, which was skillfully incited by Byzantine diplomacy.
Around 558, the Bulgars (mainly Kutrigurs), led by Khan Zabergan, invaded Thrace and Macedonia and approached the walls of Constantinople. And only at the cost of great efforts did the Byzantines stop Zabergan. The Bulgars return to the steppes. main reason- news of the appearance of an unknown warlike horde east of the Don. These were the Avars of Khan Bayan.

Byzantine diplomats immediately use the Avars to fight against the Bulgars. New allies are offered money and land for settlements. Although the Avar army is only about 20 thousand horsemen, it still carries the same invincible spirit of the Vedic monasteries and, naturally, turns out to be stronger than the numerous Bulgars. This is also facilitated by the fact that another horde is moving after them, now the Turks. The Utigurs are the first to be attacked, then the Avars cross the Don and invade the lands of the Kutrigurs. Khan Zabergan becomes a vassal of Khagan Bayan. The further fate of the Kutrigurs is closely connected with the Avars.
In 566, the advanced detachments of the Turks reached the shores of the Black Sea near the mouth of the Kuban. The Utigurs recognize the power of the Turkic Kagan Istemi over themselves.
Having united the army, they capture the most ancient capital of the ancient world, the Bosporus on the shores of the Kerch Strait, and in 581 they appeared under the walls of Chersonesos.

Renaissance

After the Avar army left for Pannonia and the beginning of civil strife in the Turkic Kaganate, the Bulgar tribes united again under the rule of Khan Kubrat. Kurbatovo station in the Voronezh region is the ancient headquarters of the legendary Khan. This ruler, who led the Onnogurov tribe, was raised as a child at the imperial court in Constantinople and was baptized at the age of 12. In 632, he declared independence from the Avars and stood at the head of the association, which in Byzantine sources received the name Great Bulgaria.
It occupied the south of modern Ukraine and Russia from the Dnieper to the Kuban. In 634-641, the Christian Khan Kubrat entered into an alliance with the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius.

The emergence of Bulgaria and the settlement of the Bulgars around the world

However, after the death of Kubrat (665), his empire disintegrated, as it was divided between his sons. The eldest son Batbayan began to live in the Azov region as a tributary of the Khazars. Another son, Kotrag, moved to the right bank of the Don and also came under the rule of Jews from Khazaria. The third son, Asparukh, under Khazar pressure, went to the Danube, where, having subjugated the Slavic population, he laid the foundation for modern Bulgaria.
In 865, the Bulgarian Khan Boris converted to Christianity. The mixing of the Bulgars with the Slavs led to the emergence of modern Bulgarians.
Two more sons of Kubrat - Kuver (Kuber) and Altsekom (Altsekom) - went to Pannonia to join the Avars. During the formation of Danube Bulgaria, Kuver rebelled and went over to the side of Byzantium, settling in Macedonia. Subsequently, this group became part of the Danube Bulgarians. Another group, led by Alzek, intervened in the struggle for succession to the throne in the Avar Khaganate, after which they were forced to flee and seek refuge with the Frankish king Dagobert (629-639) in Bavaria, and then settle in Italy near Ravenna.

A large group of Bulgars returned to their historical homeland - the Volga region and the Kama region, from where their ancestors had once been carried away by the whirlwind of the passionate impulse of the Huns. However, the population they met here was not much different from themselves.
At the end of the 8th century. Bulgar tribes in the Middle Volga created the state of Volga Bulgaria. Based on these tribes, the Kazan Khanate subsequently arose in these places.
In 922, the ruler of the Volga Bulgars, Almas, converted to Islam. By that time, life in the Vedic monasteries, once located in these places, had practically died out. The descendants of the Volga Bulgars, in the formation of which a number of other Turkic and Finno-Ugric tribes took part, are the Chuvash and Kazan Tatars. From the very beginning, Islam took hold only in cities. The son of King Almus went on a pilgrimage to Mecca and stopped in Baghdad. After this, an alliance arose between Bulgaria and Bagdat. The subjects of Bulgaria paid the king taxes in horses, leather, etc. There was a customs office. The royal treasury also received duties (a tenth of the goods) from merchant ships. Of the kings of Bulgaria, Arab writers mention only Silk and Almus; Frehn was able to read three more names on the coins: Ahmed, Taleb and Mumen. The oldest of them, with the name of King Taleb, dates back to 338.
In addition, Byzantine-Russian treaties of the 20th century. mention a horde of black Bulgarians living near Crimea.

