My native language

Oh, my language, native language. You" re my soul and you" re my heart! Many things I've learnt in this life Through this language, through my blood

Little baby in his cradle Tries to hold his Mummy tight I remember how my Granny Told me fairy tales at night

Oh, my language, native language, You're my soul and you're my heart From my childhood till the old age You" re the treasure of my heart

Oh, my language. For the first time In my life I prayed the God: "Bless my Mother, bless my father, Bless me, save me, oh, my lord"

KAZAN TODAYKAZAN TODAY

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Population: 3.766.500 people

Area: 67,836 sq. km.

Capital: Kazan

Official languages: Tatar, Russian

Constitution: November 6, 1992

Head of state: President Mintimer Sharipovich Shaimiev

(June 12, 1991, re-elected for the second term March 24,1996)

The national flag is a horizontal tricolor with stripes of green, white and red.

The state coat-of-arms represents a winged snow leopard with a round shield on his side against the background of the sun. The sun is red, the framingis green.

The Republic of Tatarstan is situated on the junction of CentralRussia and the Ural-Kama region. It occupies the territory of over 67 thousand sq.km. and borders on the republics of Mari- El, Udmurtia, Bashkortostan, Chuvashia and the regions of Russia:Orenburg, Samara, Ulyanovsk, and Kirov.The population is about 4 mln. people. The republic is inhabited by representatives of 107 nationalities: 48,5% are Russians. Tatarstan occupies the first place by population among the republics and regions of the Volga regionand the seventh place in the Russian Federation. The three forths of the popula tion live in 19 towns.Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan. It was founded in 1177. It is situated on the banks of the Volga and Kama rivers. It's population is over 1 mln. peo ple. Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city with population of more than 500 thousand people. In the 9-10th centuries the largest feudal state of the North-Eastern Europe, Volga Bulgaria was founded. In 1223 the state fell under the invasion of Batu Khan and became a part of territory of the Golden Horde. In the middle of the 15th century the Kazan Khanate was formed on the banks of the Volga River. After 1552, when the Kazan Khanate was conquered by Russia, Kazan first became the center of the principility, then the capital of the Kazan Province (Gubernia) founded in 1708. On May 27, 1920 it became the Tatar Soviet So cialist Autonomous Republic. On August 30, 1990, "The Declaration of State Sovereignty" was pro claimed, which declared Tatarstan as a sovereign state and acknowledged the command of the Republic's laws on its territory and secured the land, natural resources as an exclusive property of the multinational nation.In 1991, the post of President was introduced in the republic. In Tatar-Stan President heads the whole system of bodies of state regulation. He presents the candidates to the Supreme Soviet to be approved for the posts of Prime-Minister, President of the National bank. The President forms the Cabinet of Ministers. The President appoints the heads of local administration.The Supreme legislative and controlling body of the state power in Tatarstan is the Supreme Soviet (the Parliament). The Supreme executive and active body is the Cabinet of Ministers, which is subordinate to the President. It consists of the Prime Minister, his deputies and ministers and the chairmen of State Committees.Tatarstan is an industrial and agricultural republic.Tatarstan is an oil-producing country. The Republic even now has at its disposal large deposits (stocks) of oil. Natural gas is extracted alongside oil. The agrarian sector of the economy involves about 300.000 people. The republic produces grain, diary products, vegetables and almost fully pro vides itself with food.Tatarstan is a great scientific and cultural center. It has 15 Higher Educational establishments including Kazan University, founded in 1804 and which has about 70 thousand students. There are 10 theatres in Tatarstan, in cluding the Tatar Opera and Ballet theatre named after MJalil. Theatres per form plays in Tatar and Russian. The

Tatarstan Academy of Sciences works in Kazan.

