Tatars are all about them. Separate regional groups. Great and terrible

The origin of the name "Tatars" attracted the attention of many researchers. About the origin of this name there are different interpretations, and still exist different opinions and about the etymology of the word "Tatars" itself. Some derive the etymology of this word from "mountain dweller", where "tat" supposedly means a mountain, and "ar" means a resident. " The component ar is known to be found in the names of many peoples: Bulgarians, Magyars, Avars, Khazars, Mishar, Suvar, etc. Ar is considered a word of Persian origin in the meaning of “man”. The Türkic ir - man - is usually identified with ar. With this etymology, it seems that the ethnonym "Tatars" is of Turkic origin.

O. Belozerskaya, relying on works on the etymology of other authors, connects the origin of the name "Tatars" with the Persian word tepter (deftar is a notebook recorded in the list) in the sense of "colonist". The ethnonym, or rather, the microethnonym Tiptyar of a later origin. This name began to denote the Bulgars and others who migrated from the Middle Volga region, from the Kazan Khanate to the Urals, to Bashkiria in the 16th-17th centuries, and, as we see, there is nothing in common in the etymology of “Tatars” and “tiptyars”. There are attempts to explain the etymology of "Tatars" from the Tungus word ta-ta in the meaning of "arrow from a bow", "drag", "pull", which is also doubtful.

The well-known Türkologist D. Ye. Yeremeyev connects the origin of this ethnonym with the ancient Persian word and people: “In the ethnonym“ Tatars ”the first component of Tat can be compared with one of the names of the ancient Iranian population. According to Mahmut Kashgari, “Tatami the Turks call those who speak Farsi,” that is, in general in Iranian languages, since, for example, he also calls Sogdians farces. In addition, the Türks also called tatami other neighbors - the Chinese and the Uighurs. The original meaning of the word "tat" was most likely "Iranian", "speaking Iranian", but then this word began to denote all strangers, strangers "(D. Ye. Eremeev. On the semantics of Turkic ethnonymy - In collection: Ethnonyms .M., 1970, p. 134).

In medieval Western European literature, even Russians began to be identified with the Tatars, Muscovy was simultaneously called "Tartaria", since at one time both Russians and Bulgars were subjects of the Golden Horde. Like the Chinese, medieval Europe considered itself the center of the Earth and culture, and therefore Western Europeans (read: clerics, churchmen, first of all) considered all other peoples to be barbarians - tartars! Thus, a vicious circle emerged: the merger of the "ta-ta" coming from China and the "tartar" from the West in the same meaning of barbarian, which contributed to the consolidation of this name in a common sense in the minds of the masses of Europe. The phonetic similarity between "ta-ta" and "tartar" made this identification even easier.

In such "favorable" conditions, priests, semi-official ideologists and historians did not have much difficulty in presenting the Tatars as barbarians, savages, descendants of the Mongol conquerors, which led to confusion in one name different nations... The consequence of this is, first of all, a distorted idea of ​​the origin of modern Tatars. All that has been said ultimately led and is leading to the falsification of the history of many Turkic peoples, first of all, modern Tatars. The outstanding Russian geographer and historian, teacher of the Turkologist academician V.V. Radlov, mentioned by K. Ritter correctly noted: transferred to the western Turkic, so to the eastern Manchu people of the Mongol tribe, this name, as an updated concept, means a chaotic mass of people in the country of Central Asia, it is very difficult to study them - historical and geographical descriptions this part of the world. " As we can see, even in the middle of the 19th century, some Russian scientists were well aware of the urgent need to distinguish the names of Mongols and Tatars from the names of the Turkic peoples and pointed out that their free use leads to a distortion of the history, the past of individual peoples, complicates an objective study of history, culture, language, origin peoples.

The question of the concreteness of terms is one of the most relevant in any field of knowledge. It is not for nothing that scientists write that if it were possible to eliminate the different understanding and interpretation of certain terms, science would get rid of a large burden, the husk of antinomy and its development would go much faster. We also see this kind of phenomenon in a different understanding of the ethnonym "Tatars", which leads to various kinds of fictions, confusion, and ultimately to a distortion of the history of the origin of an entire people.

Each nation has its own distinctive features, which make it possible to determine the nationality of a person almost without errors. It is worth noting that the Asian peoples are very similar to each other, since they are all descendants of the Mongoloid race. How can a Tatar be identified? What is the difference between the appearance of the Tatars?

Uniqueness

Without a doubt, each person is unique, regardless of nationality. And yet there are some common features that unite representatives of a race or nationality. It is customary to refer the Tatars to 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, the Tatars do not have pronounced features of appearance.

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, sometimes fair-haired, sometimes even red-haired representatives are found. This, for example, cannot be said about Uzbeks, Mongols or Tajiks. Do the eyes of the Tatars have any peculiarities? They do not necessarily have narrow eyes and dark skin. Are there any common features of the Tatars' appearance?