Volga Bulgaria

BULGARIA VOLGA-KAMA, state of the Volga-Kama, Finno-Ugric peoples in the XX-XV centuries. Capitals: the city of Bulgar, and from the 12th century. city ​​of Bilyar. By the 20th century, Sarmatia (Blue Rus') was divided into two khaganates - Northern Bulgaria and southern Khazaria.
The largest cities - Bolgar and Bilyar - were larger in area and population than London, Paris, Kyiv, Novgorod, Vladimir of that time.
Bulgaria played an important role in the process of ethnogenesis of modern Kazan Tatars, Chuvash, Mordovians, Udmurts, Mari and Komi, Finns and Estonians.
Bulgaria at the time of the formation of the Bulgar state (beginning of the 20th century), the center of which was the city of Bulgar (now the village of Bolgars of Tatarstan), was dependent on the Khazar Khaganate, ruled by Jews.
The Bulgarian king Almas turned to the Arab Caliphate for support, as a result of which Bulgaria adopted Islam as the state religion. The collapse of the Khazar Kaganate after its defeat by the Russian prince Svyatoslav I Igorevich in 965 secured the actual independence of Bulgaria.
Bulgaria becomes the most powerful state in Blue Rus'. The intersection of trade routes, the abundance of black soils in the absence of wars made this region rapidly prosperous. Bulgaria became the center of production. Wheat, furs, livestock, fish, honey, and handicrafts (hats, boots, known in the East as “bulgari,” leather) were exported from here. But the main income came from trade transit between East and West. Here since the 20th century. minted its own coin - the dirham.
In addition to Bulgar, other cities were known, such as Suvar, Bilyar, Oshel, etc.
Cities were powerful fortresses. There were many fortified estates of the Bulgar nobility.

Literacy among the population was widespread. Lawyers, theologians, doctors, historians, and astronomers live in Bulgaria. The poet Kul-Gali created the poem "Kysa and Yusuf", widely known in the Turkic literature of its time. After the adoption of Islam in 986, some Bulgar preachers visited Kyiv and Ladoga and suggested that the Great Russian Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich convert to Islam. Russian chronicles from the 10th century distinguish between the Volga, Silver or Nukrat (according to Kama) Bulgars, Timtyuz, Cheremshan and Khvalis.
Naturally, there was a continuous struggle for leadership in Rus'. Clashes with princes from White Rus' and Kyiv were common. In 969, they were attacked by the Russian prince Svyatoslav, who devastated their lands, according to the legend of the Arab Ibn Haukal, in revenge for the fact that in 913 they helped the Khazars destroy the Russian squad who undertook a campaign on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. In 985, Prince Vladimir also made a campaign against Bulgaria. In the 12th century, with the rise of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, which sought to spread its influence in the Volga region, the struggle between the two parts of Rus' intensified. The military threat forced the Bulgars to move their capital inland - to the city of Bilyar (now the village of Bilyarsk in Tatarstan). But the Bulgar princes did not remain in debt. The Bulgars managed to capture and plunder the city of Ustyug on the Northern Dvina in 1219. This was a fundamental victory, since here from the most primitive times there were ancient libraries of Vedic books and ancient monasteries of patronage
worshiped, as the ancients believed, by the god Hermes. It was in these monasteries that knowledge about ancient history peace. Most likely, it was in them that the military-religious class of the Huns arose and a set of laws of knightly honor was developed. However, the princes of White Rus' soon avenged the defeat. In 1220, Russian troops took Oshel and other Kama cities. Only a rich ransom prevented the ruin of the capital. After this, peace was established, confirmed in 1229 by the exchange of prisoners of war. Military clashes between the White Russians and the Bulgars occurred in 985, 1088, 1120, 1164, 1172, 1184, 1186, 1218, 1220, 1229 and 1236. During the invasions, the Bulgars reached Murom (1088 and 1184) and Ustyug (1218). At the same time, a single people lived in all three parts of Rus', often speaking dialects of the same language and descending from common ancestors. This could not but leave an imprint on the nature of the relationship between fraternal peoples. Thus, the Russian chronicler preserved under the year 1024 the news that in this
that year famine was raging in Suzdal and that the Bulgars supplied the Russians big amount of bread.