VELIKIYE BULGARY On the quiet bank of the Volga lie the ruins of Velikiye Bulgary, once the ._ii of the renowned and mighty state that has gone down in history under •me. Excavations have been going on for many years now in ancient Bul-- = specialists try to delve into the past, reconstruct a picture of the great ir.d find out more about the customs, mores and character of the people - lived here.The Bulgars are known to have come to the banks of the Volga and Kama in the first millennium A.D. A part of them went off to the Danube, where they tanked the Christian kingdom of Bulgaria, while the other half settled by the confluence of the Volga, Kama. Vyatka and Belaya. The fame spread far and wide of the hard-working Bulgars who knew how to build palaces and is. to pump water along pipes and to erect large towns and small villages with great taste and care. The Bulgars smelted metal and wrote on birchbark. They were skilled in warfare and tilling the soil and well-versed in other crafts and culture. The favorable geographical position of Bulgary, through whose lands «• kt European and Slav merchants passed with merchandise on their way to Ticiral Asia, Persia, India and China, and Oriental traders making for the ba-=uirs and fairs of European states, promoted the flowering of what was then the state of Bulgary.Northern hunters found their way to the Bulgar capital along the Kama, sovaya and Vyatka, while caravans of Arabian and Byzantine merchants from the lower reaches of the Volga and the boats of Novgorodian traders r::n its upper reaches. The Bulgars enjoyed fame as traders, not knowing that in the Asian steppes a terrible horde was gathering which would destroy ancient cultures andcivilizations. The once mighty Khiva, Khoresm and Bukhara fell, the stars of ancient Samarkand were extinguished and terrible upheavals awaited Europe. After the first Mongol invasion the Bulgars rallied, rebuilding their towns are-establishing their trade. Bulgaria became the province within the Golde Horde. In 1431 the Bulgar capital was taken by the army of Prince Basil El Moscow and after that it began to decline. The settlements of craftsmen and tisans were abandoned and trade ceased. Since that time the ruins of the ancient capital of the great Bulgars tu stood silently over the waters of the Volga. Ruins of minarets and towers, r mains of fortress moats, weapons, domestic articles and jewelry, the creations local craftsmen— great deal has been found and explained. Yet many secre and puzzles still await a comprehensive study.

THE KAZAN KHANATE

The Kazan Khanate

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THE KAZAN KHANATE'Among some settlements spread in the Volga-Kama region these was the small frontier town on the River Kazanka named Bolgar-el-Dzhadid (New Bol-gar) or Kazan, which in Tatar means "cauldron", according to a popular legend, one of the khans dropped a cauldron in the river here, hence the name " the place of the cauldron". The Tatar historian Sh. Mardzhani suggess that the name of the city could come from the name of the River Kazanka or from the fact that the hill on which the Kazan Kremlin stands is reminiscent of an upturned caul dron. In either case, the name is appropriate in view of the seething history of Kazan. The Kazan Khanate appeared after the demolishing of Golden Horde state,when 5 Tatar Khanates had been created, and in 1436 Kazan became the capital of the Kazan Khanate. This was a powerful state within the former boundaries of Volga Bulgaria, inheriting from it the farming and trading popu lation, the folk and intellectual culture, the achievements of science, literature and philosophy. Kazan, located in an exceptionally favourable position that gave it control over all the trade on the Volga, soon became a powerful eco nomic and political rival of Moscow. As always happens between rival states, the desire for political and eco nomic supremacy gave rise to wars, though these were inter spersed with long periods of peace. From the scant arithmetic of the Russian chronicles and histo ries, it is evident that the western neighbours, the Russian principalities and Novgorod, were the more aggressive over thirty military campaigns against Volga Bolgaria and Kazan, while the latter responded with only seven. It is therefore no wonder that in 1526 the Austrian ambassador S. Gerberstein sammed up his impressions of the Kazan Khanate with these words: "These Tatars are more cultured than others, for they work their fields, live in houses, ••gage in many sorts of trade, and they rarely fight...“ The confrontation of these two states, equal in strength and influence. Until 1552, when the troops of Ivan IV the Terrible, having broken the"eternal peace treaty" concluded with Kazan by Grand Prince Ivan III of Muscovy, overcame Kazan after a long siege and destroyed the state. Following r*e capture of Kazan, the surviving citizens were driven out and forced to live in surrounding villages. Medieval Kazan was distinguished by its oriental style and, like important Bulgar towns, had "two-storey houses for the feudal nobility, a Khan's race, a law court, a caravanserai, public baths, mausoleums and mosques with egant minarets. The main mosque of medieval Kazan was the Kul Sharif, a huge, white edifice with eight minarets, decorated with Bulgar stone-carving. Now in 3 place in the Kazan Kremlin stands the Blagoveshchensky (Annunciation) cathedral. The famous historian M. Khudyakov affirms that the prototype of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, which was constructed, as is well-known, in honour of the conquest of Kazan* was in fact the Kul Sharif Mosque, which was desroyed after the city was taken. He writes: "The architectural form of St. Basil's 5 most reminiscent of the Kul Sharif in Kazan with its eight minarets, whose story has been down by Mardzhani.

