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Reminder. In 922 the head of all Moslems, Baghdad Caliph Djafar al-Muktadir officially recognized Itil Bulgaria as the Islamic state.This changed the titles of the rulers of the Itil Bulgaria: the title "Emir" was added to the title "Kan". The Great Embassy of Caliph went back to Bagdad in August of 922. Into the history of the Itil Bulgaria came the times of radical changes.

Methodical reminder. The problem to be addressed in this lecture is to find out what were the consequences of the acceptance of the Islam by the Itil Bulgars.

1. Reforms of Kan Almysh

The official recognition of the Itil Bulgaria as an Islamic state strengthened the position of Kan Almysh. It allowed him to carry out a number of cardinal reforms.

Change of the territorial - administrative division. The overall objective pursued by Kan Almysh in carrying out the reform in this area was to replace the authority of the sovereign princes with the authority of the governors-ulugbeks appointed by him. First of all it was necessary to weaken the influence of the rebellious sovereign princes Byrak, Askal and Mardjan. Prince Byrak owned the princedom Bershut, Askal ruled Esegel, and Mardjan ruled Bellak. Aspiring to achieve the objective, Kan Almysh changed the former territorial - administrative devision of the country. Were created the following uniform administrative provinces:

1. Bulgar Province: Bulgar with adjoining two areas: former Bulgarian allodial princedom and Martüba province. Martüba is the territory located between r. Kazanka in the south and r. Ilet in the north, r. Tsivil in the west and upper course of the r. Kazanka in the east.

2. Suvar Province: Nur-Suvar with adjoining area.

3. Baytüba Province Bulyar (Bilyar) with adjoining area.

4. Tamta Province: The territory of province was between r. Sheshma (Chishma) and the Ural mountains, with the center in the hamlet Tamta-Zay on the right bank of the r. Zay.

5. Kashan Province: The territory of the province was between upper course of the r. Meshi in the north and upper course of the r. Kama in the south, and streached east from the r. Shumbut, with the center in the city Kashan.

6. Biysu Province: It was the Pechora province with the center in the hamlet Gusman-Katau on r. Djuk (present r. Üg (Russ. South -Translator’s Note).

7. UrProvince: This was the Ural province (Northern Ural), with the center in the village Kargadan.

8. Baygul Province: Province along r. Ob in the Western Siberia.

9. Bellak Province(variations of the name: Mardan, Mardjan. Mardan-Bellak) with the center in the city Bandja (in the place of the present Samara). Its borders went as follows: in the north it streached along the line from the present city Ulyanovsk and the middle flow of the r. Big Cheremshan, in the south it streached along the r. Samara (Samara-su), in the west it streached along the r. Voronej (Boryn-Inesh). On the bank of the r. Boryn-Inesh (r. Voronej) was the last post station Boryn (Cape, on this place is the present city Lipetsk), in the western part of the Bulgar possessions. In the east the border of the province passed along the rivers Tuk, Small and Big Kinel (middle course). Hence, the territory of the province Bellak was on the right and left sides of the r. Itil. On the right side of Itil were districts Arbuga and Burtas, and on the left bank were Badjanak (Besenyo) and Kinel (1; 69). The right-bank districts were controlled by the descendants of the Sabanian, Saklanian and Modjarian princes, and the left-bank districts were controlled by the descendants of steppe Besenyo (Kyr-Badjanak) princes.

The Bellak province was the richest part of Itil Bulgaria. Here there were located many large cities: Arbuga (present Syzran), Bandja (present Samara), etc. Through the territory of the province passed flourishing trading roads. Along the trading roads were large cities, road inns and taverns, and menzels, i.e roadside stations. The taverns and menzels were protected by special squads. The roads were kept in good condition and were safe for merchants.

Each province was divided into djien districts (in Bulgarian djien subasy). The center of the djien district was called suba. Beks Byrak, Askal and Mardjan were unhappy with the Kan Almysh reform and started a mutiny against him. Byrak and Askal gathered in Bilyar also decided to raise Biy Mardjan to the throne. Began so-called “War of Biys” ("War of Princes"). However on the advice of mulla Abdallah, Kan Almysh made a wise decision. He offered Biy Mardjan to become an Emir, i.e. his deputy in the Bellak province. Besides, the population of the province were given a number of privileges. Only the inhabitants of this province had the right to "elect the governor" (1; 68). And only a governor of Bellak could carry the title "Emir". Only a few of the Kan’s relatives and a few of the most notable Biys had this title. (1; 68).

Such politics of Kan Almysh yielded positive results. Bek Mardjan switched to his side, and the Biys Byrak and Askal did not dare to act openly.

Thus, reform in the field of the territorial - administrative division was aimed on the liquidation of an institute of sovereign princes and the creation of the uniform administrative units controlled from a single center.

Reforms of Kan Almysh in the social and tax spheres. We shall present the social structure of the Bulgarian society, which arose as a result of the reforms of Kan Almysh, in a hierarchical form.

1. First tier. At the top of the social ladder were only the elite: the ruler, his close relatives and especially close to him Biys. Before 922, the Bulgar rulers had the following titles: Baltavar (Lord of Beys), Kan (Kagan ). After the official recognition of the Itil Bulgaria as the Islamic state her ruler began to act in a twofold status. First, as the head of the Muslim state he was a deputy of the Baghdad Caliph and carried a title Emir. Second, in relation tohis subjects he was a Kan, i.e. Kagan .

The brothers of the ruler, a governor of Bellak and especially close Biys were also on this level. All of them carried a title Emir or Biy.

2. Second tier. On the second tier were the largest feudal lords, demesne owners. They were called kazanchies. Kazanchies were alsocalled ulans. They owned extensive land estates with hereditary property rights.

3. Third tier. Third tier occupied non-hereditary Beys, Valis, Baganins (officer commanding a few hundred soldiers - Tanslator’s Note) and Inals. Non-hereditary Beys had to be in service, and they carried title "Beks". Vali is a governor of a city, i.e. a head of a city. The governors of the low rank who were reporting to the Kan had a title "Inal".

At this tier were the members of the City councils of the two autonomous cities, Bulgar and. Nur-Suvar. Kan Almysh gave a right to elect the City council members to the citizens of these two cities. These inner, independent, self-governing cities were peculiar autonomous units among the country’s uniform territorial - administrative divisions.

4. Fourth tier: These were minor service vassals. Bulgars called them bahadirs, i.e. knights.

5. Fifth tier: These were merchants and craftsmen. The estate of merchants and craftsmen Bulgars called Suvari. Suvari were subdivided, in turn, into three categories.

5.1. First category were large and notable merchants and master-craftsmen. Kan Almysh equated them in the rights with kazanchis-ulans, i.e. with large feudal allodial lords.

5.2. Second category were middle-income merchants and craftsmen. They were equal in rights with the non-hereditary Beys-Beks, Vali, Baganins and Inals.

5.3. Third category were small merchants and craftsmen-apprentices. They were equal to bahadirs (1; 67).

6. Sixth tier: These were the state peasant tillers. Bulgars called them igencheys. They were divided into two groups.

First group is subashis. Moslems grain-growers from 922 began to be called Subashis. They paid "the state only a minimal and strictly defined tax in money, cattle, furs or products" (1; 67). In need this tax could be replace by other duties: construction of roads, bridges, official buildings and others" (1; 67). Subashis were not mobilized for wars. In case of the enemy attack on the Itil Bulgaria they were obliged to join a militia.

Second group is chirmyshes. Chirmyshes were pagan state peasants. By their will, chirmyshes were in one of two subgroups.

First subgroup is ak-chirmyshes (or just “chirmyshes”). They "paid the same tax as subashes and, besides, were in the military service. During a war they received a part of the booty. They had to arrive to the military gathering points in full arms bought with their own means. Any soldash (soldier - Tanslator’s Note) founf to lack arms could be executed on the spot" (1; 67). The same punishment expected the anyone who displayed a disrespect to the weapons: conducting natural needs would not remove the weapon and put it on the ground.

Second subgroup is a kara-chirmyshes. They "paid a double subash tax, the mosque tax and, besides, bore other duties equal to two subash’s taxes" (1; 67).

The subashies and ak-chirmyshes had a right to carry weapons.

After the death of Almysh, during the rule of his son Gazan, appeared one more subgroup of the peasants.

Third subgroup is kurmyshes. Kurmyshes are those a kara-chirmyshes who were obliged to pay the mosque tax or the state tax not not to the state, but to the large feudal lords, kazanchis. Kurmysh had a right to leave the kazanchiy, but then he was loosing the land (1; 67). In time some kazanchies "began receiving, for superior merits, in hereditary possession the kara-chirmyshes’ lands" (1; 76).

Inprovement of Itil Bulgaria defenses. Kan Almysh undertook vigorous measures in construction and maintenance of the defensive objects. Kan charged his son-in-law Askal with a direct control of this major undertaking. Bey Djulut, the leader of the Sabanian clan Djulut, was appointed his assistant. They, together with seid Bakir and mulla Abdallah, travelled all over the country and planned the locations of the bulwarks and fortresses. The subashis, i.e. the Moslem grain-growers, were assigned to the construction and maintenance. For that, they were exempted from the taxes.

The construction of the fortresses was under the direction of the masters Chut, Abrak, Khum and Ubar. In a short time were constructed the following fortresses: Shepshe (Ak-Kala), Mardan, Urnash, and Takta (1; 68). Were renovated fortresses in the cities of Sulcha (its fortress was called Torkoch) and Nur-Suvar (its fortress was called Baryntau, in memory of being there of the Sabanian clan Baryn under the leadership of Alabuga). New fortresses were also built in. Kermek (the city was named in honour of the Almysh’s grandson Kermek, i.e. Askal’s son), Tersek on river Sulcha (Sulcha-su) and Deber on r. Züya-Idel (present r. Sviyaga). The fortress Deber was a last fortified object built during the life of Kan Almysh (1; 68).

Thus, during rule of Kan Almysh in the political life of the Itil Bulgaria occured fundamental changes. In brief they are summarized as following.

First, Itil Bulgaria was recognized as an Islamic state. Her ruler became a deputy of the Baghdad Caliph and received a title "Emir".

Second, by reforming the territorial - administrative division Kan Almysh mostly succeded in liquidation of the institute of hereditary sovereign Beys, replaceing it with an institute of governors.

Thirdly, the reform in the sphere of social relations was carried out in a combination with a tax reform. It enabled the Kan to tie stronger to the chariot of state machinery the various layers of the population. Bulgars began to be subdivided into two ethnosocial groups: Bulgars-Moslems and Bulgars-heathens. The classifications were based not only on religious distinctions, but also on the social and economic.

Fourthly, between the 922-925 AD construction of defensive bulwarks and fortresses opened in the Itil Bulgaria. The well thought over construction of defensive projects was also carried out on a wide scale in the following years.

The first quarter of 10th century was coming to an end. Ever change of times and generations. The life and Kan Almysh stopped.

Death of Kan Almysh. The winter of 925 was very severe. Strong frosts continued for a long time. Kan Almysh received news that the Kiev prince Igor (Bulgars called him Ugyr Lachyni) seized. Djir (present Rostov). Despite of strong frosts and old age, he went on a campaign. Learning about approach Almysh, prince Igor retreated from the Djir, leaving there a cohort of his mercenaries. Before that, Vali Salman governed Djir on the rights of Kan Almysh’s tribute-payer. Wishing to redress his fault for letting prince Igor into the city, Salman attacked the guardsmen of the Igor's cohort with his militia. Most of them were killed, the remaining left the city and stopped for the night to camp on a mountain near the city walls. By the morning all soldiers froze to death (1; 74). By the arrival of Kan Almysh the problem was solved. After a short stay in Djir, Kan turned back.

They were caming back by the shortest road through a thick forest. In the forest a huge vagrant bear unexpectedly attacked Almysh. While the startled by surprise soldiers wrestled the Kan from the paws of the bear, it had time to inflict deep wounds. Despite of trys of tabib (doctor), Almysh died from loss of blood. He was buried in the Bulgarian fortress Gülistan, named in honour of the daughter of the Kan.

So finished his life the senior son of Djilki, the founder of the first Islamic state in the Itil region, a person with a challenging fate who worked hard to spread and reinforce Islam in the Itil Bulgaria. Kan Almysh carried out a coherent policy directed at fortifying the central government and the creation of a balanced state system.

2. Rule of Almysh's sons

Kan Almysh had many sons, two of them ruled Itil Bulgaria from 925 to 943.

Rule of Gazan (925-930). He was one of the numerous sons of Kan Almysh. He was "called also Khasan, and Kazan" (1; 74). Almysh loved very much another son by the name Ma,l and wanted him to became his successor. However, Gazan arranged that Mal did not return from Khazaria, where he was kept as a hostage, to the Itil Bulgaria.

After the death of Almysh the kazanchies-ulans raised Gazan to the throne. In the first years of his rule he continued the task of his father of the construction of fortresses and defensive bulwarks. During his rule the following fortresses were constructed: Matak (between the rivers Small Cheremshan and Sulcha), Nukrat (between the rivers Akhtay and Small Cheremshan), Bandja (in the place of the present city Samara), Bulyar (Bilyar, a citadel in the city), Kamysh (on the river Kinel), Simbir, Gazan-Deber on the river Züya (present r. Sviyaga), Kashan and Tuhcha on r. Agidel, Tau-Kerman near the mouth Züya-Idel (the mouth of the present r. Sviyaga, later in this place was built city Sviyajsk), Tash-Bolgar, Subash-Simbir, Tash-Simbir and Karadjar on the Mountain side, Djilan on the river Chishma (present r. Sheshma). By the 930 there were 30 cities in the Itil Bulgaria.