Loss of independence

In 1223, the Horde of Genghis Khan, who came from the depths of Eurasia, defeated the army of Red Rus' (Kievan-Polovtsian army) in the south in the Battle of Kalka, but on the way back they were badly beaten by the Bulgars. It is known that Genghis Khan, when he was still an ordinary shepherd, met the Bulgar brawler, a wandering philosopher from Blue Rus', who predicted a great fate for him. It seems that he passed on to Genghis Khan the same philosophy and religion that gave rise to the Huns in his time. Now a new Horde has arisen. This phenomenon occurs in Eurasia with enviable regularity as a response to degradation social order. And every time, through destruction, it gives birth to new life in Rus' and Europe.

In 1229 and 1232, the Bulgars managed to repel the attacks of the Horde again. In 1236, Genghis Khan's grandson Batu begins a new campaign to the West. In the spring of 1236, the Horde khan Subutai took the capital of the Bulgars. In the autumn of the same year, Bilyar and other cities of Blue Rus' were devastated. Bulgaria was forced to submit; but as soon as the Horde army left, the Bulgars left the alliance. Then Khan Subutai in 1240 was forced to invade a second time, accompanying the campaign with bloodshed and destruction.
In 1243, Batu founded the state of the Golden Horde in the Volga region, one of the provinces of which was Bulgaria. She enjoyed some autonomy, her princes became vassals of the Golden Horde Khan, paid him tribute and supplied soldiers to the Horde army. High culture Bulgaria became the most important component of the culture of the Golden Horde.
The end of the war helped revive the economy. It reached its greatest prosperity in this region of Rus' in the first half of the 14th century. By this time, Islam had established itself as the state religion of the Golden Horde. The city of Bulgar becomes the residence of the khan. The city attracted many palaces, mosques, and caravanserais. It had public baths, paved streets, and underground water supply. Here they were the first in Europe to master the smelting of cast iron. Jewelry and ceramics from these places were sold in medieval Europe and Asia.

The death of Volga Bulgaria and the birth of the people of Tatarstan

From the middle of the 14th century. The struggle for the Khan's throne begins, separatist tendencies intensify. In 1361, Prince Bulat-Temir seized a vast territory in the Volga region, including Bulgaria, from the Golden Horde. Khans of the Golden Horde only a short time manages to reunite the state, where everywhere there is a process of fragmentation and isolation. Bulgaria splits into two virtually independent principalities - Bulgarian and Zhukotinsky - with the center in the city of Zhukotin. After the outbreak of civil strife in the Golden Horde in 1359, the army of the Novgorodians captured Zhukotin. The Russian princes Dmitry Ioannovich and Vasily Dmitrievich took possession of other cities of Bulgaria and stationed their “customs officers” in them.
In the second half of the 14th and early 15th centuries, Bulgaria experienced constant military pressure from White Rus'. Bulgaria finally lost its independence in 1431, when the Moscow army of Prince Fyodor the Motley conquered the southern lands. Only the northern territories, the center of which was Kazan, retained independence. It was on the basis of these lands that the formation of the Kazan Khanate began and the degeneration of the ethnic group of the ancient inhabitants of Blue Rus' (and even earlier, the Aryans of the land of seven lights and lunar cults) into the Kazan Tatars. At this time, Bulgaria had already finally fallen under the rule of the Russian tsars, but exactly when it was impossible to say; in all likelihood, this happened under Ivan the Terrible, simultaneously with the fall of Kazan in 1552. However, the title of “sovereign of Bulgaria” was still borne by his grandfather, Ivan Sh. From this time, it can be considered that the formation of the ethnos of modern Tatars begins, which occurs already in the united Rus'. The Tatar princes form many outstanding clans of the Russian state, becoming
are famous military leaders, statesmen, scientists, cultural figures. Actually, the history of the Tatars, Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians is the history of one Russian people, whose horses go back to ancient times. Recent studies have shown that all European peoples, in one way or another, come from the Volga-Oka-Don area. Part of the once united people settled around the world, but some peoples always remained in their ancestral lands. The Tatars are just one of these.

Introduction

Chapter 1. Bulgaro-Tatar and Tatar-Mongol points of view on the ethnogenesis of the Tatars

Chapter 2. Turkic-Tatar theory of ethnogenesis of the Tatars and a number of alternative points of view

Conclusion

List of used literature

Introduction

At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. developed in the world and in the Russian Empire social phenomenon– nationalism. Which promoted the idea that it is very important for a person to identify himself with a certain social group - a nation (nationality). A nation was understood as a common territory of settlement, culture (especially a common literary language), and anthropological features (body structure, facial features). Against the background of this idea, in each of the social groups there was a struggle to preserve culture. The emerging and developing bourgeoisie became the herald of the ideas of nationalism. At this time, a similar struggle was being waged on the territory of Tatarstan - global social processes did not bypass our region.