THE KAZAN KREMLINThe Kazan Kremlin, a magnificent architectural ensemble bearing traces of many centuries of building activity, is enclosed by high, white stone walls with characteristic loop-holes and 13 hipped-roofed towers. The most remark-able building of the Kremlin ("kermen" = "fortress" in Tatar) is the Suyumbeka Tower, seven storeys and 58 metres high. Its distinctive profile, visible from all sides, is balanced by the contours of the Spassky Tower which stands at the op posite end of the Kremlin. The City-fortress was formerly surrounded by water on three sides: the river Kazanka formed the northern boundary, to the east lay three lakes, and to the west was an artificial waterway, the Bulak Canal, con structed long ago by Tatar builders to join the Kazanka with Kaban Lake. This canal served both defence and navigation needs: goods from the Volga and Ka zanka could be brought right up to the walls of the city. In medieval times the Kremlin ramparts were constructed of oak beams, while the buildings inside were of both wood and stone. Towards the middle of the 16th century, the time of the conquest of the city, 30000 people lived within the walls of the citadel, which then had ap proximately the same boundaries as today. A number of the entrance and trad ing quarter towers has not survived; the rest were reconstructed when the Kremlin ramparts were rebuilt in stone (1556 - 1558). The Kazan Kremlin was just as impressive in olden times. A Russian chronicler describing the capture of Kazan, recounts how Ivan the Terrible was astonished at "the unusual beauty of the walls of the fortress of the city. The English traveller Yenkinson wrote in his memoirs in 1558: "Kazan is a beautiful city, built in the Russian and Tatar style, with a strong castle, standing on a high hill.“ Starting in 1556, Russian builders, under the direction of the architects Barma Shiriay and P. Yakovlev, rebuilt the Kremlin walls and towers in the Pskov style, adding a few new towers, including the Spassky which now serves as the official entrance to the territory of the Kremlin. The Russians first de stroyed and dismantled virtually all the structures of the Kremlin that were con nected with the Muslim history of Kazan. The brightest architectural jewel, standing out from the whole ensemble, is the Suyumbeka Tower, the spiritual

symbol and pride of Kazan. There are many legends and hypotheses connected with this tower, whose architecture has a pronounced oriental flavour. It takes its name from the last queen of Kazan, Suyumbeka, who, legend has it, threw herself from the top after Kazan had been taken by the Muscovite troops. The official version of the origin of the tower is that it was raised in the 17th century by Russian builders as a watch-tower for military

purposes. The Tatar version attributes its origin to Bulgar builders and traces the source of its architectural perfection to the brick structures of the pre-Russian period of Kazan's history. If the tower was indeed built by

Russians as a watch-tower, one may well ask why, since the Kazan region was at peace at the time, the popular uprisings having been suppressed, and there was, in any case, a high bell-tower next to the Blagoveshchensky

Cathedral.