At the same time Gazan was a severe ruler. His first adviser and a personal friend was seid Ahmed Bakir (the Bulgars began to call Ahmed ibn-Fadlan by this name). Under his influence Kan Gazan began to forcefully convert to Islam the Serbian (ancestors of the Chuvashes) and Ars’ (ancestors of the Udmurts) kara-chirmyshes. Those rejecting were punished: their lands were transferred into a hereditary possession to large feudal lords, i.e. to the ulans-kazanchies. It is well-known that an appetite comes with a meal. In other words, ulans-kazanchies demanded from Gazan new and new lands in possession. Kan started to distribute to the ulans the kara-chirmyshian and chirmyshian auls (villages) of the Inner Bulgaria. In other words, the villages of the heathens who were living in the Inner Bulgaria began to be transferred to the ulans into a hereditary possession. All these actions of the Kan Gazan and seid Ahmed Bakir caused a distress in the country. The struggle threatened to grow into an confrontation between the Moslems and the heathens. The state peasants, who did not wish to become the property of the large feudal lords- ulans, began to move to the province Mardan-Bellak. Kan Gazan demanded from Emir Balus to turn over the fugitives. The Emir-governor of the Mardan-Bellak firmly declared that the Bellaks will not turn them over to anybody. Kan Gazan tried to pull to his side the large feudal lords of the province Mardan-Bellak. However Emir Balus neutralized the actions of the Kan by transferring a part of the subash tax from the newcomer peasants to the large feudal lords. Only a few ulans went to the Kan Gazan. They were the feudal lords from the Simbirsk district of the province Mardan-Bellak. The Kan transferred this district of the Mardan-Bellak to the Nur-Suvar (1; 75).

The state heathen peasants of the Inner Bulgaria started a revolt. The revolt was headed by Byrak and his son Bel-Subash. Byrak (a former sovereign prince of Bershud) was a katavyl, i.e. a commandant of Shepshe fortress. Was Bel-Subash a commander of the squad protecting the Bulyarian road station with a road inn, i.e. a menzel. The revolt began in the summer of 925. The rebels demanded a return to the laws of Almysh and a removal of Bakir (1; 75).

Kan Gazan managed to suppress the revolt. Byrak and Bel-Subash with their people were sent to the construction of a citadel in Bulyar (Bilyar). Then they filled a new bulwark and built up the territory between the bulwark and the citadel.

In 930 the situation sharply worsened. In the summer was a drought. By the winter began a famine. Nevertheless, the tax collectors were taking away from the people the last supplies. Despite of the famine, Kan Gazan forced the chirmyshes to build reinforcements around Bulyar. Byrak and Bel-Suvash again raised a revolt. The insurgents fortified in the Ulem district. Kan Gazan with his ulans set out there. He bivouacked in a small town Atryach, close to the camp of the insurgents, also let the majority of the ulans to depart to plunder the inhabitants of the district. Hearing of it, Bel-Subash attacked Kan Gazan at night. Taken by the surprise a few ulans were chopped down. Gazan was decapitated. His head was impaled on a spear and displayed in the center of the Atryach.

Rule of Mikail (930-943). Mikail (the second son of Almysh, his nickname was Yalkau, The Loafer) received the news about the death of Kan Gazan in the city of Bandja. After that he immediatelywent to Bulgar. There he was proclaimed a Kan (1; 80). The post of vizier went to mulla Abdallah. Vizier gave the Kan some useful advices.

First, to adhere to the policy of Kan Almysh in respect to the large feudal lords, kazanchies and the state peasants, igenchies (land tillers).

Second, to avoid conflicts with the Bulgar peasants in every way (1; 80).

The Kan, however,had to take into account not only the advice of the vizier, but also the realities of the life. And these were those: the large feudal lords, kazanchies, aspired to expand and strengthen their control over the peasants. Therefore, Kan Mikail undertook the following actions:

·all state peasants of the Inner Bulgaria were transferred into the category of subashis, i.e. they had the same privileges as Moslem peasants, some of them started paying taxes to the state, and the others started paying taxes for 20 thousand mercenaries, djurs;

·kazanchies received in hereditary possession the lands on the Mountain (right-bank) side, occupied by the Serbian (historical ancestors of the Chuvashes) and Ars’ (historical ancestors of the Udmurts) heathen grain-growers (1; 81);

· Kan Mikail declared as state lands the lands on the Mountain side occupied by the Bulgar peasants;

·the city Atryach was renamed into Shongyt.

Thus, attempt by the large feudal lords, kazanchies, to seize the lands of the heathen peasants within the limits of Inner Bulgaria did not end up successfully. The discontent of large feudal lords a policy of Kan increased after he ordered all Bulgar alpars, i.e. serving feudal lords-knights to cut off their braids (1; 81). The kazanchies declared Mikail to be "Kan of Heathens". They gathered in Nur-Suvar. Their ideological leader was seid Bakir. Conspirators wanted to raise to the throne another person. Hearning about the plot, Kan Mikail arrived to Nur-Suvar with a group of hired soldiers, djurs. "Mounted on his horse he rode straight into the mosque "Nur". Seid cried, that he, Kan, immediately leave the mosque and when he refused, whipped his horse" (1; 81). Djurs seized the seid and on the order of the Kan threw him in zindan (deep cellar). Soon seid Bakir died.

Kan Mikail " participated in all national festivals and extravaganzas. In November he went to look at the plucking of the geese. In December he with lads was storming the ice "Maiden city", defended by forty girls led by "Quinn", and even fought in the duels. In nauruz he celebrated kargatuy, in April, Sabantuy, after the sowing, Chillek. In the August Jangyr Botkasy he lead the sacrifice of a white bull, he was the first to eat a white fish, and the ceremony ended with a splashing with the girls. In the autumn after crop harvest, were paid the major taxes, and the Kan was arranging near Bulgar a "Kyzlar Echkene", festivals in honour of the"gifts to him from the organizers of the weddings" (1; 82). The tradition was that for a father to marry his son, he had to give a horse to the Kan. For a sanction to have a wedding, the ruler was given a certain quantity of honey. Its quantity depend on the number invited to a wedding. In the autumn of 943 Kan Mikail organized a feast to celebrate the payment for the sanctions for the weddings. Such feasts ended with jumping. Kan decided to participate in jumps (1; 82). This decision resulted in atragedy. The Kan’s horse stumbled on a full throttle. Kan fell and was fractured to death. People used to say different things about the event: some believed that the misfortune happened because the Kan "mounted a white sacrificial horse, which was not sacrificed in djien out of pity" (1; 82), the others thought that that was a penalty because Kan ordered to mortify seid Bakir by tying him with a horse harness.

So ended the period of the rule of the Almysh sons.

3. Consequences of acceptance of the Islam

The material layed out in the previous lectures unequivocally testifies that some clans and tribes in the Itil Bulgar ethnosystem accepted Islam as early as the 7th century. Hence, to the official recognition of the Itil Bulgaria as an Islamic state passed almost 200 years. The Islam rendered a major influence on the relations between people, their conciousness, culture, traditions, customs, behaviour, etc. After the 922 the position of the Muslim clergy grew very strongly. Henceforth the government divided the population of the country into Moslems and non-Moslem heathens. Irrespective of the ethnic background, the Moslems received tax privileges and advantages in the sphere of state institutions. Therefore they supported the policy of Kan Almysh and his sons, aimed at strengthening the central authority and liquidation of the institute of the allodial princes. Non-Moslem heathens were obliged to pay the special tax, haradj, for the mosque.

Changes in views at the surrounding world. Bulgar heathens worshipped 17 deities. The main among them was Tengre, a lord of human souls, creator of lightnings and thunder. The other deities were his co-creators. A noted feature of Bulgar heathens beliefs was that they had Tengre’s attendants in pairs in the pantheon of the Gods, counterbalanscing the opposite elements and objects of the nature. The Sun-god - the Moon-god, the Fire-god - the Water-god, the Day-god - the Night-god, the Air-god - the Earth-god, etc. In their honour special sanctuaries were built, and sacrifices made.

Islam contrasted the worship of the natural phenomena of the pagan polytheism to the monotheism: "Allah is one, Allah is eternal; he did not give birth and was not born; to him there is no equal". In other words, as presented by the Moslems, Allah created without any assistants the world, the heavens, and the land, angels and demons, people, plants, animals and everything else.

Thus, the Bulgar Moslems began to perceive the world around, and the universe as a whole, as a creation of Allah. Their views became the same, as for the Moslems of the rest of the world.

Changes in relations between people. Before acceptance of Islam the relation between people in the Itil Bulgar ethnosystem were based on origin, political-economical, social, military relations, customs, traditions, etc. In aggregate they were clan and tribal relations. After the acceptance of Islam the Itil Bulgar ethnosystem and the population of the state as a whole were split in two categories, a community of Moslems and a community of heathens. The division was, hence, not by the ethnic and clan and tribal affiliation, but by the religious affiliation. According to that were also the relations between people inside religious communities, and also between the state, on the one hand, and religious communities, on another hand. The public behaviour of the Moslems was guidedby thesharia. The strict observance of Muslim laws was enforced by the society “El-Hum” led by a sheikh. The behaviour of the heathens was determined by the practice of Tengrianism and ancient customs.

Thus, by the middle of the 10th century the ethnic clan and tribal affiliation of the person began to fade, and the affiliation to this or that religious community grew in significance.

Changes in beliefs about afterlife. In the Tengrian beliefs, after a death the person continued to live in a next world. The quality of life in the next world depends on how well the close relatives of the deseased send him off into the other world. For example, if they did not put next to him a bowl with a drink, the deseased would suffer from thirst. If they failed to put a weapon in the grave, the deseased could not defend from the enemies. These illustrations can be extended.

With conversion to Islam the beliefs about the next world changed radically. In the ideology of Moslems, the quality of the future life for a person depends on his life on the earth. Depending on the behaviour in the earthly life, a person after a death would get either in a paradise, or in a hell. To get in the paradise, a righteous Moslem should follow six obligatory rules.

Firstly, he should pay a tax for the poor. This tax is calledzakyat. Farmers paid it after harvest, and the cattlemen, craftsmen, merchants and other categories of the population paid at the end of the year.

Secondly, the Moslem is obliged to pray five times day: before sunrise, at midday, before sunset, after sunset, and late at night. Especially pious could pray additionally at night or in the afternoon.

Thirdly, the prayer provide before praying should ensure the cleanliness of the body, clothes and the place for praying.

Fourthly, annually in the month of Ramazan (Ramadan) a Moslem should hold an uraza. In the daytime it is not allowed to eat, drink, smoke, etc. With fall of a darkness these interdictions are removed. The sick, pregnant and feeding women, aged, children, people on a road, and also the soldiers in the military actions are exempted from the uraza.

Fifthly, a Moslem is obligated to extend a maximum of efforts for strict and exact implementation of the Muslim laws, customs, to be diligent in learning the true faith.

Sixthly, at least once in a lifetime a Moslem should make a pilgrimage, i.e. a hadj to Mecca to venerate the Muslim holies.

Thus, the implementation of these rules allowed a devout Moslem to hope to get into a paradise after the death. The non-observance ensured a place in a hell.

Change in the social standing of women. The heathen Bulgar women actively participated in the political life. In military campaigns, they were taking part equally with men, and sometimes participated in battles. During reception of the ambassadors the wife of the Kan sat next to the husband. The woman did not cover their faces in the presence of men. With the acceptance of Islam the situation in this respect began to change. First of all changed the order and ritual of wedding. The head of the family, wishing to marry his son, asked the Kan to sanction a marriage. After receiving the sanction, a horse was given to the ruler. For the sanction to have a wedding feast, the ruler received a certain quantity of honey.

After the acceptance of Islam the weddings were done according to the principles and requirements of the new religion. The marriage was considered lawful only after completion of the nikah ceremony. After marriage, the husband is obligated to provide his wife with housing, food, clothing. In return, the wife was obligated to obey her husband and abide by his commands. In the houses appeared the so-called " female half". It was for women and juvenile children. Of all males, only an owner of the house had a right to enter it.

For the heathen Bulgars, before it was not the father and mother who were raising the juvenile sons, but a grandfather of the maternal line. They grew and were brought up by him to their maturity. After the death of a father his property was inherited not by his sons, but by the father’s brother. With the adoption of Islam the responsibility before a society for quality of upbringing of sons carried the father, and for the upbringing of daughters bore the mother. The inheritance of the father began to be passed to the senior son.

Interdictions in the Islam. The koran condemns murder. With murderers also Bulgar s-heathens very severely managed. For unpremeditated murder of the fellow tribesman - the murderer alive placed in a box like a coffin. There put three flat cakes and put a vessel with water. Then a box strongly zakolachivali also hung up on a tree. The criminal was doomed for slow death. For a similar crime in the Koran less severe punishment is stipulated: the respondent should pay to family killed the penalty.

The Islam condemns and forbids adultery. Bulgar’s heathens punished very severely both man and woman the similar acts. The guilty were tied by feet and hands to four plow blades dug into the ground. Then the bodies split with an axe from the neck to the hips. Each half of the body was hung up on a tree. There they hung until a full decomposition. Nobody had a right to remove them and commit to the earth. For similar acts, the following punishment is stipulated in the Koran: both the man, and the woman are punished with a hundred lashes of whip, moreover, the woman was imprisoned to the end of her life.

For a larceny the heathen Bulga s punished the same as for adultery. In the Islamic countries, for a theft a hand was cut off. However, from this rule was one exception: if the theft was of products by a hungry person to save his life, he was not punished.

Moslems considered it heavy sin to use pork and alcoholic drinks (2; 36).

Change of the funeral rites. The heathen Bulgars had cemeteries behind a natural barrier. As a barrier in our lands could be a river or a ravine. They did this to protect themselves from the dead men world. The deseased were buried in tabuts, i.e. in wooden boxes like coffins. For some deseased women their feet were tied, so that they could not come to the live as albasta (witch). The dead men were buried in clothes. Nearby was layd a weapon, food: meat, porridge and a berries and fruit drink. In the tomb quite often was put a horse harness and a part of a horse trunk. They believed, that deseased should ride into the next world on a horse.