Description of the Tatars: a little history

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

In history Tatar people there were both ups and downs. Periods of peace gave way to violent times of bloodshed. The ancestors of modern Tatars took part in the creation of several strong states... 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 led to the variety 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 signs of the Mongoloid race, are distinguished by the following features: dark hair, pronounced cheekbones, Brown eyes, wide nose, crease 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). The nose is humped, oriental type. The physique is correct. In general, the men of this group are quite tall and hardy. Their skin is not dark. Such 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: strong man... From the Mongols, a wide oval of the face and a slightly narrowed cut of the eyes are noticeable. The neck is short and strong. Men rarely wear thick beards. Such features are explained by the fusion of Tatar blood with various Finnish peoples.

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 to her husband's house: for another year she will live in her family. It is curious that her newly-made husband comes to her as a guest. Tatar girls are ready to wait for their lover.

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

The most common Tatars of the European type are the owners of light brown hair and light eyes. The nose is narrow, aquiline or with a hump. The growth is low - in women, 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 distinguishes Tatars especially. It was noted that representatives of this people tend to be guided by reason, adjust 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. The work is carried through to the end, they have a habit of getting their way.

A purebred Tatar strives to gain new knowledge, showing enviable perseverance and responsibility. The Crimean Tatars have a special indifference and calmness in stressful situations... Tatars are very curious and talkative, but during work they are 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 distinguishes the Tatars. In their homes, they do not tolerate disorder and dirt. Moreover, this does not depend on financial capabilities - both rich and poor Tatar 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 a modest income, they show cordial hospitality, ready to share a modest dinner with a guest.

Tatar women stand out for their great curiosity. They are attracted by beautiful clothes, they observe people of other nationalities with interest, follow fashion. Tatars are very attached to their home, they devote themselves to raising children.

Tatar women

What an amazing creature - a Tatar woman! An immeasurable one is laid in her heart, deepest love to your loved ones, to your children. Its purpose is to bring peace to people, to serve as an example of peacefulness and morality. The Tatar woman is distinguished by a sense of harmony and special musicality. She radiates a certain spirituality and nobility of the soul. Inner world Tatars are full of riches!

Tatar girls with young years focused on strong, durable marriage. After all, they want to love their husband and raise future children behind solid walls of reliability and trust. No wonder it says Tatar proverb: "A woman without a husband is like a horse without a bridle!" Her husband's word is law for her. Although witty Tatar women supplement - for any law, however, there is also an amendment! And yet they are devoted women who sacredly honor traditions and customs. However, do not expect to see a Tatar in a black burqa - this is a stylish lady who has a sense of her own dignity.

The appearance of the Tatars is very well-groomed. Fashionistas have stylized clothes in their wardrobe that emphasize her nationality. For example, there are shoes that imitate chitek - national leather boots worn by Tatar girls. Another example is appliqués, where patterns convey the stunning beauty of the terrestrial flora.

And what about 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 basis of the main dishes is often dough and fat. Even a lot of dough, a lot of fat! Of course, this is not the healthiest food, although guests are usually offered exotic dishes: kazylyk (or dried horse meat), gubadiya (a puff cake with a wide variety of fillings, from cottage cheese to meat), talkysh-kaleva (incredibly high-calorie dessert from flour, butter and honey). You can drink all this rich treat with ayran (a mixture of katyk and water) or traditional tea.

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

How the Tatars appeared. The origin of the Tatar people

How the Tatars appeared. The origin of the Tatar people

The leading group of the Tatar ethnic group is the Kazan Tatars. And now, few people doubt that the Bulgars were their ancestors. How did it happen that the Bulgars became Tatars? The versions of the origin of this ethnonym are very curious.

Türkic origin of the ethnonym

For the first time the name "Tatars" is found in the 8th century in the inscription on the monument to the famous commander Kyul-tegin, which was erected during the time of the Second Turkic Khaganate - the state of the Turks, which was located on the territory of modern Mongolia, but had a larger area. The inscription mentions the tribal unions "Otuz-Tatars" and "Tokuz-Tatars".

V X-XII centuries the ethnonym "Tatars" spread in China, Central Asia and Iran. The XI century scientist Mahmud Kashgari in his writings called the "Tatar steppe" the space between North China and East Turkestan.

Perhaps that is why in early XIII centuries, this was also the name for the Mongols, who by this time had defeated the Tatar tribes and seized their lands.

Turkic-Persian origin

Scientist anthropologist Aleksey Sukharev in his work "Kazan Tatars", published from St. Petersburg in 1902, noticed that the ethnonym Tatars comes from the Turkic word "tat", which means nothing more than mountains, and the words of Persian origin "ar" or " ir ”, which means a person, a man, a resident. This word is found among many peoples: Bulgarians, Magyars, Khazars. It is also found among the Turks.

Persian origin

Soviet researcher Olga Belozerskaya linked the origin of the ethnonym with the Persian word "tepter" or "deftar", which is interpreted as "colonist". However, it is noted that the ethnonym "Tiptyar" is of a later origin. Most likely, it arose in the XVI-XVII centuries, when they began to call the Bulgars who moved from their lands to the Urals or Bashkiria.