The Khan himself has gone in history as an enlightened ruler, a poet and a patron of the arts. His reign is a turning point in history for Moscow too, for, in accordance with the terms . dry, from that time the Muscovite rules ceased to be considered a vassal i Kazan and took the title of "Grand Bolgar Prince." This treaty officially sroed the three-hundred-year "Tatar yoke", as it was called. In the years when the exiled Muhammad Amin lived in Moscow, he wit-;he rebuilding of the Moscow Kremlin, directed by Aristotle Fiorovanti, •fee great Italian architect from Bologna. It is easy to imagine that the young and 'US Khan, seeing how the glory of Moscow was being embodied in stone, if came envious of the grand structures of the Moscow Kremlin, and during his t.oi in Kazan he might well have asked Ivan III to send the Italian architect so ru: he could commemorate in a similar manner the historic peace treaty be-«n Moscow and Kazan. Research shows that the builder of Suyumbika, architectural features are reminiscent of the Calvaria of San Stefano and Z't Towers of the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, could have been the elderly Ar-lotle Fioravanti or one of his associates. In favour of this hyphotesis is the size e bricks used to build the tower, which exactly tallies with the standard in-recuced by Fioravanti when he arrived in Moscow, and differs considerably rom the Russian standard adapted at the end of the 16th century under Boris I junior. This fact alone shows that the tower could not have been raised by Russian builders in the 17th century. Moreover, the chemical composition of the bricks is identical with that of the bricks of Bulgar buildings, the design is sonilar to Bulgar-Tatar architecture. It thus seems probable that the Suyumbeka . er was designed by an Italian architect and built by local Tatar craftsmen between 1486 and 1499 and that after the conquest of Kazan it was preserved by the Terrible because it served not only as a convenient watch-tower, but also as a symbol that the Muscovite troops of Ivan HI had already taken Kazan while helping Muhammad Amin to gain control in the 15th century. If this hy pothesis is adapted, it shows again the level of Kazan's civilisation which was influenced not only by the spirit of the Muslim Renaissance, but also by the European Renaissance. The name of the tower also lends weight to this hy pothesis since Italian towers were built not only for military and ceremonial purposes, but also for living in. The large Suyumbeka tower rose above the en trance to the area of the Khan's palace and could well have served as a resi dence for the queen. Incidentally, it is interesting that the tower is leaning (its deviation from the axis is now almost one and a half metres) and the possible builder, Aristotle Fioravanti, became well known in his homeland of Italy for righting leaning towers. In any case, the Suyumbika tower is one more closely guarded secret of the capital, buried in the history of the Kazan Khanate. On the Kazanka side, close to the Suyumbeka tower, is the Palace Church, built on the foundation of the medieval Muraleev Mosque. In this part of the Kremlin is the complex of buildings housing government offices and the Consistory court, all of which occupy the site of the former khan's palace, later, the sovereign's or supreme commander's residence. Entry into the Kremlin from the Kazanka side is through the Tainitskaya (Muraleev) tower, which offers a broad panorama of the Volga,.the bridges over the Kazanka and the city quarters across the river.

KAZAN TODAYThis hospitable city has extended a warm welcome to all guests ever its foundation in the eleventh century.

Today, the city is entering a new id in its long life, but one that is characterised, at the same time, by a re nt the ancient and eternal values of our people. Kazan, one of the biggest and most important cultural and industrial

centres of the Volga River, with a population nearing 1,2 mln. made up of 77 different-ethnic groups, is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, which in 1994 : lie first of the former republics of the Russian Federation to sign a

bilateral with Russia, this showing the way to create a new Federation on the basis mutual agreement and voluntary partnership. It's more difficult to speak about the present of Kazan than about the past, the words of a poet: "Face to face, you see no face. The great is better I from a distance." The city is now experiencing major

changes that call " 11 u- constant concern and steadfast efforts of all who cherish its past and look .ml with hope for its future. Our past has taught us that economic prosperity is directly linked to the I Mutual and intellectual aspects of life, and with freedom of thought and information. How do we view the future of the ancient Tatar

capital? Along with the ruction of a Metro and a telecommunications system that will ensure rapid • "ii.ict with all parts of the globe, we are also giving thought to the architectural future of this fast expanding city. It is important that new development In mid harmonise with the urban whole, and particularly its historical nucleus, liu h itself needs rejuvenation, so that the face of Kazan may shine with all its brightness. Architecture, they say, is silent

music. If this is true, then in has long awaited its own orchestra. Kazan doesn't live in the past. The city has never ceased to grow, and the century buildings stand as eloquent landmarks of its development, reflect-ill the

architectural styles of our contradictory century. The most notable in architectural achievements in Kazan since the thirties are the Finance and Economy Institute, with its broad stone staircase and balustrade, standing on top of the Kazan hills and dominating the surrounding areas; the Constructivist Print ing House (1933 - 1935); and the Parliament building (1962), opposite the Op era and Ballet Theatre, which reshaped the old Theatre Square. This last building, incidentally, stands on the site °If the City opera House which burnt down The construction on the bank of the Kazanka of the Circus building with its flying saucer" contours, in 1962 had a striking impact on the landscape and the whole architectural complex of the Kremlin area. This new building re- But everything has its hour and soon becomes history. Kazan is impetuously, and sometimes painfully, entering a completely new age, and what were until recently architectural innovations are already becoming memorials of past times. It seems only yesterday that high-rise buildings began to spring up, espe cially ui the area beyond the river on the right