A house where was a deseased was marked with a banner. The men gathered at the door of the house and began to sob loudly. The mourning of the close relatives for the deseased continued for two years. After that was arranged a commemoration. From that time it was considered that the mourning has ended.

The heathen Bulgars committed to the earth the bodies of not all deseased. First, they did not bury a body Alps, i.e. the bogatyrs (giants). Their bodies remained on the surface until a full decomposition. Ahmed ibn-Fadlan saw the remains of one of such giants himself. Secondly, the bodies of the criminals were not buried in the earth. The body of an executed criminal was hung up on a tree. Thirdly, they did not bury the body of the bright persons. When the heathen Bulgars met a very clever person, they said: "He is ready to serve the God". After that they suddenly jumped on him, snatched a cord around his neck, and hung him up on a tree. This strange custom Bulgars took from their Sumerian historical ancestors.

After the adoption of Islam the burial ceremony changed significally. The Moslems call the funeral ceremony djinaza. The basic moments of the djinaza are these:

First rule. Feeling the approach of death, a Moslem should read the text of 36-th sura of the Koran (sura Ya-Sin). If the dying is not capable to read it, another Moslem should read Ya-Sin.

Second rule. After death, the body of the deseased should be turned facing the kibla. Kibla is a direction toward Mecca. In our territories, this is a southwest direction.

Third rule. It is necessary to do ritual ablution and dress the deseased into a burial attire.

Fourth rule. It is necessary to read a prayer for the peace of the deseased’s soul. It is read in his house or in a mosque.

Fifth rule. The burial of the deseased should take place in the day of death or the next day. The body is layed on a special stretcher (djinaza). Then it is carried or driven followed by a funeral procession to the cemetery.

Sixth rule. A tomb is dig spacious as possible, usually with a niche (lyahet) in the side wall or a pit at the bottom. By the Moslems’ belief, the deseased should be able to "sit up" at arrival of the death angels Munkar and Nakir. The head of the deseased should rest toward kibla. During the burial a Koran sura and fragments from the al-Busiri poem "Kasidat-al-Burda" should be read This poem was composed in honour of the prophet Mohammed.

Seventh rule. The memorials for the deceased take place on the third, seventh and fortieth days after the death. The mourning of the close relatives continues for a year.

Thus, by the rules of the Muslim burial, supplying the tomb with food, weapon and other subjects is disallowed. It is forbidden to cry loudly near the deseased. It is also forbidden to talk loudly.

In the informative sense the burial grounds became poor. If by the subjects found in the previous tombs archeologists could judge a way of life, social and ethnic affiliation of the deseased, with the acceptance of Islam the burial rite became uniform for all Moslems irrespective of the social status and ethnic affiliation.

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Z. Z. Miftakhov Lecture course for history of Tatar people Lecture 10
FIRST BULGARIAN STATE FORMATION
PLAN 1. Reform of Kan Almysh. 2. Rule of sons Almysh. 3. Consequences of acceptance of the Islam.