In contrast to the revolutionary cries of the first quarter of the 20th century. and the last decade of the 20th century, who used very emotional terms - nation, nationality, people, in modern science it is customary to use a more cautious term - ethnic group, ethnos. This term carries within itself the same community of language and culture, like people, nation, and nationality, but does not need to clarify the nature or size social group. However, belonging to an ethnic group is still important social aspect for a person.

If you ask a passerby in Russia what nationality he is, then, as a rule, the passerby will proudly answer that he is Russian or Chuvash. And, of course, one of those who are proud of their ethnic origin will be a Tatar. But what will this word – “Tatar” – mean in the mouth of the speaker? In Tatarstan, not everyone who considers themselves a Tatar speaks or reads the Tatar language. Not everyone looks like a Tatar from a generally accepted point of view - a mixture of features of the Caucasian, Mongolian and Finno-Ugric anthropological types, for example. Among the Tatars there are Christians and many atheists, and not everyone who considers themselves a Muslim has read the Koran. But all this does not prevent the Tatar ethnic group from surviving, developing and being one of the most distinctive in the world.

The development of national culture entails the development of the history of the nation, especially if the study of this history has been prevented for a long time. As a result, the unspoken, and sometimes even public, ban on studying the region led to a particularly violent surge in the Tatar historical science, which is still observed today. Pluralism of opinions and lack of factual material led to the formation of several theories trying to combine greatest number known facts. Not just historical doctrines have been formed, but several historical schools that are conducting a scientific dispute among themselves. At first, historians and publicists were divided into “Bulgarists,” who considered the Tatars to be descended from the Volga Bulgars, and “Tatarists,” who considered the period of the formation of the Tatar nation to be the period of the existence of the Kazan Khanate and denied participation in the formation of the Bulgar nation. Subsequently, another theory appeared, on the one hand, contradicting the first two, and on the other, combining all the best of the existing theories. It was called “Turkic-Tatar”.

As a result, we can, based on the key points outlined above, formulate the purpose of this work: to reflect the largest range of points of view on the origin of the Tatars.

The tasks can be divided according to the points of view considered:

Consider the Bulgaro-Tatar and Tatar-Mongol points of view on the ethnogenesis of the Tatars;

Consider the Turkic-Tatar point of view on the ethnogenesis of the Tatars and a number of alternative points of view.

The chapter titles will correspond to the designated tasks.

point of view ethnogenesis of the Tatars

Chapter 1. Bulgaro-Tatar and Tatar-Mongol points of view on the ethnogenesis of the Tatars

It should be noted that in addition to linguistic and cultural community, as well as general anthropological features, historians pay a significant role to the origin of statehood. So, for example, the beginning of Russian history is considered not archaeological cultures pre-Slavic period and not even the tribal unions of the Eastern Slavs who migrated in the 3rd-4th centuries, but Kievan Rus, which formed by the 8th century. For some reason, a significant role in the formation of culture is given to the spread (official adoption) of monotheistic religion, which happened in Kievan Rus in 988, and in Volga Bulgaria in 922. Probably, first of all, the Bulgaro-Tatar theory arose from such premises.

The Bulgar-Tatar theory is based on the position that the ethnic basis of the Tatar people was the Bulgar ethnos, which formed in the Middle Volga and Urals region from the 8th century. n. e. (recently, some supporters of this theory began to attribute the appearance of Turkic-Bulgar tribes in the region to the 8th-7th centuries BC and earlier). The most important provisions of this concept are formulated as follows. The main ethnocultural traditions and features of the modern Tatar (Bulgaro-Tatar) people were formed during the period of Volga Bulgaria (X-XIII centuries), and in subsequent times (Golden Horde, Kazan Khan and Russian periods) they underwent only minor changes in language and culture. The principalities (sultanates) of the Volga Bulgars, being part of the Ulus of Jochi (Golden Horde), enjoyed significant political and cultural autonomy, and the influence of the Horde ethnopolitical system of power and culture (in particular, literature, art and architecture) was purely external in nature, which did not have any impact significant influence on Bulgarian society. The most important consequence of the dominance of the Ulus of Jochi was the disintegration of the unified state of the Volga Bulgaria into a number of possessions, and the single Bulgar nation into two ethno-territorial groups (“Bulgaro-Burtas” of the Mukhsha ulus and the “Bulgars” of the Volga-Kama Bulgar principalities). During the period of the Kazan Khanate, the Bulgar (“Bulgaro-Kazan”) ethnos strengthened the early pre-Mongol ethnocultural features, which continued to be traditionally preserved (including the self-name “Bulgars”) until the 1920s, when it was forcibly imposed on it by Tatar bourgeois nationalists and the Soviet government ethnonym "Tatars".