bank of the Kazanka. Several tall hotels were built and a new building of the newspaper and.magazine publishing louse, as well as a memorial complex on the high bank of the Kazanka which Sere a magmficent panorama of

the areas of the city across the river But these monuments to the recent Soviet history of the city have now taken their place in the Kazan chronicle alongside the residences of the city's Governors, aristocracy and merchants, its

parks and

streets that have so often changed their names Even the waterways of Kazan have not survived unaltered Once the city stood back a few miles from the Volga, and the Kazanka was a narrow stream lapping at the hills crowned by the upper town. When the Kama reservoir was a*d, the great Volga came right up to the city, and the Kazanka became a wide expanse of water that gives an impressive aspect to the city landscape. The Black Bannoe and Clear Lakes, which in the Middle Ages formed the natural boundaries of the Kazan citadel, have disappeared, and the city gardens have long been cultivated on their sites. Not much time is left before Kazan enters its second millennium. What will it be like then? Will its old glory return? One would like to believe so. This belief is strengthened when one looks at the faces of the Kazanians, who' have lost their faith in humanity, nor their craftsmanship and love of work nor ie great tolerance of their ancestors. The experience of the past is sad' andtragic, and at times it seems a matter for painful regret that Kazan did not attain the grandeur that early centuries of its existence seemed to promise. But one cannot live ,n the past, although the nostalgia is strong and the lessons of history are instructive. The city is built for living, and not for memories Kazan has become a huge city of 1,2 mln. people, spread far and wide, Bending far beyond the lakes to the upper reaches of the Kazanka, almost to toe place where it was originally founded. Kazan is proud not only of its citizens who have won international ac-im, such as the composer Sofia Gubaidullina, the organist Rubin Abdullin, nt and the philosopher of the art of "colour-music" Bulat Galeev, butthe achievements of Tatars in all parts of the globe, of the singer Albert Asadullin who lives in St. Petersburg, of Irek Muhammedov, a star of the Royal Ballet in London’s Covent Garden, and of the greatest male dancer of the century, Rudolf Nuriev, who was born in Ufa and died in Paris. Besides the new road bridge recently constructed across the Volga, Kazan is building other, less tangible bridges, to Asia, Europe, and America. Major international exhibitions are held in Kazan for the oil industry and other leading industrial branches, with the participation of firms from Germany, Japan, Finland, Turkey, the USA and the Near East. Kazan itself produces an enormous range of goods of world class, from leather and fur articles and chemical products to the MI- 17 helicopters, which is in service in 50 countries. We live in the time of the change of epochs. But, we think that this time will not mean com- ion and forgetfulness of medieval Kazan, the spirit of mutual under forgiveness, half forgotten amidst the tribulations of everyday life, will triumph in the hearts of the people. Everything changes but the enchantment of Kazan with its coexisting national cultures remains.

FOLK ART OF THE KAZAN TATARSTatar folk art is made up of its component ethnic cultures - those of the Volga-Ural Tatars, Mishars and others

who inhabit a large territory ranging fro, the Volga and Kama basins and the Urals to Orengburg and Kirov regions The colourful and original art of the Volga Tatars and Tatar culture as a whole inherited the traditions of the Eastern Bulgar state formation in the Volga a Kama basins (10*-1« half of the 13th century), Golden Horde

(13th -15th centuries) and the Kazan Khanate (15th-16th centuries). The Bolgar State arose on ruins of tribal federation bypassing the slay holding stage, and this ensured close ties between the culture of the up classes

and mythological concepts of the people, introducing a poetic note am realistic imagmary into the decorative art of the Volga Bulgars. However on, should n’t ignore the influence of Islam, which was officially introduced i Volga

Bulgaria in 922. The pre-islamic mythological motifs in applied art a mostly those of animals, birds and occasionally humans, treated with a peculiar-ornamental stylization, and also minor sculpture (works in bone and metal an, pottery). Later, the zoomorphic subjects were superseded by floral-foliate patterns; the floral style with

its picturesque system and conventional interpretation of the world in the form of the foliate patterns gradually came to dominate al decorative art. A new stage in the development of art came with Volga Bulgaria's

incorporation in the Golden Horde. Bulgaria was the first to face the onslaught o Jenghiz Khan's forces. But the conquest, which resulted in widespread destruction, faded to change the traditional character of the culture,

religion and foun dations o feudal society. In the 13th and 14th centuries the part played by the Volga Bulgar state m the commercial and economic relations was considerably enhanced since the trade routes linking Eastern