PRELIMINARY REMARKS *Reminder.* In 922 the head of all Moslems, Baghdad Caliph Djafar al-Muktadir officially recognized Itil Bulgaria as the Islamic state.This changed the titles of the rulers of the Itil Bulgaria: the title "Emir" was added to the title "Kan". The Great Embassy of Caliph went back to Bagdad in August of 922. Into the history of the Itil Bulgaria came the times of radical changes. Methodical reminder. The problem to be addressed in this lecture is to find out what were the consequences of the acceptance of the Islam by the Itil Bulgars. *1. Reforms of Kan Almysh* The official recognition of the Itil Bulgaria as an Islamic state strengthened the position of Kan Almysh. It allowed him to carry out a number of cardinal reforms. Change of the territorial - administrative division. The overall objective pursued by Kan Almysh in carrying out the reform in this area was to replace the authority of the sovereign princes with the authority of the governors-ulugbeks appointed by him. First of all it was necessary to weaken the influence of the rebellious sovereign princes Byrak, Askal and Mardjan. Prince Byrak owned the princedom Bershut, Askal ruled Esegel, and Mardjan ruled Bellak. Aspiring to achieve the objective, Kan Almysh changed the former territorial - administrative devision of the country. Were created the following uniform administrative provinces: 1. Bulgar Province: Bulgar with adjoining two areas: former Bulgarian allodial princedom and Martüba province. Martüba is the territory located between r. Kazanka in the south and r. Ilet in the north, r. Tsivil in the west and upper course of the r. Kazanka in the east. 2. Suvar Province: Nur-Suvar with adjoining area. 3. Baytüba Province Bulyar (Bilyar) with adjoining area. 4. Tamta Province: The territory of province was between r. Sheshma (Chishma) and the Ural mountains, with the center in the hamlet Tamta-Zay on the right bank of the r. Zay. 5. Kashan Province: The territory of the province was between upper course of the r. Meshi in the north and upper course of the r. Kama in the south, and streached east from the r. Shumbut, with the center in the city Kashan. 6. Biysu Province: It was the Pechora province with the center in the hamlet Gusman-Katau on r. Djuk (present r. Üg (Russ. South -Translator’s Note). 7. UrProvince: This was the Ural province (Northern Ural), with the center in the village Kargadan. 8. Baygul Province: Province along r. Ob in the Western Siberia. 9. Bellak Province(variations of the name: Mardan, Mardjan. Mardan-Bellak) with the center in the city Bandja (in the place of the present Samara). Its borders went as follows: in the north it streached along the line from the present city Ulyanovsk and the middle flow of the r. Big Cheremshan, in the south it streached along the r. Samara (Samara-su), in the west it streached along the r. Voronej (Boryn-Inesh). On the bank of the r. Boryn-Inesh (r. Voronej) was the last post station Boryn (Cape, on this place is the present city Lipetsk), in the western part of the Bulgar possessions. In the east the border of the province passed along the rivers Tuk, Small and Big Kinel (middle course). Hence, the territory of the province Bellak was on the right and left sides of the r. Itil. On the right side of Itil were districts Arbuga and Burtas, and on the left bank were Badjanak (Besenyo) and Kinel (1; 69). The right-bank districts were controlled by the descendants of the Sabanian, Saklanian and Modjarian princes, and the left-bank districts were controlled by the descendants of steppe Besenyo (Kyr-Badjanak) princes. The Bellak province was the richest part of Itil Bulgaria. Here there were located many large cities: Arbuga (present Syzran), Bandja (present Samara), etc. Through the territory of the province passed flourishing trading roads. Along the trading roads were large cities, road inns and taverns, and menzels, i.e roadside stations. The taverns and menzels were protected by special squads. The roads were kept in good condition and were safe for merchants. Each province was divided into djien districts (in Bulgarian djien subasy). The center of the djien district was called suba. Beks Byrak, Askal and Mardjan were unhappy with the Kan Almysh reform and started a mutiny against him. Byrak and Askal gathered in Bilyar also decided to raise Biy Mardjan to the throne. Began so-called “War of Biys” ("War of Princes"). However on the advice of mulla Abdallah, Kan Almysh made a wise decision. He offered Biy Mardjan to become an Emir, i.e. his deputy in the Bellak province. Besides, the population of the province were given a number of privileges. Only the inhabitants of this province had the right to "elect the governor" (1; 68). And only a governor of Bellak could carry the title "Emir". Only a few of the Kan’s relatives and a few of the most notable Biys had this title. (1; 68). Such politics of Kan Almysh yielded positive results. Bek Mardjan switched to his side, and the Biys Byrak and Askal did not dare to act openly. Thus, reform in the field of the territorial - administrative division was aimed on the liquidation of an institute of sovereign princes and the creation of the uniform administrative units controlled from a single center. *Reforms of Kan Almysh in the social and tax spheres.* We shall present the social structure of the Bulgarian society, which arose as a result of the reforms of Kan Almysh, in a hierarchical form. 1. First tier. At the top of the social ladder were only the elite: the ruler, his close relatives and especially close to him Biys. Before 922, the Bulgar rulers had the following titles: Baltavar (Lord of Beys), Kan (Kagan ). After the official recognition of the Itil Bulgaria as the Islamic state her ruler began to act in a twofold status. First, as the head of the Muslim state he was a deputy of the Baghdad Caliph and carried a title Emir. Second, in relation tohis subjects he was a Kan, i.e. Kagan . The brothers of the ruler, a governor of Bellak and especially close Biys were also on this level. All of them carried a title Emir or Biy. 2. Second tier. On the second tier were the largest feudal lords, demesne owners. They were called kazanchies. Kazanchies were alsocalled ulans. They owned extensive land estates with hereditary property rights. 3. Third tier. Third tier occupied non-hereditary Beys, Valis, Baganins (officer commanding a few hundred soldiers - Tanslator’s Note) and Inals. Non-hereditary Beys had to be in service, and they carried title "Beks". Vali is a governor of a city, i.e. a head of a city. The governors of the low rank who were reporting to the Kan had a title "Inal". At this tier were the members of the City councils of the two autonomous cities, Bulgar and. Nur-Suvar. Kan Almysh gave a right to elect the City council members to the citizens of these two cities. These inner, independent, self-governing cities were peculiar autonomous units among the country’s uniform territorial - administrative divisions. 4. Fourth tier: These were minor service vassals. Bulgars called them bahadirs, i.e. knights. 5. Fifth tier: These were merchants and craftsmen. The estate of merchants and craftsmen Bulgars called Suvari. Suvari were subdivided, in turn, into three categories. 5.1. First category were large and notable merchants and master-craftsmen. Kan Almysh equated them in the rights with kazanchis-ulans, i.e. with large feudal allodial lords. 5.2. Second category were middle-income merchants and craftsmen. They were equal in rights with the non-hereditary Beys-Beks, Vali, Baganins and Inals. 5.3. Third category were small merchants and craftsmen-apprentices. They were equal to bahadirs (1; 67). 6. Sixth tier: These were the state peasant tillers. Bulgars called them igencheys. They were divided into two groups. *First group* is subashis. Moslems grain-growers from 922 began to be called Subashis. They paid "the state only a minimal and strictly defined tax in money, cattle, furs or products" (1; 67). In need this tax could be replace by other duties: construction of roads, bridges, official buildings and others" (1; 67). Subashis were not mobilized for wars. In case of the enemy attack on the Itil Bulgaria they were obliged to join a militia. *Second group* is chirmyshes. Chirmyshes were pagan state peasants. By their will, chirmyshes were in one of two subgroups. *First subgroup* is ak-chirmyshes (or just “chirmyshes”). They "paid the same tax as subashes and, besides, were in the military service. During a war they received a part of the booty. They had to arrive to the military gathering points in full arms bought with their own means. Any soldash (soldier - Tanslator’s Note) founf to lack arms could be executed on the spot" (1; 67). The same punishment expected the anyone who displayed a disrespect to the weapons: conducting natural needs would not remove the weapon and put it on the ground. *Second subgroup* is a kara-chirmyshes. They "paid a double subash tax, the mosque tax and, besides, bore other duties equal to two subash’s taxes" (1; 67). The subashies and ak-chirmyshes had a right to carry weapons. After the death of Almysh, during the rule of his son Gazan, appeared one more subgroup of the peasants. *Third subgroup* is kurmyshes. Kurmyshes are those a kara-chirmyshes who were obliged to pay the mosque tax or the state tax not not to the state, but to the large feudal lords, kazanchis. Kurmysh had a right to leave the kazanchiy, but then he was loosing the land (1; 67). In time some kazanchies "began receiving, for superior merits, in hereditary possession the kara-chirmyshes’ lands" (1; 76). *Inprovement of Itil Bulgaria defenses. Kan Almysh undertook vigorous measures in construction and maintenance of the defensive objects. Kan charged his son-in-law Askal with a direct control of this major undertaking. Bey Djulut, the leader of the Sabanian clan Djulut, was appointed his assistant. They, together with seid Bakir and mulla Abdallah, travelled all over the country and planned the locations of the bulwarks and fortresses. The subashis, i.e. the Moslem grain-growers, were assigned to the construction and maintenance. For that, they were exempted from the taxes. The construction of the fortresses was under the direction of the masters Chut, Abrak, Khum and Ubar. In a short time were constructed the following fortresses: Shepshe (Ak-Kala), Mardan, Urnash, and Takta (1; 68). Were renovated fortresses in the cities of Sulcha (its fortress was called Torkoch) and Nur-Suvar (its fortress was called Baryntau, in memory of being there of the Sabanian clan Baryn under the leadership of Alabuga). New fortresses were also built in. Kermek (the city was named in honour of the Almysh’s grandson Kermek, i.e. Askal’s son), Tersek on river Sulcha (Sulcha-su) and Deber on r. Züya-Idel (present r. Sviyaga). The fortress Deber was a last fortified object built during the life of Kan Almysh (1; 68). Thus, during rule of Kan Almysh in the political life of the Itil Bulgaria occured fundamental changes. In brief they are summarized as following. First, Itil Bulgaria was recognized as an Islamic state. Her ruler became a deputy of the Baghdad Caliph and received a title "Emir". Second, by reforming the territorial - administrative division Kan Almysh mostly succeded in liquidation of the institute of hereditary sovereign Beys, replaceing it with an institute of governors. Thirdly, the reform in the sphere of social relations was carried out in a combination with a tax reform. It enabled the Kan to tie stronger to the chariot of state machinery the various layers of the population. Bulgars began to be subdivided into two ethnosocial groups: Bulgars-Moslems and Bulgars-heathens. The classifications were based not only on religious distinctions, but also on the social and economic. Fourthly, between the 922-925 AD construction of defensive bulwarks and fortresses opened in the Itil Bulgaria. The well thought over construction of defensive projects was also carried out on a wide scale in the following years. The first quarter of 10th century was coming to an end. Ever change of times and generations. The life and Kan Almysh stopped. Death of Kan Almysh. The winter of 925 was very severe. Strong frosts continued for a long time. Kan Almysh received news that the Kiev prince Igor (Bulgars called him Ugyr Lachyni) seized. Djir (present Rostov). Despite of strong frosts and old age, he went on a campaign. Learning about approach Almysh, prince Igor retreated from the Djir, leaving there a cohort of his mercenaries. Before that, Vali Salman governed Djir on the rights of Kan Almysh’s tribute-payer. Wishing to redress his fault for letting prince Igor into the city, Salman attacked the guardsmen of the Igor's cohort with his militia. Most of them were killed, the remaining left the city and stopped for the night to camp on a mountain near the city walls. By the morning all soldiers froze to death (1; 74). By the arrival of Kan Almysh the problem was solved. After a short stay in Djir, Kan turned back. They were caming back by the shortest road through a thick forest. In the forest a huge vagrant bear unexpectedly attacked Almysh. While the startled by surprise soldiers wrestled the Kan from the paws of the bear, it had time to inflict deep wounds. Despite of trys of tabib (doctor), Almysh died from loss of blood. He was buried in the Bulgarian fortress Gülistan, named in honour of the daughter of the Kan. So finished his life the senior son of Djilki, the founder of the first Islamic state in the Itil region, a person with a challenging fate who worked hard to spread and reinforce Islam in the Itil Bulgaria. Kan Almysh carried out a coherent policy directed at fortifying the central government and the creation of a balanced state system. 2. Rule of Almysh's sons* Kan Almysh had many sons, two of them ruled Itil Bulgaria from 925 to 943. *Rule of Gazan* (925-930). He was one of the numerous sons of Kan Almysh. He was "called also Khasan, and Kazan" (1; 74). Almysh loved very much another son by the name Ma,l and wanted him to became his successor. However, Gazan arranged that Mal did not return from Khazaria, where he was kept as a hostage, to the Itil Bulgaria. After the death of Almysh the kazanchies-ulans raised Gazan to the throne. In the first years of his rule he continued the task of his father of the construction of fortresses and defensive bulwarks. During his rule the following fortresses were constructed: Matak (between the rivers Small Cheremshan and Sulcha), Nukrat (between the rivers Akhtay and Small Cheremshan), Bandja (in the place of the present city Samara), Bulyar (Bilyar, a citadel in the city), Kamysh (on the river Kinel), Simbir, Gazan-Deber on the river Züya (present r. Sviyaga), Kashan and Tuhcha on r. Agidel, Tau-Kerman near the mouth Züya-Idel (the mouth of the present r. Sviyaga, later in this place was built city Sviyajsk), Tash-Bolgar, Subash-Simbir, Tash-Simbir and Karadjar on the Mountain side, Djilan on the river Chishma (present r. Sheshma). By the 930 there were 30 cities in the Itil Bulgaria. At the same time Gazan was a severe ruler. His first adviser and a personal friend was seid Ahmed Bakir (the Bulgars began to call Ahmed ibn-Fadlan by this name). Under his influence Kan Gazan began to forcefully convert to Islam the Serbian (ancestors of the Chuvashes) and Ars’ (ancestors of the Udmurts) kara-chirmyshes. Those rejecting were punished: their lands were transferred into a hereditary possession to large feudal lords, i.e. to the ulans-kazanchies. It is well-known that an appetite comes with a meal. In other words, ulans-kazanchies demanded from Gazan new and new lands in possession. Kan started to distribute to the ulans the kara-chirmyshian and chirmyshian auls (villages) of the Inner Bulgaria. In other words, the villages of the heathens who were living in the Inner Bulgaria began to be transferred to the ulans into a hereditary possession. All these actions of the Kan Gazan and seid Ahmed Bakir caused a distress in the country. The struggle threatened to grow into an confrontation between the Moslems and the heathens. The state peasants, who did not wish to become the property of the large feudal lords- ulans, began to move to the province Mardan-Bellak. Kan Gazan demanded from Emir Balus to turn over the fugitives. The Emir-governor of the Mardan-Bellak firmly declared that the Bellaks will not turn them over to anybody. Kan Gazan tried to pull to his side the large feudal lords of the province Mardan-Bellak. However Emir Balus neutralized the actions of the Kan by transferring a part of the subash tax from the newcomer peasants to the large feudal lords. Only a few ulans went to the Kan Gazan. They were the feudal lords from the Simbirsk district of the province Mardan-Bellak. The Kan transferred this district of the Mardan-Bellak to the Nur-Suvar (1; 75). The state heathen peasants of the Inner Bulgaria started a revolt. The revolt was headed by Byrak and his son Bel-Subash. Byrak (a former sovereign prince of Bershud) was a katavyl, i.e. a commandant of Shepshe fortress. Was Bel-Subash a commander of the squad protecting the Bulyarian road station with a road inn, i.e. a menzel. The revolt began in the summer of 925. The rebels demanded a return to the laws of Almysh and a removal of Bakir (1; 75). Kan Gazan managed to suppress the revolt. Byrak and Bel-Subash with their people were sent to the construction of a citadel in Bulyar (Bilyar). Then they filled a new bulwark and built up the