Volga Tatars
татарлар • tatarlar • تاتارلار | |
|---|---|
Tatars of Idel-Ural region | |
| Total population | |
| c. 6.5 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
Russia:
| 5,310,650 |
| Kazakhstan | 203,371 |
| Uzbekistan | 183,300 (incl. Crimean Tatars) |
| Ukraine | 73,304 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 28,334 |
| Azerbaijan | 25,900 |
| Turkey | 25,500 |
| Iran | 20,000–30,000 |
| Turkmenistan | 8,300 |
| China | 5,000 |
| Lithuania | 4,000 |
| Estonia | 1,981 |
| Finland | 600–700 |
| Afghanistan | 100,000-500,000 |
| Languages | |
| Tatar, Russian | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Sunni Islam with Orthodox Christian and irreligious minority | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bashkirs, Chuvash, Nogais, Crimean Tatars | |
The Volga Tatars or simply Tatars (Tatar: татарлар, romanized: tatarlar; Russian: татары, romanized: tatary) are a Turkic ethnic group native to the Volga-Ural region of western Russia, and contains multiple subgroups. Tatars are the second-largest ethnic group in Russia after ethnic Russians. They are primarily found in Tatarstan, where they make up 53.6% of the population. Their native language is Tatar, and are primarily followers of Sunni Islam.
"Tatar" as an ethnonym has a very long and complicated history, and in the past was often used as an umbrella term for different Turkic and Mongolic tribes. Nowadays it mostly refers exclusively to Volga Tatars (known simply as "Tatars"; Tatarlar), who became its "ultimate bearers" after the founding of Tatar ASSR (1920–1990; now Tatarstan). The ethnogenesis of Volga-Ural Tatars is still debated, but their history is usually connected to the Kipchak-Tatars of Golden Horde (1242–1502), and also to its predecessor, Volga Bulgaria (900s–1200s), whose adoption of Islam is celebrated yearly in Tatarstan. After the collapse of the Golden Horde, ancestors of modern Tatars formed the Khanate of Kazan (1438–1552), which lost its independence to Russia after the Siege of Kazan in 1552.
After hundreds of years under Russian rule, the Tatars are now well integrated into Russian society. However, they continue to maintain a distinct culture, characterized by their Islamic faith and native Turkic language. Since the industrialization of the Soviet Union, the Tatar language has been increasingly replaced by Russian in daily life, and separatist sentiments occasionally emerge. Islam has regained a stronger presence among the Tatars following the anti-religious policies of the Soviet era. The muftiate of Tatarstan is the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan, currently led by Kamil Samigullin.
Some notable Tatars include Gabdulla Tukay, Ayaz Ishaki, Shihabetdin Mardzhani, Galimdzhan Ibragimov, Rustam Minnikhanov, Rashid Nezhmetdinov, Rudolf Nureyev, Rinat Fakhretdinov, Aida Garifullina, and Marat Safin.