| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Official name | Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex |
| Location | Tatarstan,Russia |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii), (vi) |
| Reference | 981rev |
| Inscription | 2014 (38thSession) |
| Area | 424 ha (1.64 sq mi) |
| Buffer zone | 12,101 ha (46.72 sq mi) |
| Coordinates | 54°58′44″N49°03′23″E / 54.97889°N 49.05639°E /54.97889; 49.05639 |
  Location of Bolghar in Russia | |
Bolghar (Russian:Болгарское городище) was intermittently the capital ofVolga Bulgaria from the 10th to the 13th centuries, along withBilyar and Nur-Suvar. It was situated on the bank of theVolga River, about 30 km downstream from its confluence with theKama River and some 130 km from modernKazan in what is nowSpassky District. West of it lies a small modern town, since 1991 known asBolgar. TheUNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex (ancient Bolgharhill fort) to theWorld Heritage List in 2014.[1]
The city is supposed to have been the capital ofVolga Bulgaria from as early as the 10th century. RegularKievan Rus' incursions along the Volga, and internecine fights, forced the VolgaBulgar kings (khagans) to intermittently move their capital toBilyar.[citation needed]
During theMongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria in the 13th century, theGolden Horde conquered the realm. After a destruction of Bilyar during the Mongol invasion, the older capital became a centre of a separate province (or duchy) within theGolden Horde.[citation needed] It lay outside theulus itself, but had direct Mongol presence.[2] The Mongols eliminated the existing socio-political structure of the Volga Bolgars.[2] During the period of Mongol domination Bolgar acquired immense wealth and many imposing buildings and grew tenfold in size.[citation needed] The taxation of regions such as Bolgar, Khwarizm, Crimea and Azerbaijan filled the Golden Horde's coffers with great wealth, and the Mongols replaced the sitting rulers of Bolgar and Khwarizm with their own, while the Rus' principalities in the west brought them comparatively little revenue, and they left the local princes in Rus', Armenia and Georgia in charge.[2]
The late 14th century saw a marked decline in its fortunes. It was sacked byBulat-Timur [ru] in 1361 during theGreat Troubles.[citation needed] TheMuscovite–Volga Bulgars war (1376) sawMuscovy andNizhny Novgorod-Suzdal briefly capture Grand Bolgar and installing their owndoroga andtamozhnia (customs collector), which probably were existing offices at the time, before the Tatars retook the city.[3] It was endangered byTimur during theTokhtamysh–Timur war. As a Muslim religious center Bolgar persevered until the mid-16th century when theKhanate of Kazan was conquered by the Russian TsarIvan IV and incorporated into the Russian state.[citation needed]
During Tsarist rule the site of the ancient town was settled by Russian commoners. TsarPeter the Great issued a specialukase to preserve the surviving ruins, which was the first Russian law aimed at preserving historical heritage.[citation needed]
During the Soviet period, Bolgar was a center of a local Islamic movement known asThe LittleHajj; Muslims from Tatarstan and other parts of theSoviet Union could not participate in the hajj toMecca, so they travelled instead to Bolgar.[citation needed]
The Tatars refer to the medieval capital of Volga Bolgaria asShahri Bolghar (Tatar:Шәһри Болгар), that isPersian for "the City of Bolghar". The town is part of their cultural heritage, because Volga Bulgaria is the predecessor state of theKhanate of Kazan, which in turn is in a way the predecessor of today's Russian republic ofTatarstan.[citation needed]
Today, the capital of Tatarstan isKazan, but many Tatars consider Bolghar to be their ancient and religious capital and to allow a glimpse of Muslim Bulgar life before theMongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria.[citation needed]
Media related toBolghar ancient settlement at Wikimedia Commons