Let's go into a little more detail. Firstly, the migration of tribes from the foothills of the North Caucasus after the collapse of the state of Great Bulgaria. Why is it that at present the Bulgarians, the Bulgars assimilated by the Slavs, have become a Slavic people, and the Volga Bulgars are a Turkic-speaking people who have absorbed the population that lived in this area before them? Is it possible that there were much more newcomer Bulgars than local tribes? In this case, the postulate that Turkic-speaking tribes penetrated this territory long before the Bulgars appeared here - during the times of the Cimmerians, Scythians, Sarmatians, Huns, Khazars, looks much more logical. The history of Volga Bulgaria begins not with the fact that alien tribes founded the state, but with the unification of the door cities - the capitals of the tribal unions - Bulgar, Bilyar and Suvar. The traditions of statehood also did not necessarily come from alien tribes, since local tribes neighbored powerful ancient states - for example, the Scythian kingdom. In addition, the position that the Bulgars assimilated local tribes contradicts the position that the Bulgars themselves were not assimilated by the Tatar-Mongols. As a result, the Bulgar-Tatar theory is broken by the fact that the Chuvash language is much closer to the Old Bulgar than the Tatar. And the Tatars today speak the Turkic-Kipchak dialect.

However, the theory is not without merits. For example, the anthropological type of the Kazan Tatars, especially men, makes them similar to the peoples of the North Caucasus and indicates the origin of their facial features - a hooked nose, a Caucasian type - in the mountainous area, and not in the steppe.

Until the early 90s of the 20th century, the Bulgaro-Tatar theory of the ethnogenesis of the Tatar people was actively developed by a whole galaxy of scientists, including A. P. Smirnov, H. G. Gimadi, N. F. Kalinin, L. Z. Zalyai, G. V. Yusupov, T. A. Trofimova, A. Kh. Khalikov, M. Z. Zakiev, A. G. Karimullin, S. Kh. Alishev.

The theory of the Tatar-Mongolian origin of the Tatar people is based on the fact of the resettlement of nomadic Tatar-Mongolian (Central Asian) ethnic groups to Europe, who, having mixed with the Kipchaks and adopted Islam during the period of the Ulus of Jochi (Golden Horde), created the basis of the culture of modern Tatars. The origins of the theory of the Tatar-Mongol origin of the Tatars should be sought in medieval chronicles, as well as in folk legends and epics. The greatness of the powers founded by the Mongolian and Golden Horde khans is spoken of in the legends of Genghis Khan, Aksak-Timur, and the epic of Idegei.

Supporters of this theory deny or downplay the importance of Volga Bulgaria and its culture in the history of the Kazan Tatars, believing that Bulgaria was an underdeveloped state, without urban culture and with a superficially Islamized population.

During the period of the Ulus of Jochi, the local Bulgar population was partially exterminated or, retaining paganism, moved to the outskirts, and the main part was assimilated by incoming Muslim groups who brought urban culture and a language of the Kipchak type.

Here again it should be noted that, according to many historians, the Kipchaks were irreconcilable enemies with the Tatar-Mongols. That both campaigns of the Tatar-Mongol troops - under the leadership of Subedei and Batu - were aimed at the defeat and destruction of the Kipchak tribes. In other words, the Kipchak tribes during the Tatar-Mongol invasion were exterminated or driven to the outskirts.

In the first case, the exterminated Kipchaks, in principle, could not cause the formation of a nationality within the Volga Bulgaria; in the second case, it is illogical to call the theory Tatar-Mongol, since the Kipchaks did not belong to the Tatar-Mongols and were a completely different tribe, albeit Turkic-speaking.

A peculiarity of the Tatar nationality is the absence of pronounced appearance features, which would make it possible to unmistakably distinguish its representatives from other peoples. Their appearance varies depending on the ethnic group to which they belong. However, anthropology still identifies signs of what Tatars look like, taking into account their characteristic features.