Europe, with Eastern and Westem Asia the Caucasus, China and the northern countries crossed Bulgaria's ter ritory. The Bulgar capital became a major cultural centre of the Volga area and the seat of the Juchi Khans.The

florescence of the Bolgar cities was connected with creating of monumental building projects (palace complexes, mosques, caravanserais, mau soleums, public bathhouses, etc.) and with the development of culture science and art. The Bolgar capital was an urban complex on a gigantic scale: as late as in 1722, when it was visited by Peter I, about 70 of whitestone buildings were still preserved. At present we have at our disposal mostly the works left by the city ‘s craftsmen, jewellers, bone and stone carvers, and potters, as well as details of striking monumental

buildings with carved, painted and mosaic decorations . In addition to the strongly pronounced local features these structure site the artistic principles shared by all the peoples of the Golden Horde . With the disintegration of the Golden Horde the Bulgar State on the ' its former status. Under the pressure of several enemy attacks it receded from the historical scene, to be replaced by the Kazan Khanate. The existence of the city of Kazan as

the capital of a Bulgar feudal state in the mid-12th described in the Russian Chronicle. The Khanate's culture reached a higher stage of development. We can learn the basic content of the period's art from specimens that

have came down to us: richly carved gravestones, , jewellery and pottery.

After the area was joined to Russia in 1552 the historical conditions were such the development of the art crafts proceeded in the countryside. In the second half of the 18th century the urban crafts returned in the Tatar quarters of Kazan and reciprocal influence came into play: now the folk traditions inflluenced the professional work of the urban craftsmen. In the mid-l9th century decorative art reached its high point. The development of art culture in the second half of the 18th -19th centuries was stimulated by socio-economic and political changes: the development of capitalism in Russia, the appearance of manufactory in industry. The production of the hand-crafted articles for everyday use became a leading occupation in many Tatar villages. The development of industrial capitalism at the turn of the 19th -20th centuries resulted in the gradual deterioration of artistic standards. What is more, the emerging social contradictions encouraged the migration of craftsmen, mostly those from the villages. In search of a better life jewellers, shoemakers, carpenters, and tailors began to leave their native villages for neigh-bouring areas - Orenburg, Kazakhstan, Central Asia. But the decreasing demand for several articles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries gradually obliterated the manufacture of carpets and some other articles, and greatly reduced stone carving and the manufacture of certain ornaments that went the traditional Tatar costume.Nowadays the decorative applied art of the Tatars has undergone radical changes . Ornamental wood carving, embroidery, jewellery begin to develop again. A new stage of development is the participation of professional artists. The works of applied artists, monumentalists, designers and architects carry on the national traditions of Tatar decorative art.

DEVELOPMENT OF ARTS IN TATARSTAN Tatar literature was written down from ancient times, and the level of among the Tatars was very high, thanks to the primary schools found in every village, which by the beginning of the 20 century hoys and girls of school

age. The Tatar higher schools, the madrasahs simply for religions instruction, but also gave a broad grounding in many branches of the natural sciences. From these graduated many exceptional known not only in Russia and

Central Asia, but also abroad, many centuries the Bulgar-Tatar language was written in Arabic ,. h the 1920s this was changed to an alphabet based on Latin, and in 1939 to the Cyrillic alphabet, with the addition of six special letters. The Tatar language suffered from the Soviet state dictates and was ousted from city Hi is pressure on the Tatar literary culture was all the more cruel because media had the chance to develop relatively freely only since the First Russian Revolution of 1905, when the Kazan Tatars gained the right to , i heir own newspapers and journals. Before this, the role of periodicals was played by almanacs, such as the one that the renowned

scholar Kayum Nasyri out in Kazan. The dynamic publishing activity completely transformed spiritual and intellectual life of the Kazan Tatars: dozens of journals and magazines started appearing, not to mention books

on history, philosophy science.

Tatar scholars, with a careful eye to posterity, recorded the history of house worthy of attention and every

mosque built within the confines of Most of these houses and mosques are no more, so that present and future Kazanians owe a great debt of gratitude to city historians such as Kayum Nasyri, Shigabetdin Mardzani, Khadi

Atlasi and many others, whose books and .scripts0have recently become accessible to all. Thanks to their enthusiastic „„! tireless work and the records of eye witnesses, there is a wonderful opportunity to restore its

former glory the Tatar part of Kazan, which has been cured in this century by tactless architectural developments and thoughtless So viet construction.