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Ancient Persian origin

There is a hypothesis that the name "Tatars" came from the ancient Persian word "tat" - that is how the Persians were called in the old days. Researchers refer to the 11th century scientist Mahmut Kashgari, who wrote that“Tatami is called by the Turks those who speak Farsi”.

However, the Turks called tatami both the Chinese and even the Uighurs. And it could well happen that tat meant "foreigner", "foreign language". However, one does not contradict the other. After all, the Turks could call tatami, first Iranian-speaking, and then the name could spread to other strangers.

By the way, Russian word"Thief", too, may have been borrowed from the Persians.

Greek origin

We all know that among the ancient Greeks the word "tartarus" meant the other world, hell. Thus, "tartarin" was an inhabitant of the underground depths. This name arose even before the invasion of Batu's troops to Europe. Perhaps it was brought here by travelers and merchants, but even then the word "Tatars" was associated with the Eastern barbarians among Europeans.

After the invasion of Batu Khan, Europeans began to perceive them exclusively as a people who came out of hell and brought the horrors of war and death. Ludwig IX was nicknamed saint because he prayed himself and called on his people to pray in order to avoid the invasion of Batu. As we remember, Khan Udegey died at this time. The Mongols turned back. This assured the Europeans that they were right.

From now on, among the peoples of Europe, the Tatars have become a generalization of all the barbarian peoples living in the east.

For the sake of fairness, it must be said that on some old maps of Europe, Tartary began immediately beyond the Russian border. The Mongol Empire collapsed in the 15th century, but European historians up to the 18th century continued to call all eastern peoples from the Volga to China as Tatars.

By the way, the Tatar Strait, which separates Sakhalin Island from the mainland, is called this way because “Tatars” - Orochi and Udege - also lived on its shores. In any case, this was the opinion of Jean Francois La Perouse, who gave the name to the strait.

Chinese origin

Some scholars believe that the ethnonym "Tatars" has Chinese origin... Back in the 5th century, a tribe lived in the northeast of Mongolia and Manchuria, which the Chinese called "ta-ta", "yes-da" or "Tatan". And in some dialects of Chinese the name sounded exactly like "Tatar" or "Tartar" because of the nasal diphthong.

The tribe was warlike and constantly disturbed the neighbors. Perhaps later the name tartare spread to other peoples that were unfriendly to the Chinese.

Most likely, it was from China that the name "Tatars" penetrated Arab and Persian literary sources.

The leading group of the Tatar ethnic group is the Kazan Tatars. And now, few people doubt that the Bulgars were their ancestors. How did it happen that the Bulgars became Tatars? The versions of the origin of this ethnonym are very curious.

Türkic origin of the ethnonym

For the first time the name "Tatars" is found in the 8th century in the inscription on the monument to the famous commander Kyul-tegin, which was erected during the time of the Second Turkic Khaganate - the state of the Turks, which was located on the territory of modern Mongolia, but had a larger area. The inscription mentions the tribal unions "Otuz-Tatars" and "Tokuz-Tatars".

In the X-XII centuries the ethnonym "Tatars" spread in China, Central Asia and Iran. The XI century scientist Mahmud Kashgari in his writings called the "Tatar steppe" the space between North China and East Turkestan.

Perhaps that is why at the beginning of the 13th century, the Mongols were also called so, who by that time had defeated the Tatar tribes and seized their lands.

Turkic-Persian origin

Scientist anthropologist Alexei Sukharev in his work "Kazan Tatars", published from St. Petersburg in 1902, noticed that the ethnonym Tatars comes from the Turkic word "tat", which means nothing more than mountains, and the words of Persian origin "ar" or " ir ”, which means a person, a man, a resident. This word is found among many peoples: Bulgarians, Magyars, Khazars. It is also found among the Turks.

Persian origin

Soviet researcher Olga Belozerskaya linked the origin of the ethnonym with the Persian word "tepter" or "deftar", which is interpreted as "colonist". However, it is noted that the ethnonym "Tiptyar" is of a later origin. Most likely, it arose in the XVI-XVII centuries, when they began to call the Bulgars who moved from their lands to the Urals or Bashkiria.

Ancient Persian origin

There is a hypothesis that the name "Tatars" came from the ancient Persian word "tat" - that is how the Persians were called in the old days. Researchers refer to the 11th century scholar Mahmut Kashgari, who wrote that “tatami is called by the Turks who speak Farsi”.

However, the Turks called tatami both the Chinese and even the Uighurs. And it could well happen that tat meant "foreigner", "foreign language". However, one does not contradict the other. After all, the Turks could call tatami, first Iranian-speaking, and then the name could spread to other strangers.
By the way, the Russian word "tat" may also be borrowed from the Persians.