territory between the bulwark and the citadel. In 930 the situation sharply worsened. In the summer was a drought. By the winter began a famine. Nevertheless, the tax collectors were taking away from the people the last supplies. Despite of the famine, Kan Gazan forced the chirmyshes to build reinforcements around Bulyar. Byrak and Bel-Suvash again raised a revolt. The insurgents fortified in the Ulem district. Kan Gazan with his ulans set out there. He bivouacked in a small town Atryach, close to the camp of the insurgents, also let the majority of the ulans to depart to plunder the inhabitants of the district. Hearing of it, Bel-Subash attacked Kan Gazan at night. Taken by the surprise a few ulans were chopped down. Gazan was decapitated. His head was impaled on a spear and displayed in the center of the Atryach. *Rule of Mikail* (930-943). Mikail (the second son of Almysh, his nickname was Yalkau, The Loafer) received the news about the death of Kan Gazan in the city of Bandja. After that he immediatelywent to Bulgar. There he was proclaimed a Kan (1; 80). The post of vizier went to mulla Abdallah. Vizier gave the Kan some useful advices. First, to adhere to the policy of Kan Almysh in respect to the large feudal lords, kazanchies and the state peasants, igenchies (land tillers). Second, to avoid conflicts with the Bulgar peasants in every way (1; 80). The Kan, however,had to take into account not only the advice of the vizier, but also the realities of the life. And these were those: the large feudal lords, kazanchies, aspired to expand and strengthen their control over the peasants. Therefore, Kan Mikail undertook the following actions: ·all state peasants of the Inner Bulgaria were transferred into the category of subashis, i.e. they had the same privileges as Moslem peasants, some of them started paying taxes to the state, and the others started paying taxes for 20 thousand mercenaries, djurs; ·kazanchies received in hereditary possession the lands on the Mountain (right-bank) side, occupied by the Serbian (historical ancestors of the Chuvashes) and Ars’ (historical ancestors of the Udmurts) heathen grain-growers (1; 81); · Kan Mikail declared as state lands the lands on the Mountain side occupied by the Bulgar peasants; ·the city Atryach was renamed into Shongyt. Thus, attempt by the large feudal lords, kazanchies, to seize the lands of the heathen peasants within the limits of Inner Bulgaria did not end up successfully. The discontent of large feudal lords a policy of Kan increased after he ordered all Bulgar alpars, i.e. serving feudal lords-knights to cut off their braids (1; 81). The kazanchies declared Mikail to be "Kan of Heathens". They gathered in Nur-Suvar. Their ideological leader was seid Bakir. Conspirators wanted to raise to the throne another person. Hearning about the plot, Kan Mikail arrived to Nur-Suvar with a group of hired soldiers, djurs. "Mounted on his horse he rode straight into the mosque "Nur". Seid cried, that he, Kan, immediately leave the mosque and when he refused, whipped his horse" (1; 81). Djurs seized the seid and on the order of the Kan threw him in zindan (deep cellar). Soon seid Bakir died. Kan Mikail " participated in all national festivals and extravaganzas. In November he went to look at the plucking of the geese. In December he with lads was storming the ice "Maiden city", defended by forty girls led by "Quinn", and even fought in the duels. In nauruz he celebrated kargatuy, in April, Sabantuy, after the sowing, Chillek. In the August Jangyr Botkasy he lead the sacrifice of a white bull, he was the first to eat a white fish, and the ceremony ended with a splashing with the girls. In the autumn after crop harvest, were paid the major taxes, and the Kan was arranging near Bulgar a "Kyzlar Echkene", festivals in honour of the"gifts to him from the organizers of the weddings" (1; 82). The tradition was that for a father to marry his son, he had to give a horse to the Kan. For a sanction to have a wedding, the ruler was given a certain quantity of honey. Its quantity depend on the number invited to a wedding. In the autumn of 943 Kan Mikail organized a feast to celebrate the payment for the sanctions for the weddings. Such feasts ended with jumping. Kan decided to participate in jumps (1; 82). This decision resulted in atragedy. The Kan’s horse stumbled on a full throttle. Kan fell and was fractured to death. People used to say different things about the event: some believed that the misfortune happened because the Kan "mounted a white sacrificial horse, which was not sacrificed in djien out of pity" (1; 82), the others thought that that was a penalty because Kan ordered to mortify seid Bakir by tying him with a horse harness. So ended the period of the rule of the Almysh sons. *3. Consequences of acceptance of the Islam* The material layed out in the previous lectures unequivocally testifies that some clans and tribes in the Itil Bulgar ethnosystem accepted Islam as early as the 7th century. Hence, to the official recognition of the Itil Bulgaria as an Islamic state passed almost 200 years. The Islam rendered a major influence on the relations between people, their conciousness, culture, traditions, customs, behaviour, etc. After the 922 the position of the Muslim clergy grew very strongly. Henceforth the government divided the population of the country into Moslems and non-Moslem heathens. Irrespective of the ethnic background, the Moslems received tax privileges and advantages in the sphere of state institutions. Therefore they supported the policy of Kan Almysh and his sons, aimed at strengthening the central authority and liquidation of the institute of the allodial princes. Non-Moslem heathens were obliged to pay the special tax, haradj, for the mosque. *Changes in views at the surrounding world.* Bulgar heathens worshipped 17 deities. The main among them was Tengre, a lord of human souls, creator of lightnings and thunder. The other deities were his co-creators. A noted feature of Bulgar heathens beliefs was that they had Tengre’s attendants in pairs in the pantheon of the Gods, counterbalanscing the opposite elements and objects of the nature. The Sun-god - the Moon-god, the Fire-god - the Water-god, the Day-god - the Night-god, the Air-god - the Earth-god, etc. In their honour special sanctuaries were built, and sacrifices made. Islam contrasted the worship of the natural phenomena of the pagan polytheism to the monotheism: "Allah is one, Allah is eternal; he did not give birth and was not born; to him there is no equal". In other words, as presented by the Moslems, Allah created without any assistants the world, the heavens, and the land, angels and demons, people, plants, animals and everything else. Thus, the Bulgar Moslems began to perceive the world around, and the universe as a whole, as a creation of Allah. Their views became the same, as for the Moslems of the rest of the world. *Changes in relations between people.* Before acceptance of Islam the relation between people in the Itil Bulgar ethnosystem were based on origin, political-economical, social, military relations, customs, traditions, etc. In aggregate they were clan and tribal relations. After the acceptance of Islam the Itil Bulgar ethnosystem and the population of the state as a whole were split in two categories, a community of Moslems and a community of heathens. The division was, hence, not by the ethnic and clan and tribal affiliation, but by the religious affiliation. According to that were also the relations between people inside religious communities, and also between the state, on the one hand, and religious communities, on another hand. The public behaviour of the Moslems was guidedby thesharia. The strict observance of Muslim laws was enforced by the society “El-Hum” led by a sheikh. The behaviour of the heathens was determined by the practice of Tengrianism and ancient customs. Thus, by the middle of the 10th century the ethnic clan and tribal affiliation of the person began to fade, and the affiliation to this or that religious community grew in significance. *Changes in beliefs about afterlife.* In the Tengrian beliefs, after a death the person continued to live in a next world. The quality of life in the next world depends on how well the close relatives of the deseased send him off into the other world. For example, if they did not put next to him a bowl with a drink, the deseased would suffer from thirst. If they failed to put a weapon in the grave, the deseased could not defend from the enemies. These illustrations can be extended. With conversion to Islam the beliefs about the next world changed radically. In the ideology of Moslems, the quality of the future life for a person depends on his life on the earth. Depending on the behaviour in the earthly life, a person after a death would get either in a paradise, or in a hell. To get in the paradise, a righteous Moslem should follow six obligatory rules. Firstly, he should pay a tax for the poor. This tax is calledzakyat. Farmers paid it after harvest, and the cattlemen, craftsmen, merchants and other categories of the population paid at the end of the year. Secondly, the Moslem is obliged to pray five times day: before sunrise, at midday, before sunset, after sunset, and late at night. Especially pious could pray additionally at night or in the afternoon. Thirdly, the prayer provide before praying should ensure the cleanliness of the body, clothes and the place for praying. Fourthly, annually in the month of Ramazan (Ramadan) a Moslem should hold an uraza. In the daytime it is not allowed to eat, drink, smoke, etc. With fall of a darkness these interdictions are removed. The sick, pregnant and feeding women, aged, children, people on a road, and also the soldiers in the military actions are exempted from the uraza. Fifthly, a Moslem is obligated to extend a maximum of efforts for strict and exact implementation of the Muslim laws, customs, to be diligent in learning the true faith. Sixthly, at least once in a lifetime a Moslem should make a pilgrimage, i.e. a hadj to Mecca to venerate the Muslim holies. Thus, the implementation of these rules allowed a devout Moslem to hope to get into a paradise after the death. The non-observance ensured a place in a hell. *Change in the social standing of women. The heathen Bulgar women actively participated in the political life. In military campaigns, they were taking part equally with men, and sometimes participated in battles. During reception of the ambassadors the wife of the Kan sat next to the husband. The woman did not cover their faces in the presence of men. With the acceptance of Islam the situation in this respect began to change. First of all changed the order and ritual of wedding. The head of the family, wishing to marry his son, asked the Kan to sanction a marriage. After receiving the sanction, a horse was given to the ruler. For the sanction to have a wedding feast, the ruler received a certain quantity of honey. After the acceptance of Islam the weddings were done according to the principles and requirements of the new religion. The marriage was considered lawful only after completion of the nikah ceremony. After marriage, the husband is obligated to provide his wife with housing, food, clothing. In return, the wife was obligated to obey her husband and abide by his commands. In the houses appeared the so-called " female half". It was for women and juvenile children. Of all males, only an owner of the house had a right to enter it. For the heathen Bulgars, before it was not the father and mother who were raising the juvenile sons, but a grandfather of the maternal line. They grew and were brought up by him to their maturity. After the death of a father his property was inherited not by his sons, but by the father’s brother. With the adoption of Islam the responsibility before a society for quality of upbringing of sons carried the father, and for the upbringing of daughters bore the mother. The inheritance of the father began to be passed to the senior son. Interdictions in the Islam.* The koran condemns murder. With murderers also Bulgar s-heathens very severely managed. For unpremeditated murder of the fellow tribesman - the murderer alive placed in a box like a coffin. There put three flat cakes and put a vessel with water. Then a box strongly zakolachivali also hung up on a tree. The criminal was doomed for slow death. For a similar crime in the Koran less severe punishment is stipulated: the respondent should pay to family killed the penalty. The Islam condemns and forbids adultery. Bulgar’s heathens punished very severely both man and woman the similar acts. The guilty were tied by feet and hands to four plow blades dug into the ground. Then the bodies split with an axe from the neck to the hips. Each half of the body was hung up on a tree. There they hung until a full decomposition. Nobody had a right to remove them and commit to the earth. For similar acts, the following punishment is stipulated in the Koran: both the man, and the woman are punished with a hundred lashes of whip, moreover, the woman was imprisoned to the end of her life. For a larceny the heathen Bulga s punished the same as for adultery. In the Islamic countries, for a theft a hand was cut off. However, from this rule was one exception: if the theft was of products by a hungry person to save his life, he was not punished. Moslems considered it heavy sin to use pork and alcoholic drinks (2; 36). *Change of the funeral rites.* The heathen Bulgars had cemeteries behind a natural barrier. As a barrier in our lands could be a river or a ravine. They did this to protect themselves from the dead men world. The deseased were buried in tabuts, i.e. in wooden boxes like coffins. For some deseased women their feet were tied, so that they could not come to the live as albasta (witch). The dead men were buried in clothes. Nearby was layd a weapon, food: meat, porridge and a berries and fruit drink. In the tomb quite often was put a horse harness and a part of a horse trunk. They believed, that deseased should ride into the next world on a horse. A house where was a deseased was marked with a banner. The men gathered at the door of the house and began to sob loudly. The mourning of the close relatives for the deseased continued for two years. After that was arranged a commemoration. From that time it was considered that the mourning has ended. The heathen Bulgars committed to the earth the bodies of not all deseased. First, they did not bury a body Alps, i.e. the bogatyrs (giants). Their bodies remained on the surface until a full decomposition. Ahmed ibn-Fadlan saw the remains of one of such giants himself. Secondly, the bodies of the criminals were not buried in the earth. The body of an executed criminal was hung up on a tree. Thirdly, they did not bury the body of the bright persons. When the heathen Bulgars met a very clever person, they said: "He is ready to serve the God". After that they suddenly jumped on him, snatched a cord around his neck, and hung him up on a tree. This strange custom Bulgars took from their Sumerian historical ancestors. After the adoption of Islam the burial ceremony changed significally. The Moslems call the funeral ceremony *djinaza.* The basic moments of the djinaza are these: *First rule.* Feeling the approach of death, a Moslem should read the text of 36-th sura of the Koran (sura Ya-Sin). If the dying is not capable to read it, another Moslem should read Ya-Sin. *Second rule.* After death, the body of the deseased should be turned facing the kibla. Kibla is a direction toward Mecca. In our territories, this is a southwest direction. *Third rule.* It is necessary to do ritual ablution and dress the deseased into a burial attire. *Fourth rule.* It is necessary to read a prayer for the peace of the deseased’s soul. It is read in his house or in a mosque. *Fifth rule.* The burial of the deseased should take place in the day of death or the next day. The body is layed on a special stretcher (djinaza). Then it is carried or driven followed by a funeral procession to the cemetery. *Sixth rule.* A tomb is dig spacious as possible, usually with a niche (lyahet) in the side wall or a pit at the bottom. By the Moslems’ belief, the deseased should be able to "sit up" at arrival of the death angels Munkar and Nakir. The head of the deseased should rest toward kibla. During the burial a Koran sura and fragments from the al-Busiri poem "Kasidat-al-Burda" should be read This poem was composed in honour of the prophet Mohammed. *Seventh rule.* The memorials for the deceased take place on the third, seventh and fortieth days after the death. The mourning of the close relatives continues for a year. Thus, by the rules of the Muslim burial, supplying the tomb with food, weapon and other subjects is disallowed. It is forbidden to cry loudly near the deseased. It is also forbidden to talk loudly. In the informative sense the burial grounds became poor. If by the subjects found in the previous tombs archeologists could judge a way of life, social and ethnic affiliation of the deseased, with the acceptance of Islam the burial rite became uniform for all Moslems irrespective of the social status and ethnic affiliation.
Literature
1. Bahshi Iman. Dzhagfar tarihy. That the first. The arch bulgarskih annals. 1680. - Orenburg, 1993. 2. Miftahov Z.Z., Muhammadeeva D.SH.histor of Tatarstan and tatar people. - Kazan, 1995.
Dictionary of terms