How to identify a Tatar: typical features of nationality

Tatars (self-name “Tatarlar”) belong to Turkic group, the white race. Since ancient times, the populous ethnic group has influenced the development of Eurasia. The history of the Middle Ages tells how the nation held in suspense a vast territory from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic coast.

The variety of appearance types of the people is due to their origin, since among the ancestors of the Tatars there were representatives of both the Mongoloid and European races. This also explains the prevalence and population of the nation.

The mixed race, which the Tatars belong to, allows us to see among its representatives dark-haired and fair-haired, red-haired, brown-eyed, gray-eyed, and so on.

Depending on where they came from and where they live, many types of a given nationality are distinguished.

These include:

• Kazan;
• Kasimovsky;
• Siberian;
• Astrakhan;
• Permian;
• Crimean Tatars;
• mishari;
• Teptyari;
• Kryashens;
• Nagaibaks and others.

The size of the nation in Russia in 2010, according to Wikipedia, is 5.3 million people. As a percentage, the indicator is how many Tatars are from total number population is 3.87%. In terms of prevalence in the Russian Federation, the nationality is recognized as the second after Russian. There are about a million Tatars in the world, they make up more than half of the population of the Republic of Tatarstan (53%), and in the USA, according to statistics, only 2-7 thousand people live.

Representatives of the nation speak the Tatar language, which includes Western and Kazan dialects. In the religion of the people there are Muslims, Orthodox Christians (Kryashens) or atheists (no faith in God). Predominantly in their religion, Tatars belong to Sunnis, not Shiites.

The characteristics of anthropological types help determine nationality by facial features.

Among the Tatars there are 4 of them:

Each of them is characterized by the features shown in the photo.

Head shape

Tatars are characterized by mesocephaly or subbrachycephaly (cranial index 76-80), that is, they are predominantly medium-headed, moderately long and wide skull and oval face.

The Mongoloid type is characterized by brachycephaly, that is, short-headedness. At the same time, the face is wide and flattened.

The photo shows TV presenter Almaz Garayev and actor and TV presenter Timur Batrutdinov.

Almaz Garayev

Timur Batrutdinov

Eyes

It is believed that Tatars are characterized by a Mongolian eye shape and narrow shape. However, this is not necessary; the epicanthus is found predominantly in the Mongoloid type and is poorly developed in the sublaponoid type.

Such signs are unusual for other anthropological types.

The color varies: Tatars are blue-eyed and have brown eyes. But the most common are green ones.

The photo shows singer, actor and director Dmitry Bikbaev.

It is difficult to identify a Tatar by his appearance.

A more typical type is presented below - singer, actor, composer, producer, film director Renat Ibragimov.

Nose

The shape of the olfactory organ among Tatars is varied. Usually the nose is wide, with a straight back or a slight hump. The Pontic type is characterized by a drooping tip, while the Mongoloid and sublaponoid types are characterized by a low nose bridge.

The photo shows singer, actor, entrepreneur, composer, producer Timati (Timur Yunusov) and successful tennis player Marat Safin.

Marat Safin

Hair

Tatars are predominantly characterized by black hair color. But unlike the Uzbeks, Mongols, and Tajiks, there are also fair-haired representatives of the nationality. Tatars can have light brown or red color.

The photographs show Russian football player Ruslan Nigmatullin and actor Marat Basharov.

Ruslan Nigmatullin

Marat Basharov

Appearance of the Tatars

The generalized image of what Tatars are like is a person of average height with mixed pigmentation of eyes and hair, a moderately wide oval face, a straight or hump nose. Men are distinguished by their strongly built bodies and stockiness; women, on the contrary, are frail.

The appearance of Tatars sometimes differs significantly, depending on their belonging to a particular ethnic group.

Kazansky

Among the Tatars of this ethnic group, European appearance features are often observed: light brown hair, sometimes red, light eyes, a narrow nose, straight or with a hump. This type is similar to the Slavs.

Mongols may have a wide oval face and narrowed eyes.

Men are characterized by average height, strong build, and short neck. This is due to mixing of blood with Finnish peoples.

The picture shows Kazan Tatar celebrities.

Crimean

The Tatars of this group appeared in the 15th century. Its representatives live in the south of Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Turkey, and Uzbekistan (where they were deported from Crimea in the mid-20th century).

Pure-blooded Crimean Tatars have an appearance close to Slavic. The real representatives of the nation had high growth, light brown or red hair, light eyes and skin.