Greek origin

We all know that among the ancient Greeks the word "tartarus" meant the other world, hell. Thus, "tartarin" was an inhabitant of the underground depths. This name arose even before the invasion of Batu's troops to Europe. Perhaps it was brought here by travelers and merchants, but even then the word "Tatars" was associated with the Eastern barbarians among Europeans.
After the invasion of Batu Khan, Europeans began to perceive them exclusively as a people who came out of hell and brought the horrors of war and death. Ludwig IX was nicknamed saint because he prayed himself and called on his people to pray in order to avoid the invasion of Batu. As we remember, Khan Udegey died at this time. The Mongols turned back. This assured the Europeans that they were right.

From now on, among the peoples of Europe, the Tatars have become a generalization of all the barbarian peoples living in the east.

For the sake of fairness, it must be said that on some old maps of Europe, Tartary began immediately beyond the Russian border. The Mongol Empire collapsed in the 15th century, but European historians up to the 18th century continued to call all eastern peoples from the Volga to China as Tatars.
By the way, the Tatar Strait, which separates Sakhalin Island from the mainland, is called this way because “Tatars” - Orochi and Udege - also lived on its shores. In any case, this was the opinion of Jean Francois La Perouse, who gave the name to the strait.

Chinese origin

Some scholars believe that the ethnonym "Tatars" is of Chinese origin. Back in the 5th century, a tribe lived in the northeast of Mongolia and Manchuria, which the Chinese called "ta-ta", "yes-da" or "Tatan". And in some dialects of Chinese the name sounded exactly like "Tatar" or "Tartar" because of the nasal diphthong.
The tribe was warlike and constantly harassed the neighbors. Perhaps later the name tartare spread to other peoples that were unfriendly to the Chinese.

Most likely, it was from China that the name "Tatars" penetrated Arab and Persian literary sources.

According to legend, the warlike tribe itself was destroyed by Genghis Khan. This is what the Mongol scholar Yevgeny Kychanov wrote about this: “This is how the Tatars tribe perished, which even before the rise of the Mongols gave its name as a common noun to all Tatar-Mongol tribes. And when in distant auls and villages in the West, twenty to thirty years after that massacre, alarming shouts were heard: "Tatars!" ("The Life of Temujin, Who Thought to Conquer the World").
Genghis Khan himself categorically forbade calling the Mongols Tatars.
By the way, there is a version that the name of the tribe could also come from the Tungus word "ta-ta" - to pull the bowstring.

Tokharian origin

The emergence of the name could also be associated with the people of the Tochars (Tagars, Tugars), who lived in Central Asia, starting from the 3rd century BC.
The Tokhars defeated the great Bactria, which was once a great state and founded Tokharistan, which was located in the south of modern Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and in the north of Afghanistan. From the 1st to the 4th century A.D. Tokharistan was part of the Kushan kingdom, and later disintegrated into separate possessions.

At the beginning of the 7th century, Tokharistan consisted of 27 principalities, which were subordinate to the Turks. Most likely, the local population mixed with them.

All the same Mahmud Kashgari called the huge region between North China and East Turkestan the Tatar steppe.
For the Mongols, the Tochars were strangers, "Tatars". Perhaps, after some time, the meaning of the words "Tochars" and "Tatars" merged, and so they began to call a large group of peoples. The peoples conquered by the Mongols took the name of their kindred aliens, the Tohar.
So the ethnonym Tatars could also be transferred to the Volga Bulgars.

Introduction

Conclusion

Introduction

In the late 19th - early 20th century. in the world and in Russian Empire a social phenomenon developed - nationalism. Which carried the idea that it is very important for a person to classify himself as a certain social group - a nation (nationality). The nation was understood as the commonality of the territory of settlement, culture (especially, a single literary language), anthropological features (body structure, facial features). Against the background of this idea, a struggle for the preservation of culture took place in each of the social groups. The emerging and developing bourgeoisie became the herald of the ideas of nationalism. At this time, a similar struggle was waged on the territory of Tatarstan - world social processes did not bypass our land.

In contrast to the revolutionary outcries of the first quarter of the 20th century. and the last decade of the 20th century, which 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 the same commonality of language and culture, as does the people, and nation, and nationality, but does not need to clarify the nature or size social group... However, ethnicity is still important. social aspect for a person.

If you ask a passer-by in Russia what nationality he is, then, as a rule, the passer-by 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 himself a Tatars speaks and reads in the Tatar language. Not everyone looks like a Tatar from the 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 himself a Muslim has read the Koran. But all this does not prevent the Tatar ethnic group from preserving, developing and being one of the most distinctive in the world.

Development national culture entails the development of the history of the nation, especially if you study this history long time interfered with. As a result, the unspoken, and sometimes open, ban on the study of the region, entailed a particularly stormy surge in Tatar historical science, which is observed to this day. Pluralism of opinions and lack of actual material led to the folding of several theories trying to combine the largest number known facts... It was not just historical doctrines that were formed, but several historical schools that are waging 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 Kazan Khanate existence to be the period of the formation of the Tatar nation 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, uniting all the best of the available theories. It was called "Türko-Tatar".