*Literature* 1. Bahshi Iman. Djagfar tarihy. Vol. first. Collection of Bulgarian annals. 1680. - Orenburg, 1993. 2. Miftahov Z.Z., Muhammadeeva D.Sh. History of Tatarstan and Tatar people. Kazan, 1995. *Glossary* 1. Islam is one of three, with Buddhism and Christianity, global religions. It arose in the 7th century in the Arabian peninsula. 2. Moslems are people professing Islam. 3. Caliph is the highest title for Moslems. It is equivalent to the title "Emperor". It translates as "deputy", a deputy of the prophet Mohammed. The first three deputies of the prophet Mohammed ruled the Baghdad, Egyptian and Kordova Caliphates. 4. Emir - in the Aarabian "leader". Originally this title was given to supreme military leaders, and then the Caliphs began giving it to their deputies. 5. Koran is a sacred book of Moslems. It is a record of the sermons of the prophet Mohammed. The word "Koran" in translation from the Arabic means "what is read, said". 6. Sharia (Sheriyat) is a set of legal and religious norms and rules based on the Koran, its observance means a just way of life. 7. Nikah is a marital contract in accordance with Muslim traditions and norms. 8. Zakyat is an annual tax paid by the Moslems for the poor. 9. Uraza is a fast by Moslems in the month of Ramadan (Ramazan), the ninth month of the lunar calendar). During that time the Moslems are forbidden to eat, drink, smoke in the daytime. With approach of a darkness these restrictions are removed. 10. Hadj is a pilgrimage to Arabia, made by Moslems to worship the Islamic relics. 11. Djinaza is Muslim funeral ceremony. 12. Sura is a name for a part of the Koran, which has 114 suras. 13. Hadis is a brief citation from the prophet Mohammed and his disciples, or a brief story about Prophet’s acts. *Organization of cognitive activity of students* The main assignments should be directed to: • explanation of the reforms of Kan Almysh in the sphere of the government; • explanation of the reasons of the Kan Almysh reform in the social and tax spheres; • the description and understanding of changes in the way of life of the Bulgars, their perception of the world after the acceptance of Islam. *Types of assignments* *1. What should be learned?* The following should be understood: 1.1. The official recognition by the head of then Moslem world, Baghdad Caliph, of the Itil Bulgaria as an Islamic state increased the authority of Kan Almysh among his subjects, strengthened the position of the Moslem Bulgars in the political life of the country. 1.2. As a result of the Kan Almysh reform of the government, the territorial - administrative division of the Itil Bulgaria was cardinally changed. In the pre-reform period the government was as follows: 1. The Supreme Ruler - Kan . 2. Co-Rulers - sovereign Beks and Tarhans. 3. The link between the Supreme Ruler and Co-Rulers was by major officials, *kuvvods.* On behalf of the Kan they supervised the activities of the sovereign Beks and Tarhans. *The new order of the government:* 1. The Supreme Ruler is Kan as Emir, i.e. the deputy of the Baghdad Caliph. 2. Governors appointed by the Kan, *Ulugbeks.* 3. Elected by the inhabitants of Bellak its Governor, *Emir,* i.e. a deputy of the Kan . 4. Appointed by the Kan governors of the cities, *Vali. 5. Elected by the inhabitants of the cities Bulgar and Nur-Suvar their City councils, "Suvari Jorty". 6. Elected by the population Baganins. Accordingly, some of them reported to Ulugbeks, the others to the Emir of Bellak, the third onew, to the city councils, the fourth onew, to Valis. 2. What is necessary to be able?* 2.1. To explain, why Kan Almysh liquidated institute of sovereign princes and tarhan and it resulted in what consequences. 2.2. To explain gospodstvovavshy in Itil Bulgaria after reforms of Kan Almysh in social and tax spheres the fact: formation of two ethnosocial obshchnostej, namely - Moslem Bulgars and heathen Bulgars. *3. Organize discussion of the following subjects:* 3.1. What was specific in the life of the country during reign of Almysh? 3.2. Islamic moral norms, societal behaviour rules, burial ceremonies in comparison with the beliefs of the heathen Bulgars. The common and distinct features. *4. Forms of work with the sources:* • extractions from the texts of the data about activities of Kan Almysh; • generalization of the information about the official recognition of the Itil Bulgaria as an Islamic state; • preparation of a story about reforms of Kan Almysh and their consequences; • preparation of an abstract for "Heathen Bulgars and Moslem Bulgars beliefs about the link of the earthly life with the afterlife". *5. Quotations from the sources* 5.1. From "Precious values" by Ibn-Ruste Bulgars live on the banks of the river which runs into the Khazar Sea (Caspian) and is called Itil (Volga)... The Bulgar Kan, Almush by the name, professes Islam... Most of them profess Islam, and in their settlements are mosques and primary schools with muedzins and imams. And those of them who remain pagans are knee to bow before every acquaintance they meet. Echo of centuries. - May 1995. – P. 60. Information about the author. His full name is Abu Ali Ahmed Ibn-Omar Ibn-Ruste. He is an Arabian geographer of the beginning of the 10th century. He compiled a work of encyclopaedic nature "Precious values" (903-913 AD). So far was found only the seventh volume. It was found in the British museum by D.A.Hvalson's. In 1869 he published it with comments in Russian. 5.2. From "Types of countries" Al-Balhi Bolgar is the name of the country whose inhabitants profess Islam, and the name of the city where is the main mosque. Near this city lays another city of Sivar (Suvar) where there also is a main mosque. Echo of centuries. - May 1995. – P. 62. Information about the author. His name is Abu Zayd Ahmed ibn-Sahl al-Balhi. He has written this work, probably, in 920-921. 5.3. From "Book of the ways of the states" al-Istarhi Bolgar is the name of city, and they (Bulgars) are Moslems, in (the city is) a cathedral mosque; nearby is another city named Suvar, in it also is a cathedral mosque; one who made hutba in them informed me... Echo of centuries. - May 1995. – P. 63. Information about the author. His full name is Al-Istarhi, Abu Ishak al-Farsi. He is an Arabian geographer and traveller. Years of his life are 843-934 AD. Book of the ways of the states" was written in 930-933AD. He took information about Bulgars from al-Balhi. 5.4. From "Gold prospering and revision mines" al-Masudi The Bulgar Kan is now a Moslem, and it is 332 y.h. (943-944 AD). He became a Moslem during the time of al-Muktadir billahi after 310 y.h. (921-922 AD) because of a dream he saw... Echo of centuries. - May 1995. – P. 65. Information about the author. His full name is Al-Masudi, Abu-l-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husein. He is an Arabian entsiklopedist of the 10th century. He died in 956 AD. 5.5. From “Book of the ways of the states” by ibn-Haukal Bolgar is not a large city, it does not have numerous districts, and it was known for its port... Echo of centuries. - May 1995. – P. 66. Information about the author. His full name is Ibn Haukal, Abu-l-Kasim an-Nisibi. He was an Arabian geographer and traveller of the 10th century. He compiled his large geographical work in 967AD. 5.6. From the book " Limits of the world " They have three groups: Bahdula (Bersula), Ishkil (Esegels) and Bulgar ; all are in a war with each other, but when an enemy comes, they become friends with each other... Bulgar is a city with the a small district, located on the bank of Itil. In it all the [inhabitants] are Moslems... With any army of kafirs (infidels -Translator’s Note), no matter how many of them would be, they fight and win. This place strong and rich. Suvar is a city near Bulgar; in it are fighters for the faith, like in Bulgar. Echo of centuries. - May 1995. – P. 66. Information about the author: This is a geographical work of an unknown author. Composed in 982-983 AD. *6. A block of self-checontrol and mutual control* Do you know: • what factors had the strongest influence on the contents, direction and the course of Kan Almysh reforms; • what essential changes took place in the political system of the Itil Bulgaria in the reign of Almysh; • the population was divided into what ethnosocial groups Itil Bulgaria as a result of reform in social and tax spheres; • that new was made in strengthening defensibility of the country during Rule of Almysh and Gazan; • who was privileged and what duties and the rights they had; • who belonged to servile estate, what duties they had to perform, in what works they had to participate; • what there was a role of the Islam in life of the country; • what there were reasons of popular revolts in Itil Bulgaria in first half 10th century; • in what affairs and in what social environment Kan Mikail was engaged; • make the list of crimes and punishments for Heathen Bulgars and Moslem Bulgars; • which ceremonies, morals and behavioural rules of the Heathen Bulgars find you approval or condemnation? *7. Iinformative -cognitive block* 7.1. A brief description of holidays where Kan Mikail was taking part. *Nauruz* *Mythological basis.* The purpose and contents of the holiday are in the myth about Sak and Sok. According to the legend, desiring to destroy people malicious spirits constructed a wall between the Earth and the Sun. Cold and gloom fell on the Earth. Alp Mardukan-Karga decided to help people and started shattering the wall. On the night of March 20th he succeded in breaking the wall. On March 21st the sun rose. Came a New day, *Nauruz.*
*Последовательность проведения праздника.* Праздник проходил 21 марта в следующей последовательности: *Первая фаза.* С утра молодежь и дети обходили дома, собирали яйца, ячменную муку и другие продукты. На холмах жгли костры. Мужчины приносили в жертву Тенгре белого коня. Затем в огромных котлах готовили ритуальную пищу: мясо жертвенного коня, ячменную кашу, ячменный мучной напиток. Пока все это варилось, мальчишки влезали на деревья и громко кричали, подражая грачам. *Вторая фаза.* Все участники съедали ячменную кашу – "карга боткасы", – мясо жертвенного коня и выпивали ячменный напиток. *Третья фаза.* Если две предыдущие фазы проходили на окраине сел и городов, то эта фаза протекала вечером и ночью в домах. Пировали. Нараспев декламировали миф о Саке и Соке, а также "Науруз баите". Гадали. Сердцевину этой фазы составлял обряд "каргатуй" – "грачиная свадьба". Парни и девушки совершали обряд сговора о будущей свадьбе. Булгары верили, что именно в Новый день, т.е. Науруз следует выбрать невесту. В случае заключения предварительного сговора, парень и девушка съедали "грачиную кашу". По обычаю, парень съедал мясо, а девушка – кашу. Однако было одно "но" ! Дело в том, что парень оставлял девушке немного мяса. Если на следующее утро девушка съедала это мясо, сговор считался закрепленным, а если нет – расторгнутым. (См.: Бахши Иман. Джагфар тарихы. Свод булгарских летописей. Т.2. – Оренбург, 1994. С.80.) *Сабантуй* *Мифологическая основа: предки булгар синды почитали духа урожая, скота и природы Самара. Один из родов синдов с глубокой древности занимался скотоводством и именовал этого духаСабаном* (Чабаном, т.е. Пастухом). Отсюда этот род стал известен как род*сабанов.* *Этническая среда возникновения праздника. Праздник Сабантуй возник среди сабанов и отмечался как "Свадьба Сабана". По климатическому календарю Среднего Поволжья в конце апреля в начале мая появлялась трава, и скот начинали содержать на подножном корму. В честь успешной зимовки и появления травостоя сабаны устраивали праздник. Он длился в течение семи дней. Таким образом, первоначально сабантуй был праздником скотоводов, позже, когда земледелие и скотоводство стали сочетаться, стал всеобщим. Традиционные элементы праздника.* В течение тысячелетий менялись элементы сабантуя, но неизменными остались два обряда, составляющие суть этого праздника. *Первый элемент* – это*борьба(крэш, курэш по-булгарски). До принятия ислама в соревнованиях по борьбе могли участвовать и женщины. В истории известны случаи, когда поединок выигрывала женщина. Так, например, в XII в. дочь эмира Волжской Булгарии Шамгуна-Саина одержала победу в поединке со своим мужем и даже сломала ему ребра. Победителю присваивали титул батыра и вручали барана. Батыр должен был поднять этого барана над головой. Эта традиция сложилась в память о легендарном булгарском богатыре Аудане, победившем алпа Барана. Этот алп попытался помешать свадьбе Аудана. Аудан оторвал Барана от земли, поднял над головой и ударил об землю. Второй элемент* – это конные скачки. Эти конные скачки назывались "каз куу" – "догони девушку". В глубокой древности это означало "девушка-лебедь". Иными словами, девушка летела на коне как лебедь, а ее догонял "парень-орел". Если юноша не настигал свою избранницу на определенном расстоянии, то на обратном пути девушка преследовала его и пыталась нагайкой сбить с его головы шапку. Если ей это удавалось сделать, то для юноши это был наибольший позор. Таким образом, праздник сабантуй возник и сформировался в своих основных чертах среди скотоводов из числа исторических предков булгар. Первоначально этот праздник не представлял из себя чисто развлекательное зрелище, а был тесно связан с образом жизни скотоводов-пастухов и имел характер предсвадебного мероприятия. *Чиллек или Шиллык* Название праздника произошло от индоиранского "чилла" – "сорок". Дело в том, что согласно мифологии синдов Карга разрушил стену, закрывающую солнце, ночью 20 марта, а 21 марта, когда солнце взошло, сгорел. Поэтому изначально это были поминки по алпу Карга. Причем 40-дневные поминки. Их следовало проводить 29 апреля. Однако фактически проводили после Сабантуя, но перед севом. Со временем чиллек стал праздником сева или первой борозды. Позже начали проводить после сева. *Порядок проведения праздника.* До принятия ислама был следующий порядок проведения этого праздника. *Первая фаза.* Примерно в полдень жители села выходили в поле. Первым делом в жертву приносили белого барана. Его кровь собирали в жертвенник, который назывался уфа. После этого приступали к осуществлению обряда "бирсолы-тарлау" (бир-просо, солы-овес, тарлау-вспахивание и боронование). В первую борозду бросали не только овес или просо, но и круто сваренные яйца (чтобы нива была плодородной) и рыбу (чтобы дождя было достаточно). *Вторая фаза.* Если в первой фазе главными действующими лицами были мужчины, то во второй женщины. Они расставляли поминальные кушанья (обязательно рыбный пирог, кроме того, масло, мед, блины т т.д.), варили кашу и баранину. На начальных стадиях возникновения праздника для приготовления пищи использовали и кровь жертвенного барана. После обряда "первой борозды" произносили заклинания и принимались за поминальную еду. *Третья фаза.* После завершения полевой части праздника все отправлялись на майдан. Здесь начинались конные скачки. Победителя обсыпали мукой и присуждали титул "Камыр батыр" ("Богатырь из теста" или " Богатырь теста", т.е. урожая). *Четвертая фаза.* По завершению скачек все отправлялись на кладбище, чтобы навестить могилы предков. *Пятая фаза.* Вечером проводили поминальные пиры в честь предков. Пиры проводили в домах заблаговременно определенных хозяев. Жители одного конца села собирались в одном доме, другого – в другом. На следующий день приступали к севу. *Джиен* Этот праздник имеет многотысячелетнюю историю, которая распадается на несколько периодов. Выделим лишь два из них. *Первый период.* Он продолжался с глубокой древности до середины Х века. Примерно с середины мая по конец июня царь объезжал по особому графику родовые (общинные), племенные и окружные (районные) центры. Такие центры назывались суба. К прибытию царя в субу собирали весь народ данной джиенной округи. Посредине майдана устанавливали ягу, т.е. символ священного дерева столб. На его вершину устанавливали изображение петуха или курицы, а к подножию привязывали жертвенного белого барана. Вначале совершали моления Тангре (Тенгре), заклание жертвенного белого барана. После того, как съедали жертвенную пищу, начинался съезд (джиен) жителей данной джиенной округи. Царь производил новые назначения на местные административные посты, вершил суд, принимал собранную дань. Затем начинался праздник. Важнейшие его элементы: 1. *Ярмарка. На джиенскую ярмарку, которая по-булгарски называласьягашлык,* приезжало очень много купцов, вообще торговцев. Дело в том, что на джиенных ярмарках царь разрешал вести беспошлинную торговлю. 2. *Боевые смотры.* Ополчение из жителей данной джиенной округи показывало свое умение владеть оружием. Устраивали конные скачки. 3. *Джиенные аши* (обеды). Жители джиенных центров, т.е. суб угощали не только царя и его свиту, но и своих родственников, живших в других населенных пунктах. 4. *Джиенные меджлисы.* Более состоятельные жители суб не ограничивались угощением своих родственников, а созывали множество гостей из числа и неродственников. Такие пиры назывались меджлисы. Приехавшие из других населенных пунктов родственники веселились в течение 3-4 дней пока продолжался джиен, гостили, угощались и дарили подарки родственникам, жившим в субе. *Второй период истории джиенов.