However, the proximity to Asians introduced characteristic features into the image of the nationality. Many Tatars acquired the appropriate type of face, dark hair and eyes, and dark complexion.

After returning to Crimea, the people are reviving lost original customs and traditions.

The photo shows the Crimean and Kazan Tatars, where the features can be traced, how the ethnic groups differ from each other.

Ural

The history of the Tatars in the Southern Urals has been little studied, today Chelyabinsk region has a huge number of communities.

The anthropological type of a representative of a nationality is presented in the figure.

Often there are dark hair and eyes, possibly narrowed, a wide oval face and nose, prominent cheekbones, and large ears.

Volga region

The Tatars of this group are characterized by signs of the Mongoloid race. This is manifested by dark hair, gray or brown eyes with a crease in the upper eyelid, a wide nose, sometimes with a hump, and usually fair skin.

Men are distinguished by a strong physique and above average height.

Siberian

It is characterized by an oriental appearance, which is visually easy to distinguish from Russian. Characterized by a mixture of Caucasoid and Mongoloid types. Sometimes the appearance of Siberian Tatars is comparable to that of Uzbekistan.

Representatives of the nationality have dark hair and eyes, prominent cheekbones, and a wide oriental nose. The physique is correct, men are characterized by strength and endurance.

Gorkovsky (Nizhny Novgorod)

They act as a subethnic group of Tatar-Mishars. Their characteristic feature- clicking Nizhny Novgorod dialect. Live in Nizhny Novgorod, Dzerzhinsk and Tatar villages.

The Pontic anthropological type of appearance predominates, manifested by dark or mixed pigmentation of the eyes and hair, a nose with a hump and a drooping tip, and average height. Caucasian features are possible, differing from the previous ones in light hair and eye color. The Mongoloid type of appearance is not numerous.

Astrakhan

A group of Tatars formed on the territory of the modern Astrakhan region. They are considered descendants of the Turkic-speaking population of the Golden Horde and have their own dialect.

In the course of historical development, the people experienced the influence of the Nogais.

The appearance of the Astrakhan Tatars is more characterized by Mongoloid features than Caucasoid ones. There is a dark color of hair and eyes, some narrowness, a wide oval face and nose.

What do Tatar women look like?

The appearance features of the fairer sex of Tatar nationality are similar to those of men. Most of them are of European ethnicity, however, the Mongoloid type is also common.

The photo shows various types of Tatar appearance: the famous journalist and TV presenter Liliya Gildeeva and the beautiful Miss “Youth of Tatarstan 2012” Albina Zamaleeva.

Liliya Gildeeva

Albina Zamaleeva

Face

Tatar girls are characterized by a rounded oval face, unexpressed squinting of the eyes, and possibly the presence of epicanthus. Their color varies from blue to black. Green eyes are more common.

The photo shows the singer AsylYar (Alsu Zainutdinova).

Her biography notes that she is the very first in history to perform a song in the Tatar language at the International Eurovision Song Contest.

Hair color is also varied; among Tatar women there are blondes, brunettes, brown-haired, and redheads.

The photo shows the Olympic champion of Europe and Russia in rhythmic gymnastics, State Duma deputy Alina Kabaeva and model Diana Farkhullina.

Alina Kabaeva

Diana Farhullina

Depending on the type of appearance, the skin is dark or light. It is often whiter than that of representatives of Slavic nationality.

Figure

Most Tatar women are characterized by slender figures, fragility and grace. An example of this is theater and film actress Chulpan Khamatova.

Tatar women are of average height, about 165 centimeters, long legs are uncharacteristic. Some representatives of the nation are characterized by a square figure: broad shoulders along with the same hips. A narrow waist emphasizes the beauty of Tatar women.

The photograph shows the famous fashion model Irina Shayk (Shaykhlislamova), a Tatar on her father’s side.

Features of character and mentality

To understand who the Tatars are, it is important to know who they came from. Their origin left an imprint on their appearance and lifestyle.

Briefly, the theory of where the Tatars came from calls the ancient state of Volga Bulgaria the place where the roots of the nation were formed. Their ancestors are the Bulgars. The Turkic-Bulgar ethnos came from the Asian steppes and settled in the Middle Volga region. IN X-XIII centuries the people created their own statehood. We are mainly talking about the Volga-Ural group, other varieties are considered as separate communities. For example, the theory of Tatar-Mongol origin reduces or even denies the participation of Volga Bulgaria in the history of the Kazan Tatars.