Tukai, a poet of genius and an eternal orphan, was doomed in his short life to experience all the bitterness of homelessness and human misunderstand ing. His personality and works reflect the finest qualities of the Tatar

people: directness, truthfullness, selflessness, generosity and greatness of soul. His penetrating poems, written in a living, clear and moving language, convey the orphan state of the Tatar people. He held up to the Tatars a

mirror, of their true nature and true destiny. Many of Tukai's poems have been set to old melodies and have become folk songs. He created a new literary language that was close to the people. The life of Tukai is the

tragedy of a solitary genius.Kayum Nasyri was a famous Tatar encyclopedist. Being well-educated he tried to spread knowledge of different

branches of humanitarian science among the Tatars. He chose best literary works published in Turkish, Arab and Persian and translated them into Tatar. He had a desire to publish a daily Tatar newspa per, but it wasn't allowed

by the tsarist government.

TATAR NATIONAL TRADITIONS, FESTIVALS AND HOLIDAYSThe Kazan Tatars are Sunni Muslims of the Khanabit school of Islam. In 1989 the 1100th anniversary (according to the Muslim calendar) of the voluntary and peaceful acceptance of Islam by the Volga Bulgars was celebrated

in the Republic. The Tatar people are undebted to Islam not only for their education and the hygiene that characterizes their daily lives, but also for their very exis tence as a national community. In the schools (mektebs),

which were always situated in the mosques, the mullah taught the boys literacy and the elements of religious instruction, and the mullah's wife, the abistay, taught the girls sepa rately. Not all could continue their education in the madrasah, but the system of mektebs achieved the main goal: almost one hundred per cent literacy among

the Tatar population. Thus, Islam, that had brought up the children to honour their elders, especially mothers, and called on them to strive for knowledge and to show respect for the beliefs and convictions of others, became

such an inte gral part of life and spiritual being of the Kazan Tatars that it ceased to be only a creed. Islam became and has remained an unshakeable basis of their culture, despite the fact, that in this century for 80 years the people were denied the op portunity to get to know even the fundamental tenets of their faith. But faith is not simply the sum-total of religious knowledge; it is the practice of moral prin ciples and acceptance of responsibility for oneself and others. For earliest times, Islam has been noted for its tolerance, and it has much to teach those

who think that one religion and one people can dominate another.In true Islam, women not only have the same rights as men, but some ad ditional rights as well. The maintenance

of the family and economic welfare are, according to Islam, the exclusive duty of the men, whereas all that the woman has or earns is her own property. She is not obliged to give money to support the family, although in fact she usually does so of her own free will. Women's economic freedom is one of the greatest institutions of Islam,

granted back in the 7th century. In the traditional Tatar family, the woman, the mother or grandmother, always enjoyed great honour and respect, and in essence com pletely managed the life of the home. Moreover, she had the same right as men to visit the mosque and to receive the religious and secular education. Tatar girls, along

with boys, began to attend secular schools at the beginning of the century.Islam strengthened and in many ways created the main traditions of the Tatar-Bulgar culture and civilisation so

dear to the Kazan Tatars. In the distant past, it opened up the road to the wide world which led the Volga Bulgars mer chants, travellers and scholars not only to the Muslim Near East, but as far as Hungary, Italy, Spain. Later the

common faith enabled the Tatar merchants of Kazan to trade and maintain diplomatic relations with the huge world of Islam, as before, that opened the road for the Tatars to Holy Mecca, Turkey.

The policy of friendship and mutual understanding

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MULTIETHNIC TATARSTAN READY TO COOPERATE WITH ALL PARTIESTatarstan is situated on the borderline between Europe and Asia The two capitals of the Tatar state—Bolgar, capital of the medieval Bulgarian state, and Kazan, the capital of the Kazan Khanate and now of Tatarstan