* Примерно с середины Х в. цари Волжской Булгарии перестали объезжать субы. Джиены приобрели чисто праздничный характер. Основные элементы джиенов предыдущего периода сохранились. Однако с укреплением позиции ислама произошли некоторые изменения в процедуре проведения джиенов. Во-первых, они приобрели "чисто" праздничный характер, освободившись от политических свойств. Во-вторых, в некоторых мероприятиях в рамках джиена мужчины стали участвовать отдельно от женщин. На одну сторону происшедших изменений следует обратить особое внимание. Речь идет о совместных гуляниях парней и девушек. До принятия ислама совместные гуляния и увеселения парней и девушек были обычным явлением. С принятием ислама конные скачки потеряли свой свадебный оттенок и стали просто показательными соревнованиями. В них участвовали лишь мужчины. В другие дни года открытые встречи парней и девушек запрещались и строго пресекались родителями, муллой и пожилыми людьми. На джиене парни и девушки могли открыто гулять вместе. Юноша покупал своей избраннице различные подарки, угощения. Многие семьи зарождались на основе той дружбы и любви, возникшей во время джиенного праздника. *Янгыр боткасы* Этот праздник сформировался на основе ритуала почитания алпа (духа) дождя, грома и молнии Кубара. Он отмечался в августе. *Порядок проведения праздника.* Процедура проведения праздника расчленялась на несколько фаз. *Первая фаза.* Она начиналась вдали от села, в поле, но обязательно у какого-нибудь источника воды: ручья, реки, родника, озера и т.д. У источника воды тринадцать пожилых женщин становились в один ряд лицом к солнцу с распущенными волосами. В это время остальные участники мероприятия находились в отдалении от этого места. Тринадцать женщин изображали матерей наиболее сильных алпов (добрых духов, подчиняющихся воле Тенгре). Булгары-язычники считали, что Тенгре послушается матерей алпов и пошлет на помощь людям алпа Кубара, который принесет полям дождь, и над дозревающими хлебами будут зарницы и прогремят грозы. Вторая слева в ряду женщина изображала мать Кубара. Первой она произносила просьбу-заклинание, обращаясь к Тенгре и своему сыну "Кубару". После этого она начинала обряд "показывания молочной груди". Обнажив грудь, она начинала умолять "сына" посмотреть на ее иссохшие от безводья груди и послать на землю дождь. За ней аналогично начинали поступать и другие женщины. *Основной смысл обряда:* устыдить алпа Кубара за его забывчивость, в результате чего земля иссохлась, растения повяли, животные страдают от бескормицы. *Вторая фаза.* По завершении обряда у источника воды тринадцать женщин присоединялись к остальным участникам мероприятия по вызыванию дождя. После этого молодежь и дети начинали обливать друг друга водой. По представлениям булгар-язычников, эти действия должны были способствовать тому, чтобы "пути воды открылись" – "су юллары ачылсын". Иными словами, таким способом хотели вызвать дождь. *Третья фаза.* Она была посвящена процедуре заклания жертвенного животного: белого быка или белой коровы. Варили специальную ритуальную кашу "янгыр боткасы" – "дождевую кашу", мясо жертвенного животного. Затем пировали: ели ритуальную кашу, мясо жертвенного животного, рыбу, масло, яйца, пили молоко. Во время пиршества пели обрядовые песни, исполняли припевки-загадки. *Чумар (Самар) боткасы* "Каша Чумара (Самара)" *Мифологическая основа. Основные элементы праздника базируются на мифе о Самаре-Гюльджимеше.* Содержание мифа сохранилось благодаря стараниям Кул Гали. Он описывает так: Однажды злой дух (йорег или джинн) Шурале решил погубить людей и все живое на Земле. Шурале – это дух засухи, голода и смерти. Он уничтожил все деревья вокруг главного источника воды на Земле. Шурале иссушил родник. Землю охватила страшная засуха. Алп-бика Туран как добрый дух любви и женской красоты стала уговаривать Шурале убрать свои корни от источников родниковой воды и дать людям воды. Шурале согласился освободить родник только в том случае, если ему дадут пост везира (главного советника и премьер-министра) алпов, т.е. добрых духов, помогающих людям. Пост везира занимал Ур (Мар), т.е. дух солнца. Узнав о притязаниях Шурале, Ур попросил духа грома и молнии Кубара наказать наглеца. Кубар направил свою стрелу-молнию на Шурале, принявшего вид огромного высохшего дерева с медными листьями и с пастью-дуплом с медными зубами-клыками. Кубару удалось выбить лишь один клык. Выбитый зуб упал на землю и превратился в чудовищного меднобокого быка-единорога Кепкея. Вместо выбитого зуба вырос новый. Тем временем единорог Кепкей направился к ближайшему городу, намереваясь растоптать его. Однако дорогу ему преградил легендарный богатырь-рыцарь Аудан. Единорог подбросил Аудана высоко-высоко в небо с тем, чтобы он при падении напоролся на его рог. Пока Аудан летел, единорог решил истоптать его волчью шапку (бурек) – оберег. Это вызвало гнев могучего алпа Бури, т.е. Волка. Бури принял вид невидимки и со страшной силой пригнул рог Кепкея к земле. Аудан приземлился без повреждений и разрубил мечом единорога на куски. Куски он развесил на священном дереве яга. После этого Аудана стали называть также Энкеем или Огузом, т.е. Быком. Когда алп (дух) плодородия Самар (Чумар) узнал обо всем этом, то он сел на коня и поскакал на бой с Шурале. Алп Самар мог принимать вид дракона, Оленя или Быка. Поэтому у этого алпа было несколько имен: Барадж (дракон), Тюрк (Великий Бык) и др. Чаще всего булгары изображали Самара в виде всадника-богатыря, а Шурале называли Кувышем (Дуплопастным). Самар срубил Кувыш, т.е. огромное дуплистое дерево, затем разрубил его на части. Эти части тут же превратились в более мелкие Шурале. Они уже не представляли опасности для алпов. Источник был освобожден, из недр земли забила вода. Однако от крови Шурале-Кувыша вода стала мертвой. Самар и Туран испили из родника и уснули мертвецким сном. Аудан, увидевший это, остался у родника ждать прилета грачей. Когда грачи прилетели, Аудан обратился к Карге-Грачу с просьбой оказать помощь уснувшим. Карга и его жена Чакчак на своих крыльях доставили Аудана в долину Басан. Здесь он нарвал живой травы – просо. Из проса Чакчак приготовила животворящую воду – бузу. Бузу (напиток) Аудан принес к роднику и оживил Самара, его жену Туран и источник. *Порядок проведения праздника.* Сначала рассмотрим, как проводился этот праздник в древнейший период. *Время проведения:* праздничные мероприятия развертывались в течение 40 дней: соответственно в городах, крепостях с 23 августа по 1 октября, а в аулах (селах) в сентябре – начале октября. *Первая фаза.* Жрецы, т.е. боляре произносили заклинания и исполняли обрядовые песни. После принятия ислама мулла читал молитву. Затем пели обрядовые песни. *Вторая фаза.* Из загона выпускали белого жертвенного быка. И воины на конях начинали сражение с ним. Они как бы изображали бой Аудана с единорогом Кепкеем. В Х в. по настоянию мулл этот обычай был запрещен. Прежде эта фаза праздника заканчивалась тем, что закалывали жертвенного быка, разрезали его на части и развешивали на священном дереве яга. В качестве священного дерева выступал тополь. *Третья фаза.* Основная масса участников начинала пировать, а другая часть участвовала в состязаниях. Они участвовали в следующих состязаниях. *1. Джигитовка:* демонстрация умения управлять конем, на полном скаку поднимать с земли монету и т.д. *2. Состязания в меткости стрельбы по цели.* На перекладине полевых ворот на окраине аула (села) укрепляли изображение*улака,* т.е. козла и начинали соревноваться в меткости стрельбы из лука. *3. Борьба на конях – аударыш:* нужно было схватить соперника и пригнуть его к земле, чтобы он коснулся земли. *4. Схватка рыцарей на копьях –сэнге сугышы:* по сценарию рыцарских турниров. *5. Бой хуннов – хон сугышы:* соперники, обнаженные по пояс, хлестали друг друга нагайками до тех пор, пока один из них не покидал майдан. Эти виды состязаний символизировали битву Кубара (алпа молнии и грома) с Шурале (йорегом засухи и смерти), Аудана (рыцаря-богатыря) с единорогом Кепкеем (возник из выбитого зуба Шурале). Следующий вид состязаний символизировал полет Аудана за животворящей травой. *Скачки на конях-байга* Во всех видах состязаний, кроме "хон сугышы" ("бой хуннов") и борьбы на конях, женщины имели право участвовать. Во время состязаний с применением нагаек, боевого оружия (копья), скачек нередко гибли или получали увечья участники. Однако это воспринималось как неизбежное и не приводило к прекращению праздника (вспомните поведение римлян во время гладиаторских боев). Так, например, когда в 943 году во время скачек царь Микаиль упал с лошади и расшибся насмерть, его сын Мохаммед, присутствовавший на празднике, сказал: "По воле Всевышнего, люди приходят и уходят, а воля Творца воплощается". И он повелел продолжить праздник. Праздник "Чумар (Самар) боткасы" ("Каша Чумара (Самара))" относился к разряду тех праздников, при открытии которых на майдане устанавливали символ священного дерева (по-булгарски яга) столб, на вершине которого устанавливали изображение петуха или курицы, а к подножию привязывали жертвенного белого барана. *Кызлар эчкене – Девичье питье* Обряды данного праздника уходят своими корнями в глубокую древность и по многим характеристикам совпадают с обрядами "Чумар боткасы". В древности этот праздник отмечали в сентябре после сбора урожая. Женщины и девушки собирались в определенном месте за городом или селом. Как правило, местом сбора служила возвышенность или гора. Такую гору называли*Кызтауы – Девичья гора.* Через 40 дней на свой "съезд" – меджлис собирались мужчины. Царь Микаиль Ялкау (930-943 гг.) повелел оба меджлиса проводить вместе как одно единое мероприятие. Оно называлось Кызлар Эчкене – Девичье питье. Почему? Дело в том, что в течение многих столетий булгарское общество представляло сообщество воинов, чья жизнедеятельность в полной мере зависела от успехов и неудач в сфере военной деятельности. Поэтому профессиональные воины из числа собственно булгар создавали семью с разрешения правителя или сардара (командующего войсками). Со временем у собственно булгар сложился обычай, согласно которому отец, желающий женить сына, просил у правителя (или сардара) разрешения. При этом он дарил правителю коня. За разрешение созвать гостей отдавал мед. Его количество зависело от количества приглашенных на свадьбу. Из собранного таким способом меда по повелению правителя готовили напиток*сувдж.* Во время праздника "Девичье питье" этот напиток привозили к месту проведения основных мероприятий в окрестностях столицы. В других городах и селах этот напиток готовили сами жители. Поэтому этот праздник и называли Кызлар Эчкене – Девичье питье. Он проходил следующим образом. *Первая фаза.* Произносили заклинания и исполняли обрядовые песни. После этого осуществляли заклание жертвенных животных. Приготовление жертвенной пищи. *Вторая фаза.* Употребление жертвенной пищи, а затем ритуальной пищи – пшеничной каши (чумар боткасы), супа ("чумар ашы"). Эта часть праздника сопровождалась выступлениями поэтов-сказителей ( чиченов ), танцами, играми. *Третья фаза.* Далее начинались состязания (они уже описаны выше). *Нардуган* Описание праздника дано ко второй лекции. Разумеется, у булгар были и другие праздники: Субаш, Чачак байрамы (Праздник цветов) и др. Описание праздников булгар нами взято из: Бахши Иман. Джагфар тарихы. Том второй. – Оренбург, 1994. С.76-108. *8. Блок вопросов и ответов* 8.1. В каком смысле булгары употребляли слово "аул"? Первоначально слово употреблялось в значении слова "круг". Затем так стали называть село, так как в древности села имели форму круга. 8.2. Как по-булгарски называлась кочевая ставка вождя? Кочевая ставка князя или царя первоначально называлась*биджа.* 8.3. Какую цель преследовал царь Алмыш, проводя реформу в сфере территориально-административного устройства? Он пытался предотвратить распад Волжской Булгарии. С этой целью он и ликвидировал удельные княжества. 8.4. Как булгары называли губернию и губернатора? Булгары называли губернию термином "иль", а губернатора –"улугбек". 8.5. При каких обстоятельствах закончил свою жизнь сеид Ахмед Бакир, т.е. бывший секретарь Великого посольства Ахмед ибн-Фадлан? В период правления Газана (925-930 гг.) Ахмед Бакир (Ахмед ибн-Фадлан) был не только сеидом, т.е. главой всех мусульман Волжской Булгарии, но и везиром. Занимая эти две важные должности, он стал побуждать царя к активным репрессивным действиям по отношению к язычникам. В период правления Микаиля (930-943 гг.) Ахмед Бакир попал в опалу. Когда в мечети "Нур" города Нур-Сувара он ударил коня царя Микаиля плетью, его связали конской сбруей и бросили в подземную тюрьму (зиндан). Там он вскоре и умер. Булгары-язычники его не любили, а булгары-мусульмане изображали его как муллу, сражавшегося с крылатым змеем Бараджем. Барадж был покровителем булгар-язычников.		Sequence of carrying out of a holiday. The holiday passed on March, 21 in the following sequence: The first phase. Since morning youth and children bypassed houses, collected eggs, a barley flour{torment} and other products. On hills zhgli fires. Men sacrificed Tengre a white horse. Then in huge boilers prepared ritual I peep: meat of a sacrificial horse, barley porridge, a barley flour drink. While all this cooked, boys got on trees and loudly shouted, imitating rooks. The second phase. All participants ate barley porridge - " the hag botkasy ", - meat of a sacrificial horse and drank a barley drink. The third phase. If two previous phases passed on surburb of villages and cities this phase proceeded in the evening and at night in houses. Feasted. Drawlingly recited a myth about Sake and Juice, and also " Nauruz baite ". Guessed. The core of this phase was made with a ceremony "kargatuj" - " grachinaja wedding ". Guys and girls made a ceremony of arrangement about the future wedding. Bulgary trusted, what exactly in New day, i.e. Nauruz it is necessary to choose the bride. In case of the conclusion of preliminary arrangement, the guy and the girl ate " grachinuju porridge ". On custom, the guy ate meat, and the girl - porridge. However there was one "but"! The matter is that the guy left to the girl of a few{a little;little bit} meat. If the next morning the girl ate this meat, arrangement was considered fixed and if is not present - terminated. (See: Bahshi Iman. Dzhagfar tarihy. The arch bulgarskih annals. Т.2. - Orenburg, 1994. With 80.) Drinking bout Mythological basis: ancestors bulgar sindy esteemed spirit of a crop, cattle and the nature Samara. One of sorts sindov from an extreme antiquity was engaged in cattle breeding and called this spirit Sabanom (the Shepherd, i.e. The shepherd). From here this sort became known as a sort sabanov. The ethnic environment of occurrence of a holiday. The holiday the Drinking bout has arisen among sabanov and it was marked as " Wedding Sabana ". On a climatic calendar of the Average Volga region at the end of April in the beginning of May there was a grass, and cattle started to contain on underfoot to a forage. In honour of successful wintering and occurrence of a herbage sabany arranged a holiday. It{he} last within seven days. Thus, originally the drinking bout was a holiday of cattlemen, later, when agriculture and cattle breeding began to be combined, became general. Traditional elements of a holiday. During millenia elements of a drinking bout varied, but constant there were two ceremonies making essence of this holiday. The first element is a struggle (kresh, kuresh on - bulgarski). Before acceptance of an islam in competitions on struggle could participate and women. In a history cases when the duel was won by the woman are known. So, for example, in XII century the daughter emira Volga Bulgarii SHamguna-Saina has won in a duel with the husband and even has broken to it{him} edges. To the winner appropriated{gave} a title batyra and entrusted the ram. Batyr should lift this ram above a head. This tradition has developed in memory about legendary bulgarskom bogatyr Audane which has won alpa the Ram. This alp has tried to prevent wedding Audana. Audan has torn off the Ram from the ground, has lifted above a head and has struck about the ground. The second element are horse gallop. These horse gallop referred to " kaz kuu " - " catch up the girl ". In an extreme antiquity it meant "girl - swan". Differently, the girl flied on a horse as a swan, and she{it} was caught up with "guy - eagle". If the young man did not overtake the izbrannitsu on the certain distance on a return way the girl pursued it{him} and tried to bring down a lash from his{its} head a cap. If to it{her} it managed to be made, for the young man it was the greatest shame. Thus, the holiday a drinking bout has arisen and was generated in the basic features among cattlemen from among historical ancestors bulgar. Originally this holiday was not only entertaining show, and has been closely connected to a way of life of cattlemen - shepherds and had character of prewedding action. CHillek or SHillyk The name of a holiday has taken place from indoiranskogo "chilla" - "forty". The matter is that according to mythology sindov the Hag has destroyed a wall closing the sun, at night on March, 20, and on March, 21 when the sun has ascended, has burned down. Therefore initially it was commemoration on alpu the Hag. And 40-day's commemoration. They should be carried out{be spent} on April, 29. However actually carried out{spent} after the Drinking bout, but before sowing. In due course chillek became a holiday of sowing or the first borozdy. Have started to carry out{spend} after sowing later. The order of carrying out of a holiday. Before acceptance of an islam the following order of carrying out of this holiday was. The first phase. Approximately at midday inhabitants of village left in a field. First of all in a victim brought the white ram. His{its} blood collected in an altar which referred to ufa. After that started realization of a ceremony "birsoly-tarlau" (bir-millet, soly-oves, tarlau-vspahivanie and boronovanie). In the first borozdu stopped not only oves or millet, but also abruptly welded{cooked} eggs (that the field was fertile) and a fish (that a rain was enough). The second phase. If in the first phase the main characters were men, in the second women. They placed pominalnye foods (necessarily fish pie besides oil, honey, pancakes t etc.), cooked porridge and mutton. At initial stages of occurrence of a holiday for preparation of food used also blood of the sacrificial ram. After a ceremony " the first borozdy " said spells and were accepted for pominalnuju a meal. The third phase. After end of a field part of a holiday all were sent on majdan. Here began horse gallop. The winner sprinkled with a flour{torment} and awarded a title " Kamyr batyr " (" the Bogatyr from the test " or " the Bogatyr of the test ", i.e. a crop). The fourth phase. On end skachek all were sent on a cemetery to visit tombs of ancestors. The fifth phase. Carried out{spent} pominalnye feasts in honour of ancestors in the evening. Feasts carried out{spent} in houses of beforehand certain owners. Inhabitants of one end of village gathered in one house, another - in the friend. Next day started sowing. Dzhien This holiday has a multithousand-year history which breaks up to some periods. We shall allocate only two of them. The first period. It{he} proceeded from an extreme antiquity up to the middle of X century. Approximately from the middle of May on the end of June tsar went round the patrimonial (communal), breeding and district (regional) centers under the special schedule. Such centers referred to suba. To arrival of tsar in subu collected all people given dzhiennoj okrugi. In the middle majdana established jagu, i.e. a symbol of a sacred tree a column. On his{its} top established the image of the cock or the hen, and to bottom adhered the sacrificial white ram. In the beginning made prayers Tangre (Tengre), sacrifice of the sacrificial white ram. After ate sacrificial I peep, congress (dzhien) inhabitants given dzhiennoj okrugi began. Tsar made new purposes{assignments} for local administrative posts, managed court, accepted the collected tribute. Then the holiday began. His{its} major elements: 1. Fair. On dzhienskuju fair which on - bulgarski referred to jagashlyk, there came many merchants, in general dealers. The matter is that on dzhiennyh fairs tsar allowed to conduct duty-free trade. 