There is often a dispute about whether Tatars are Asians or Europeans. It is due to racial mixing. Geneticists claim that the nation is mostly Caucasian, with a minority of Mongoloids.

The photo shows Tatar boys and girls in national costumes.

The mentality and culture of the people are influenced by their religion - they profess Islam, which they adopted on May 21, 922.

The character of a Tatar man is characterized by stubbornness and indifference. However, at the same time, he is hardworking, hospitable, and has a sense of self-esteem, which is sometimes perceived as pride and arrogance. Crimean Tatars highlights calmness and enterprise in stressful situations. They are careerists, striving for knowledge and new opportunities.

What kind of Tatar men are in relationships is determined by their character: they are reliable, reasonable, law-abiding, purposeful. Religion allows polygamy, but it is extremely rare. Usually a second wife, a younger one, is brought into the house to help with everyday life when the first one gets old.

A Tatar wife is obedient and submissive to her husband, devoted in love; from childhood, girls are prepared for a long-lasting and only marriage. Women are inquisitive, clean, hospitable, attentive to people, love to cook and raise children. Among the dishes that the Tatars eat are kazylyk (dried horse meat), gubadia (layer cake), talkysh kaleve (dessert), and chak-chak. The basis of culinary masterpieces is dough and a thick layer of fat.

Tatar women follow fashion, are interested in new products and love beautiful clothes: despite being submissive to their husbands and being faithful to customs and traditions, you won’t find her in a black burqa.

The photo shows singer Alsou (Safina/Abramova).

It is believed that Tatar women are passionate in bed, and men are skilled lovers.

Religion does not prohibit marriages with people of other faiths, so a Tatar wife and a Russian husband meet, and vice versa. Such families are quite happy, each member adheres to his own religious beliefs. From a mixture of Russians and Tatars, mestizos are born. Children of mixed blood are often outwardly attractive, combining the features of 2 nationalities.

An interesting fact is the appearance in some infants of a sign of belonging to Mongoloid race- specific spot (Mongolian). This Tatar mark in a child is a bluish patch of skin on the buttocks, sacrum, and thighs.

Sometimes it is mistaken for a bruise, although this is considered a sign of oriental blood. With age, the spot disappears.

Tatarov emphasizes worship and respect for elders.

The marriage ceremony is interesting. After the wedding, the guy and the girl do not live together for another year. It is considered correct that at this time the young woman remains with her parents, and the husband (in Tatar the word sounds “ir”) comes as a guest.

Differences from other nations

By comparing the appearances of the Tatars and similar peoples, identical and distinctive features are identified.

For example, the Bashkirs also belong to the Turkic family, have a similar language and adhere to the same religion. However, there are differences in appearance. Tatars are predominantly characterized by Caucasian features, while Bashkirs are characterized by Mongoloid features.

Bashkirka

There is a theory that Jews are similar to Tatars. This is due to the similar structure of DNA. Proponents of the hypothesis believe that the majority of Ashkenazi Jews did not belong to Israel and are Turks.

There is a commonality between the Tatars and the Turks. This is their belonging to the Turkic peoples.

The Tatars also have a close connection with the Kazakhs. Previously, they were classified as one people, connected by the Turkic community. However, it is not difficult to distinguish nationality by appearance.

For visual comparison, the picture shows the anthropological types of different peoples.

Stereotypes

There are many stereotypes about the Tatar people, right and wrong, which have become obsolete or to this day are their distinctive features.

• An uninvited guest is worse than a Tatar!- phraseological unit refers to the time when the Russians were under the yoke. The Tatars were cruel invaders, they showed violence and ferocity. The Russians accordingly considered them a nasty people and hated them with all their hearts. Therefore, the uninvited guest in the proverb appears as an unexpected invader, like the Tatarva, as they were disparagingly called in Rus'.
• The Tatars are cunning and stingy. People are characterized by frugality; they do not like to waste money. The Tatar is thrifty and prosperous, creating comfortable living conditions for himself, managing his finances wisely.
• Self-love and arrogance. Sometimes Tatars call themselves special, arguing that great people have their roots. This is the reason why representatives of the nation are not liked. However, it is also common for other nationalities to extol their people and consider them better than others.
• Tea lovers. Not a single event or meeting takes place without a drink.
• Hospitality. Tatars are friendly and inquisitive. They are happy to receive guests in the house. The hosts will put exquisite Tatar delicacies on the table and maintain a pleasant conversation