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

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 Tatars

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

It should be noted that in addition to the linguistic and cultural community, as well as common anthropological features, historians pay a significant role to the origin of statehood. So, for example, the beginning Russian history consider not archaeological cultures pre-Slavic period and even non-tribal unions who migrated in 3-4 centuries Eastern Slavs, and Kievan Rus, 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 the Volga Bulgaria in 922. Probably, first of all, from such preconditions, the Bulgaro-Tatar theory arose.

The Bulgaro-Tatar theory is based on the position that the ethnic basis of the Tatar people was the Bulgar ethnos, which took shape in the Middle Volga and Urals from the 8th century. n. NS. (v recent times some supporters of this theory began to attribute the appearance of the Turkic-Bulgar tribes in the region to the VIII-VII centuries. BC NS. 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 the Volga Bulgaria (X-XIII centuries), and later (the Golden Horde, Kazan-khan and Russian periods) they underwent only minor changes in language and culture. The principalities (sultanates) of the Volga Bulgars, being a part of the Ulus Jochi (Golden Horde), enjoyed considerable political and cultural autonomy, and the influence of the Horde ethnopolitical system of power and culture (in particular, literature, art and architecture) had the character of a purely external influence that did not exert noticeable influence to the Bulgarian society. The most important consequence of the domination of Ulus Jochi was the disintegration of the unified state of the Volga Bulgaria into a number of possessions, and the unified Bulgar nationality into two ethnoterritorial groups (“Bulgaro-Burtases” of the ulus of Mukhsh and “Bulgars” of the Volga-Kama Bulgar principalities). During the period of the Kazan Khanate, the Bulgar (“Bulgaro-Kazan”) ethnos consolidated the early pre-Mongol ethnocultural features, which continued to be traditionally preserved (including the self-name “Bulgars”) until the 1920s, when Tatar bourgeois nationalists and Soviet power the ethnonym "Tatars" was forcibly imposed.

Let's dwell in more detail. First, the migration of tribes from the foothills of the North Caucasus after the collapse of the state of Great Bulgaria. Why at the present time the Bulgarians - Bulgars, assimilated by the Slavs, have become a Slavic people, and the Volga Bulgars - a Turkic-speaking people who swallowed up the population that lived in this area before them? Is it possible that there were much more alien Bulgars than local tribes? In this case, the postulate that the Türkic-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 the Volga Bulgaria begins not with the fact that alien tribes founded a state, but with the unification of door cities - the capitals of tribal unions - Bulgar, Bilyar and Suvar. The traditions of statehood also did not necessarily come from alien tribes, since local tribes coexisted with powerful ancient states - for example, the Scythian kingdom. In addition, the position that the Bulgars assimilated the local tribes contradicts the position that the Bulgars themselves were not assimilated by the Tatar-Mongols. As a result, the Bulgaro-Tatar theory breaks down on the fact that the Chuvash language is much closer to the ancient Bulgarian than the Tatar one. And the Tatars today speak the Turkic-Kipchak dialect.

However, the theory is not devoid of merit. For example, the anthropological type of Kazan Tatars, especially men, makes them related to the peoples of the North Caucasus and indicates the origin of facial features - a nose with a hump, the Caucasian type - in a mountainous area, and not in a steppe.

Until the beginning of the 90s of the XX 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, Kh.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-Mongol (Central Asian) ethnic groups to Europe, who, mixing with the Kypchaks and adopting Islam during the Ulus Juchi (Golden Horde) period, created the basis of the culture of the 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 Mongol and Golden Horde khans is described in the legends about Chinggis Khan, Aksak-Timur, the epic about Idegei.

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

During the period of Ulus Jochi, the local Bulgar population was partially exterminated or, preserving paganism, moved to the outskirts, and the main part was assimilated by the migrant Muslim groups that brought urban culture and the 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 Subedey and Batu - were aimed at the defeat and destruction of the Kipchak tribes. In other words, the Kipchak tribes were exterminated or driven to the outskirts during the Tatar-Mongol invasion.

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

The Tatar-Mongol theory can be called if we consider that the Volga Bulgaria was conquered and then inhabited by the Tatar and Mongol tribes that came from the empire of Genghis Khan.

It should also be noted that the Tatar-Mongols during the period of the conquests were predominantly pagans, not Muslims, which usually explains the tolerance of the Tatar-Mongols towards other religions.

Therefore, rather, the Bulgar population, who learned about Islam in the 10th century, contributed to the Islamization of Ulus Jochi, and not vice versa.

Archaeological data supplement the factual side of the issue: on the territory of Tatarstan there is evidence of the presence of nomadic (Kipchak or Tatar-Mongol) tribes, but their settlement is observed in the southern part of the Tatarstan region.

However, it cannot be denied that the Kazan Khanate, which arose on the ruins of the Golden Horde, crowned the formation of the ethnic group of Tatars.

It is strong and already unequivocally Islamic, which had for the Middle Ages great importance, the state contributed to the development, and during the period under the rule of Russia, the preservation of the Tatar culture.