Republic—stand on the Kama and the Volga rivers, which played an important role in the history of the peoples of Tatarstan. In ancient times the rivers promoted cooperation between nations. Judging by historical documents, our state proved no excep tion. Based as it is on mutual interests, trade always generates mutual under standing between different peoples. The geopolitical situation of Tatarstan greatly influenced its cultural de velopment: our

territory served as a link between European and Asian cultures, Christianity and Islam.Consequently, we have every right to refer to age-old friendship between the Tatars and other nations,

particularly the Russians. These traditions remain to this day: it is up to us to consolidate them.Situated in the center of the European part of Russia, we naturally share much in common - historically

established contacts in many areas, a common economic space, monetary system, transport communications, customs, etc. The proclamation of Tatarstan's state sovereignty was adopted by the Re public's Supreme Soviet

(Parliament) on August 30, 1990, and endorsed on March 21, 1992, at a referendum on Tatarstan's status.The Constitution adopted by the Supreme Soviet in November 1992, pro claimed Tatarstan as a sovereign state and a constituent member of the Russian Federation on the basis of a treaty on the mutual delegation of powers

and re sponsibilities. Which economic factors determine Tatarstan's sovereignty? To start, its vast scientific, intellectual and economic potential, which ex ceed the economic potential of some CIS members;

An energy base, which fully meets Tatarstan's requirements; deposits (developed and planned for future development); Major industries producing a vast number of final products in great de mand;

A well-developed agricultural base fully satisfies the Republic's popula tion's demand for meat, dairy products, and vegetables. On the first day we proclaimed statehood, we declared that our sover eignty was not ethnic in

nature. No one can reproach us for a lack of respect for the interests of other nations, human dignity in the past or present. This natu rally proceeds from our ethical principles. The Republic's multiethnic popula tion has always looked to the future with optimism, because it appraises friend ship and likes to work. Today it is represented by

at least 100 nationalities. Tatars and Russians institute the majority. We also have Chuvashes, Ukrainians, Bashkirs, Maris, Jews and some other nationalities: some of them have ,heir own cultural centers. These are

German and Jewish cultural clubs the "Oguz" Azerbaijanian society, the "Kazakhstan" society and the Chuvast Bashkir and Man centers. The Chuvashes recently began publishing thrown newspaper, Suvar. There are Tatar

ethnic parties and movements and a few Slovonic societies in the Republic.

YOUTH PROBLEMS TODAYLife in our country has changed so quickly during the last quarter of 2 century that people can't even understand what political and economic system they are going to have in the nearest future. It should be noted that youth are

the most progressive part of the society. Young people are active, ready to make new changes and quickly to accept them. And it was the youth who has suffered the most urgent problems. It is only during the 1990s that the problems of the young people have been seen and tackled. In short, the problem is this: youth as it developed in

the nineties is self-destructive. Since 1917 much attention had been paid by the communists to the youth upbringing in the communist spirit. These were two giant youth organizations: Young Pioneers and Komsomol. The first one united 9 - 13-year olders and the appeared which involved little schoolchildren from 7 to9. In the

early 90-ies these organizations were prohibited. There have been made some attempts to form new ones, eg. "Tatarstan's Youth." But having been supposed within the framework of some political parties or under the gov

ernment structures and according to the old-fashioned ideological concepts they caused negative feelings of the young people and soon stopped to exist. Instead, the government committee on youth affairs was formed. The

members of this committee do their best to regulate the life of the young people and to solve their problems, but a great number of problems seems to overall the committee which has little power, money and popularity.

Youth problems could be divided into three main groups: psychological, social and cultural.In early age, a child's life is simple, children form a close relationship with their family. On entering a secondary school, however, a new more diffi cult world opens up. Pupils soon learn to be less free in the way they speak to

teachers, parents and even to their fellow pupils. Secondary teachers and pupils experience the pressure of academic work and seern to have less time to stop and to talk to. Teenagers are very communicative, but adults

sometimes show their negative attitude to the young, annoyed with their independence in behaviour and their bad manners. As the youngsters progress through life, more and more problems face them, which they can hardly

solve. They have to find the way out themselves. Very often they find themselves in a desperate situation.Young people are eager to be independent in their everyday expenses. They need more and more money for

clothes, food and leisure. They can't often get a good job as they have less practical and professional experience. Higher educational establishments propose no guarantee in jobs. These is no vacancy in

130 the most privileged firms and companies. That's why the young people have noopportunity to earn their living.

Another problem concerns getting a higher education which is very often expensive to pay for. Above all, the living conditions of the students are not sufficient. Many students demand that the stipends should be raised at

the colleges and universities.