2. Fighting reviewes. The home guard from inhabitants given dzhiennoj okrugi showed the skill to own the weapon. Arranged horse gallop. 3. Dzhiennye ashi (dinners). Inhabitants dzhiennyh the centers, i.e. sub treated not only tsar and his{its} retinue, but also the relatives living in other settlements. 4. Dzhiennye medzhlisy. More solvent inhabitants sub were not limited to an entertainment of the relatives, and convoked set of visitors from number and nerodstvennikov. Such feasts referred to medzhlisy. The relatives who have arrived from another{others} settlements had fun within 3-4 days while proceeded dzhien, stayed, were treated and gave gifts to the relatives living in sube. The second period of a history dzhienov. Approximately from the middle of X century tsars Volga Bulgarii have ceased to go round suby. Dzhieny have got only celebratory character. Basic elements dzhienov the previous period were kept. However with strengthening a position of an islam there were some changes in procedure of carrying out dzhienov. First, they have got "only celebratory character, having released{exempted} from political properties. Second, in frameworks dzhiena men began to participate in some actions separately from women. It is necessary to pay to one party{side} of having place changes special attention. The question is about joint guljanijah guys and girls. Before acceptance of an islam joint guljanija and amusements of guys and girls were the usual phenomenon. With acceptance of an islam horse gallop have lost the wedding shade and became simply exhibition trials. Men participated in them only. In other days of year open meetings of guys and girls were forbidden and strictly stopped by parents, mulloj and older persons. On dzhiene guys and girls could walk openly together. The young man bought the izbrannitse various gifts, entertainments. Many families arose on the basis of that friendship and the love which has arisen during time dzhiennogo of a holiday. JAngyr botkasy This holiday was generated on the basis of ritual of reverence alpa (spirit) of a rain, a thunder and lightning Kubara. It{he} was marked in August. The order of carrying out of a holiday. Procedure of carrying out of a holiday was dismembered on some phases. The first phase. She{it} began far from village, in a field, but it is necessary at any source of water: ruchja, the rivers, a spring, lake, etc. At a source of water thirteen elderly women became in one number{line} the person to the sun with the dismissed hair. At this time other participants of action were in a distance from this place. Thirteen women represented mothers of the strongest alpov (the kind spirits, submitting to will Tengre). Bulgary-pagans considered, that Tengre will obey mothers alpov and will send to the aid of people alpa Kubara which will bring to fields a rain, and above ripening bread there will be summer lightnings and will thunder thunder-storms. The woman second at the left in a number{line} represented mother Kubara. The first she{it} said a request - spell, addressing to Tengre and to son "Kubaru". After that she{it} began a ceremony " pokazyvanija a dairy breast ". Having naked a breast, she{it} started to beg "son" to look on its{her} withered from bezvodja breasts and to send on the ground a rain. Behind it{her} similarly started to act and other women. The basic sense of a ceremony: to ashame alpa Kubara for his{its} forgetfulness therefore the ground was withered, plants povjali, animals suffer from beskormitsy. The second phase. After end of a ceremony at a source of water thirteen women joined other participants of action on calling a rain. After that and children started to pour over youth each other water. On presentation of bulgar-pagans, these actions should promote that " ways of water have opened " - " su jullary achylsyn ". Differently, in such a way wanted to cause a rain. The third phase. She{it} has been devoted to procedure of sacrifice of a sacrificial animal: the white bull or the white cow. Cooked special ritual porridge " jangyr botkasy " - " rain porridge ", meat of a sacrificial animal. Then feasted: ate ritual porridge, meat of a sacrificial animal, a fish, oil, eggs, drank milk. During a feast sang ceremonial songs, executed pripevki-riddles. CHumar (Samaras) botkasy " Porridge CHumara (Samara) " Mythological basis. Basic elements of a holiday are based on a myth about Samara - Gjuldzhimeshe. The maintenance{contents} of a myth was kept due to diligence Kul Gali. It{he} describes so: Once the malicious spirit (joreg or dzhinn) SHurale has decided to ruin people and all alive on the Earth. SHurale is a spirit of a drought, famine and death. It{he} has destroyed all trees around of the main source of water on the Earth. SHurale has dried up a spring. The Earth was captured with a terrible drought. Alp-bika Turan as kind spirit of love and female beauty began to persuade SHurale to clean{remove} the roots from sources of spring water and to give people of water. SHurale has agreed to release{exempt} a spring only in the event that to it{him} will give a post vezira (the main adviser and the prime minister) alpov, i.e. the kind spirits assisting to people. The post vezira borrowed{occupied} Ur (Mar), i.e. spirit of the sun. Having learned{having found out} about claims SHurale, Ur has asked spirit of a thunder and lightning Kubara to punish the impudent fellow. Kubar has directed the strelu-lightning on SHurale, become huge dried up tree with copper leaves and with a mouth - duplom with a copper teeth - canines. Kubaru it was possible to beat out only one canine. Vybityj the tooth has fallen to the ground and has turned in monstrous mednobokogo bull - unicorn Kepkeja. Instead of vybitogo a tooth has grown new. In the meantime unicorn Kepkej was directed to the nearest city, intending to crush it{him}. However the road to it{him} was blocked by legendary bogatyr - knight Audan. The unicorn has thrown Audana highly-high{high-highly} in the sky so that it{he} at falling has run into his{its} horn. While Audan flied, the unicorn has decided to trample his{its} wolf cap (burek) - has protected. It has caused anger mighty alpa Storms, i.e. The wolf. A storm has become the invisible being and with terrible force has bent down horn Kepkeja to the ground. Audan has landed without damages and has split a sword of a unicorn into pieces. It{he} has hanged out pieces on a sacred tree jaga. After that Audana began to name also Enkeem or Oguzom, i.e. The bull. When alp (spirit) of fertility of Samaras (CHumar) has learned{has found out} about all it it{he} sat on a horse and has jumped on fight with SHurale. Alp Samaras could become a dragon, the Deer or the Bull. Therefore it alpa had some names: Baradzh (dragon), the Turki (the Great Bull), etc. More often bulgary represented Samara as a horseman - bogatyr, and SHurale named Kuvyshem (Duplopastnym). Samaras has cut down Kuvysh, i.e. a huge hollow tree, then has split it{him} into parts. These parts have there and then turned to fineer SHurale. They any more did not represent danger for alpov. The source has been released{exempted}, from bowels of the ground water has hammered. However from blood SHurale-Kuvysha water became dead. Samaras and Turan ispili from a spring also have fallen asleep mertvetskim dream. Audan, seen it, has remained with a spring to wait for an arrival of rooks. When rooks have arrived{flied}, Audan has addressed to the Hag - rook with the request to assist fallen asleep. The hag and his{its} wife Chakchak on the wings have delivered Audana in valley Basan. Here it{he} has picked an alive grass - millet. From millet CHakchak has prepared for life-giving water - buzu. Buzu (drink) Audan has brought to a spring and has recovered Samara, his{its} wife Turan and a source. The order of carrying out of a holiday. First we shall consider, how this holiday during the most ancient period was carried out{was spent}. Time of carrying out: celebratory actions were developed within 40 days: accordingly in cities, fortresses from August, 23 till October, 1, and in auls (villages) in September - the beginning of October. The first phase. Priests, i.e. boljare said spells and executed ceremonial songs. After acceptance of an islam mulla read a pray. Then sang ceremonial songs. The second phase. From a shelter let out{released} the white sacrificial bull. And soldiers on horses began battle with it{him}. They as though represented fight Audana with unicorn Kepkeem. In X century under the insisting mull this custom has been forbidden. Before this phase of a holiday came to an end that pinned up the sacrificial bull, have cut it{him} on a part and hanged out on a sacred tree jaga. As a sacred tree the poplar acted. The third phase. The great bulk of participants started to feast, and other part participated in competitions. They participated in the following competitions. 1. Dzhigitovka: demonstration of skill to operate a horse, on full skaku to lift from the ground a coin, etc. 2. Competitions in accuracy of shooting on the purpose. On a crossbeam of a field gate on surburb of an aul (village) strengthened the image ulaka, i.e. a goat and started to compete in accuracy of shooting from an onions{a bow}. 3. Struggle on horses - audarysh: it was necessary to seize the contender and to bend down it{him} to the ground that it{he} has touched the ground. 4. Fight of knights on spears-сэнге sugyshy: under the script of knightly tournaments. 5. Fight Huns - hon sugyshy: the contenders naked on a belt{zone}, whipped each other lashes until one of them did not leave{abandon} majdan. These kinds of competitions symbolized fight Kubara (alpa lightnings and a thunder) with SHurale (joregom droughts and death), Audana (knight - bogatyr) with unicorn Kepkeem (has arisen from vybitogo tooth SHurale). The following kind of competitions symbolized flight Audana behind a life-giving grass. Gallop on horses - bajga In all kinds of competitions, except for " hon sugyshy " (" fight Huns ") and struggle on horses, women had the right to participate. During competitions with application of lashes, the fighting weapon (spear), skachek it is frequent gibli or participants received a mutilation. However it was perceived as inevitable and did not result in the termination{discontinuance} of a holiday (recollect behaviour rimljan during gladiatorial fights). So, for example, when in 943 year during time skachek tsar Mikail has fallen from a horse and rasshibsja to death, his{its} son Mohammed, prisutstvovavshy on a holiday, has told: " At will Supreme, people come and leave, and the will of the Creator is embodied ". And it{he} has enjoined to continue a holiday. The holiday " CHumar (Samaras) botkasy " (" Porridge CHumara (Samara)) " concerned to the category of those holidays at which opening on majdane established a symbol of a sacred tree (on - bulgarski jaga) a column at which top established the image of the cock or the hen, and to bottom adhered the sacrificial white ram. Kyzlar echkene - Maiden drink Ceremonies of the given holiday leave the roots in an extreme antiquity and under many characteristics coincide with ceremonies " CHumar botkasy ". In an antiquity this holiday marked in September after harvesting. Women and girls gathered in the certain place behind city or village. As a rule, as a place of gathering the height or mountain served. Such mountain named Kyztauy - the Maiden mountain. In 40 days on "congress" - medzhlis men gathered. Tsar Mikail Jalkau (930-943) Has enjoined medzhlisa to carry out{spend} both together as one uniform action. It referred to Kyzlar Echkene - Maiden drink. Why? The matter is that within many centuries bulgarskoe the society represented community of soldiers, whose ability to live to the full depend on successes and failures in sphere of military activity. Therefore professional soldiers from number actually bulgar created family from the sanction of the governor or sardara (the commander armies). In due course at actually bulgar there was a custom according to which father, wishing to marry the son, asked the governor (or sardara) the sanction. Thus it{he} gave the governor of a horse. For the sanction to call visitors gave honey. His{its} quantity{amount} depend on quantity{amount} invited on wedding. From the honey collected in such a way on command of the governor prepared for a drink suvdzh. During a holiday " Maiden drink " this drink brought to a place of carrying out of the basic actions in vicinities of capital. In other cities and villages this drink was prepared by inhabitants. Therefore this holiday also named Kyzlar Echkene - Maiden drink. It{he} passed as follows. The first phase. Said spells and executed ceremonial songs. After that carried out sacrifice of sacrificial animals. Preparation of sacrificial food. The second phase. The use of sacrificial food, and then ritual food - wheaten porridge (chumar botkasy), soup (" chumar ashy "). This part of a holiday was accompanied by performances{statements} of poets - storytellers (chichenov), dances, games. The third phase. Competitions (they are already described above) further began. Nardugan The description of a holiday is given to the second lecture. Certainly, at bulgar there were also other holidays: Subash, CHachak bajramy (the Holiday of colors), etc. The description of holidays bulgar is taken by us from: Bahshi Iman. Dzhagfar tarihy. That the second. - Orenburg, 1994. with 76-108. 8. The block of questions and answers 8.1. In what sense bulgary used a word "aul"? Originally the word was used in a word meaning "circle". Then so began to name village as in an antiquity of village had the form of a circle. 8.2. How on - bulgarski the nomadic rate of the leader referred to? The nomadic rate of prince or tsar originally referred to bidzha. 8.3. What purpose was pursued by tsar Almysh, carrying out{spending} reform in sphere of the territorial - administrative device? It{He} tried to prevent disintegration Volga Bulgarii. With this purpose it{he} also liquidated specific princedoms. 8.4. How bulgary named province and the governor? Bulgary named province the term "il", and the governor - "ulugbek". 8.5. Under what circumstances Ahmed Bakir, i.e. the former secretary of Great embassy Ahmed ibn-Fadlan has finished the life seid? During board Gazana (925-930) Ahmed Bakir (Ahmed ibn-Fadlan) was not only seidom, i.e. the chapter{head} of all moslems Volga Bulgarii, but also vezirom. Borrowing{occupying} these two important posts, it{he} began to induce tsar to active repressive actions in relation to pagans. During board Mikailja (930-943) Ahmed Bakir has got in disgrace. When in mosque "Nur" of the city of Nur-Suvara it{he} has struck a horse of tsar Mikailja pletju, it{him} have connected konskoj a harness and have stopped in underground prison (zindan). There it{he} soon also has died. Bulgary-pagans of it{him} did not like, and bulgary-moslems represented it{him} as mullu, battling with winged zmeem Baradzhem. Baradzh was the patron of bulgar-pagans.

Z. Z. Miftakhov Lecture course for history of Tatar people

Lecture 10

Z. Z. Miftakhov
Lecture course for history of Tatar people