There is also an argument in favor of the kinship of the Kazan Tatars with the Kipchaks - the linguistic dialect belongs to the Turkic-Kipchak group by linguists. Another argument is the name and self-designation of the people - "Tatars". Presumably from the Chinese "da-dan", as Chinese historians called part of the Mongol (or neighboring Mongols) tribes in northern China

The Tatar-Mongol theory arose at the beginning of the 20th century. (N.I. Ashmarin, V.F. Smolin) and actively developed in the works of the Tatar (Z. Validi, R. Rakhmati, M.I. Akhmetzyanov, recently R.G. Fakhrutdinov), Chuvash (V.F. Kakhovsky, V.D.Dimitriev, N.I. Egorov, M.R. Fedotov) and Bashkir (N.A.Mazhitov) historians, archaeologists and linguists.

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

The Türko-Tatar theory of the origin of the Tatar ethnos emphasizes the Türko-Tatar origins of the modern Tatars, notes the important role in their ethnogenesis of the ethnopolitical tradition of the Türkic Kaganate, Great Bulgaria and the Khazar Kaganate, Volga Bulgaria, Kypchak-Kimak and Tatar-Mongol ethnic groups of the Eurasian steppes.

The Turkic-Tatar concept of the origin of the Tatars is developed in the works of G. S. Gubaidullin, A. N. Kurat, N. A. Baskakov, Sh.F. Mukhamedyarov, R. G. Kuzeev, M. A. Usmanov, R. G. Fakhrutdinov , A. G. Mukhamadieva, N. Davlet, D. M. Iskhakova, Yu. Shamiloglu and others. Supporters of this theory believe that it best reflects the rather complex internal structure of the Tatar ethnos (typical, however, for all large ethnic groups), combines best achievements other theories. In addition, there is an opinion that one of the first to the complex nature of ethnogenesis, not reducible to one ancestor, was pointed out by MG Safargaliev in 1951. After in the late 1980s. the unspoken ban on the publication of works that went beyond the decisions of the session of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in 1946 lost its relevance, and accusations of “non-Marxism” of the multicomponent approach to ethnogenesis were no longer used, given theory was replenished with many domestic publications. Supporters of the theory identify several stages in the formation of an ethnos.

The stage of formation of the main ethnic components. (mid VI - mid XIII centuries). The important role of the Volga Bulgaria, the Khazar Kaganate and the Kipchak-Kimak state associations in the ethnogenesis of the Tatar people is noted. At this stage, the formation of the main components took place, combined in the next stage. The role of the Volga Bulgaria is great, which laid down the Islamic tradition, urban culture and writing based on the Arabic script (after the 10th century), which replaced the most ancient writing- Turkic rune. At this stage, the Bulgars tied themselves to the territory - to the land on which they settled. The settlement area was the main criterion for identifying a person with a people.

Stage of the medieval Tatar ethnopolitical community (mid-13th - first quarter of the 15th centuries). At this time, the consolidation of the components that developed at the first stage took place in a single state - Ulus Jochi (Golden Horde); medieval Tatars, on the basis of the traditions of peoples united in one state, not only created their own state, but also developed their own ethnopolitical ideology, culture and symbols of their community. All this led to the ethno-cultural consolidation of the Golden Horde aristocracy, military-service classes, Muslim clergy and the formation of the Tatar ethnopolitical community in the XIV century. This stage is characterized by the fact that in the Golden Horde, on the basis of the Oguz-Kypchak language, the norms of the literary language (literary Old Tatar language) were approved. The earliest surviving literary monuments on it (the poem of Kul Gali "Kyisa-i Yosyf") was written in the XIII century. The stage ended with the collapse of the Golden Horde (XV century) as a result feudal fragmentation... In the formed Tatar khanates, the formation of new ethnic communities began, which had local self-names: Astrakhan, Kazan, Kasimov, Crimean, Siberian, Temnikov Tatars, etc. Horde, Nogai Horde), most of the governors on the outskirts sought to occupy this main throne, or had close ties with the central horde.

After the middle of the 16th century and until the 18th century, the stage of consolidation of local ethnic groups within the Russian state is distinguished. After the annexation of the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia to the Russian state, the migration of Tatars intensified (this is how the mass migrations from the Oka to the Zakamsk and Samara-Orenburg lines, from the Kuban to the Astrakhan and Orenburg provinces are known) and interaction between its various ethnoterritorial groups, which contributed to their linguistic and cultural rapprochement. This was facilitated by the presence of a single literary language, a common cultural, religious and educational field. To a certain extent, the relationship between the Russian state and the Russian population, which did not distinguish between ethnic groups, was also unifying. The general confessional identity of “Muslims” is noted. Some of the local ethnic groups that entered other states at that time (primarily Crimean Tatars) further developed independently.

The period from the XVIII to the beginning of the XX century, the supporters of the theory is defined as the formation of the Tatar nation. This is exactly the period mentioned in the introduction to this work. The following stages of nation formation are distinguished: 1) From the XVIII to mid XIX century - the stage of the "Muslim" nation, in which religion was the unifying factor. 2) From the middle of the XIX century to 1905 - the stage of the "ethnocultural" nation. 3) From 1905 to the end of 1920. - the stage of the "political" nation.

At the first stage, the attempts of various rulers to carry out Christianization played for the good. The policy of Christianization, instead of actually transferring the population of the Kazan province from one confession to another, by its ill-conceivedness, helped to cement Islam in the minds of the local population.

At the second stage, after the reforms of the 1860s, the development of bourgeois relations began, which contributed to the rapid development of culture. In turn, its components (education system, literary language, book publishing and periodicals) completed the establishment in the self-consciousness of all the main ethno-territorial and ethno-class groups of the Tatars of the idea of ​​belonging to a single Tatar nation. It is to this stage that the Tatar people owe the appearance of the History of Tatarstan. For the specified period of time Tatar culture managed not only to recover, but also made some progress.

From the second half of the 19th century, the modern Tatar literary language began to form, which by the 1910s completely supplanted the Old Tatar language. The consolidation of the Tatar nation was strongly influenced by the high migration activity of Tatars from the Volga-Ural region.

The third stage from 1905 to the end of 1920 - this is the stage of the "political" nation. The first manifestation was the demands for cultural and national autonomy, expressed during the revolution of 1905-1907. In the future, there were the ideas of the State of Idel-Ural, the Tatar-Bashkir SR, the creation of the Tatar ASSR. After the 1926 census, the remnants of the ethnic class self-determination disappear, that is, the social stratum "Tatar nobility" disappears.

Note that the Türko-Tatar theory is the most extensive and structured of the considered theories. It really covers many aspects of the formation of the ethnos in general and the Tatar ethnos in particular.

In addition to the main theories of the ethnogenesis of the Tatars, there are also alternative ones. One of the most interesting is the Chuvash theory of the origin of the Kazan Tatars.

Most historians and ethnographers, like the authors of the theories discussed above, are looking for the ancestors of the Kazan Tatars not where this people lives at present, but somewhere far beyond the territory of present-day Tatarstan. In the same way, their emergence and design, as an original nationality, are attributed to the wrong historical era when this was the case, but to more ancient times. In reality, there is full reason to believe that the cradle of the Kazan Tatars is their real homeland, that is, the region of the Tatar Republic on the left bank of the Volga between the Kazanka River and the Kama River.

There are also convincing arguments in favor of the fact that the Kazan Tatars emerged, took shape as a distinctive nationality and multiplied over a historical period, the duration of which covers the era from the founding of the Kazan Tatar kingdom by the Khan of the Golden Horde Ulu-Mahomet in 1437 and up to the Revolution of 1917. Moreover, their ancestors were not alien "Tatars", but local peoples: the Chuvash (they are the Volga Bulgars), the Udmurts, the Mari, and perhaps also not preserved to this day, but who lived in those regions, representatives of other tribes, including those who spoke the language , close to the language of the Kazan Tatars.
All these nationalities and tribes apparently lived in those wooded regions from time immemorial historical times, and partially possibly also migrated from the Trans-Kama region, after the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols and the defeat of the Volga Bulgaria. By the nature and level of culture, as well as the way of life, this multi-tribal mass of people, before the emergence of the Kazan Khanate, in any case, did not differ much from each other. Likewise, their religions were similar and consisted in the veneration of various spirits and sacred groves - kiremetia - places of prayer with sacrifices. This is convinced by the fact that up to the 1917 revolution they survived in the same Tatar Republic, for example, near the village. Kukmor, a village of the Udmurts and Mari, who were not touched by either Christianity or Islam, where until recently people lived according to the ancient customs of their tribe. In addition, in the Apastovsky region of the Tatar Republic, at the junction with the Chuvash ASSR, there are nine Kryashen villages, including the village of Surinskoye and the village of Star. Tyaberdino, where part of the inhabitants, even before the Revolution of 1917, were "unbaptized" Kryashens, thus living up to the Revolution outside of both Christian and Muslim religions. And the Chuvash, Mari, Udmurts and Kryashens, who adopted Christianity, were included in it only formally, and continued to live according to ancient antiquity until recently.

In passing, we note that the existence of "unbaptized" Kryashens almost in our time casts doubt on the very widespread point of view that the Kryashens arose as a result of the violent Christianization of the Muslim Tatars.

The above considerations allow us to make the assumption that in the Bulgar state, the Golden Horde and, to a large extent, the Kazan Khanate, Islam was a religion ruling classes and privileged estates, and the common people, or most of his: Chuvash, Mari, Udmurts, etc. lived according to old grandfather's customs.
Now let's see how, under those historical conditions, the Kazan Tatars nationality could arise and multiply, as we know them in late XIX and early XX centuries.

In the middle of the fifteenth century, as already mentioned, on the left bank of the Volga appeared the dethroned and escaped from the Golden Horde, Khan Ulu-Mahomet with a relatively small detachment of his Tatars. He conquered and subjugated the local Chuvash tribe and created the feudal-serf Kazan Khanate, in which the victors, the Muslim Tatars, were the privileged class, and the conquered Chuvash were the serf common people.

The latest edition of the Big Soviet Encyclopedia in more detail about the internal structure of the state in its finally formed period, we read the following: “Kazan Khanate, a feudal state in the Middle Volga region (1438-1552), formed as a result of the collapse of the Golden Horde on the territory of Volga-Kama Bulgaria. The founder of the dynasty of Kazan khans was Ulu-Muhammad. "

The highest state power belonged to the khan, but was directed by a council of large feudal lords (divan). The top of the feudal nobility was made up of Karachi, representatives of four noble families. Next came the sultans, emirs, below them - murzas, uhlans and warriors. An important role was played by the Muslim clergy, who owned vast vakuf lands. The bulk of the population consisted of "black people": free peasants who paid yasak and other taxes to the state, feudal-dependent peasants, serfs from prisoners of war and slaves. The Tatar nobles (emirs, beks, murzas, etc.) were hardly very merciful to their serf people, moreover, a foreigner and a different faith. Voluntarily or in pursuit of goals associated with some kind of benefit, but over time, the common people began to adopt their religion from the privileged class, which was associated with the rejection of their national identity and complete change way of life and way of life, according to the requirements of the new "Tatar" faith - Islam. This transition of the Chuvash to Mohammedanism was the beginning of the formation of the Kazan Tatars.

The new state that emerged on the Volga lasted only about a hundred years, during which the raids on the outskirts of the Moscow state almost did not stop. In the inner state life there were frequent palace coups and on the khan's throne were henchmen: either Turkey (Crimea), then Moscow, then the Nogai Horde, etc.
The process of the formation of the Kazan Tatars in the way mentioned above from the Chuvash, and partly from other, peoples of the Volga region took place throughout the entire period of the existence of the Kazan Khanate, did not stop after the annexation of Kazan to the Moscow State and continued until the beginning of the 20th century, i.e. almost to our time. Kazan Tatars grew in number not so much as a result of natural growth, but as a result of the otatarization of other peoples of the region.

Here is another rather interesting argument in favor of the Chuvash origin of the Kazan Tatars. It turns out that the meadow Mari are now called the Tatars "Suas". From time immemorial, meadow mari were closely adjacent to that part Chuvash people, which lived on the left bank of the Volga and otarized in the first place, so that in those places not a single Chuvash village remained for a long time, although historical information and there were many of them in the scribal records of the Moscow state. The Mari did not notice, especially at the beginning, any changes in their neighbors as a result of the appearance of another god, Allah, and forever retained their former name in their language. But for the distant neighbors - the Russians, from the very beginning of the formation of the Kazan kingdom, there was no doubt that the Kazan Tatars were the same Tatar-Mongols who left a sad memory of themselves in the Russians.

Throughout the relatively short history of this "khanate", continuous raids of the "Tatars" to the outskirts of the Moscow state continued, and the first khan Ulu-Mahomet spent the rest of his life in these raids. These raids were accompanied by the devastation of the region, plundering of the civilian population and driving it away "in full", ie. everything happened in the style of the Tatar-Mongols.

Thus, the Chuvash theory is also not devoid of its foundations, although it presents us with the ethnogenesis of the Tatars in the very original form.

Conclusion

As we conclude from the material considered, at the moment, even the most developed of the available theories - the Turkic-Tatar - is not ideal. She leaves many questions for one simple reason: the historical science of Tatarstan is still extremely young. The mass of historical sources has not yet been studied; active excavations are underway on the territory of Tataria. All this allows us to hope that in the coming years theories will be replenished with facts and will acquire a new, even more objective shade.

The material considered also allows us to note that all theories are united in one thing: the Tatar people have complicated history origin and complex ethno-cultural structure.

In the growing process of world integration, it is already striving to create a single state and a common cultural space European states. It is possible that Tatarstan cannot avoid this either. The tendencies of the last (free) decades testify to the attempts to integrate the Tatar people into the modern Islamic world. But integration is a voluntary process, it allows you to preserve the self-name of the people, language, cultural achievements... As long as at least one person will speak and read in Tatar, Tatar nation will exist.

List of used literature

1. R.G. Fakhrutdinov. History of the Tatar people and Tatarstan. (Antiquity and the Middle Ages). Tutorial for secondary general education schools, gymnasiums and lyceums. - Kazan: Magarif, 2000. - 255 p.

2. Sabirova D.K. History of Tatarstan. From ancient times to the present day: textbook / D.K. Sabirova, Ya.Sh. Sharapov. - M .: KNORUS, 2009 .-- 352 p.

3. Kakhovsky V.F. The origin of the Chuvash people. - Cheboksary: ​​Chuvash book publishing house, 2003. - 463 p.

4. Rashitov F.A. History of the Tatar people. - M .: Children's book, 2001 .-- 285 p.

5. Mustafina G.M., Munkov N.P., Sverdlova L.M. History of Tatarstan XIX century - Kazan, Magarif, 2003. - 256c.

6. Tagirov I.R. History of the national statehood of the Tatar people and Tatarstan - Kazan, 2000. - 327c.

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