Language Tatar is a
Turkic language which belongs to the sub-branch of
Kipchak languages called Kipchak–Bulgar. According to 2002 census, there were 5,3 million Tatar speakers in Russia, and in 2010, 4,3 million. Tatar can be divided into two main dialects: • Central (Urta / Kazan – most common and also the literary language) • Western (
Könbatış / Mishar) Some linguists think that
Siberian Tatar is a third dialect of Tatar.
Crimean Tatar is a different language, although also part of the Kipchak group. One characteristic feature of Tatar is its use of the Arabic
ğayn; where as another Turkic language like Turkish generally disregards the Arabic
ayin sound, Tatar always replaces it with ğayn (Turkish
sanat [art], Tatar
sənğət / сәнгать; from Arabic صنعة, ṣanʕa). What most noticeably separates the Mishar dialect from Standard Tatar is that it doesn't pronounce the
uvular ğayn or qâf, and both c and ç are
affricates (instead of [ʑ] and [ɕ]). Example sentence of Tatar language in the Latin script:
Əlifba reformalarına qadər törki xalıqlar ğərəp imləsındağı əsərlərne uqıp, ber ük ədəbi teldə aralaşa torğan bulğan. Ğərəp-farsı lisannarı belən tanış bulu böten möselman ömməteneñ əsərlərenə ireşüne ciñeləytkən. ("Before the alphabet reforms, Turkic peoples read works written in Arabic script and communicated in a shared literary language. Familiarity with the Arabic and Persian languages made it easier to access the works of the entire Muslim ummah").
Names Ever since the Arabic influence spread among Tatars due to adoption of Islam, Tatar names have been mostly rooted in Arabic, though some Turkic-Persian names are still in use, such as Bulat and Aygöl. Compound Arabic-Turkic-Persian names used to be very common for Tatars (Möxəmmətzakir, Əxmətcan, Xodaybirde; Bibifatıyma, Ğaliyəbanu, Şəmsebənat). Tatar surname is the personal name of ones male ancestor from the times of surname law (early 1900s), accompanied by a Russian suffix, like Nizametdin –>
Nizametdinov / Nizametdinova, Musa –>
Musin / Musina.
Religion in Kazan. The Islamic roots of the Volga region trace back to
Volga Bulgaria (922). Since then, Islam also has a centuries old history in Russia. Volga Tatars played a significant role in the national and cultural movements of Muslims during Russian Empire and also in Soviet Union. Islam is currently the majority religion in Tatarstan. In September 2010,
Eid al-Fitr and 21 May, the day the Volga Bulgars embraced Islam, were made public holidays. During that time the head of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov negotiated for use of
Islamic banking and the first
halal food production facility opened with foreign companies expressing their interest to expand the project in Tatarstan. The
muftiate of Tatarstan is the
Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Radicalism , the mufti of Tatarstan with the mufti of the Chechen Republic
Salah Mezhiev during a meeting at the Muftiate of the Chechen Republic (2023). Both mufti's have spoken against
Wahhabism, which they think should be banned at a government level. The religious situation of the Tatars began to change significantly in the 2010s. The new generation was dissatisfied with their spiritual life and experienced a stronger sense of religious identity. During the Soviet era, this had been weakened by the anti-religious policies of the time, which had led to the break with their largely Sufi-influenced tradition. The Tatars had also played a significant role as representatives of the reform movement
Jadidism. New attitudes were already noticeable in the 1990s. Tatar imams used to be trained in Bukhara or Tashkent, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union these connections were severed. As a result, they increasingly began to receive their training abroad, especially in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Turkey. "In these countries they see a great contrast between local traditions and the fading traditions familiar from Tatarstan, leading to their radicalization." More radical versions of Islam were previously very rare and sporadic in Tatarstan. The most famous examples were the Ittifaq formation, whose leader
Fauziya Bairamova was pro-Salafist in the 2000s. Imam Rustem Safin in Kazan was suspended for two years for his association with the pan-Islamic
Hizb al-Tahrir party. A few dozen Tatars participated in the
Chechen separatist wars, and in 2010 the Tatarstan Interior Ministry disbanded a short-lived formation in Nurlat district that had tried to imitate the Dagestan extremist movement of the 1990s. A month later, another car exploded; this time, a bomb was supposedly detonated accidentally. Inside the car, three bodies were found, along with weapons and radical Islamic literature. They were suspected of planning an attack on president Vladimir Putin, who was visiting Tatarstan. Disagreement about what is "traditional Tatar Islam" exists also outside of the Salafi-Wahhabi conflict. Mufti of Tatarstan, Kamil Samigullin belongs to the Turkish Sufi
Naqshbandi order, which some, like the mufti of Moscow
Ravil Gainutdin, think is not compatible with "Tatar spirit of Islam". Samigullin is not the first Tatar Naqshbandi member however; notable Tatar religious figures of the past, such as
Zaynulla Rasulev, Utyz-Imani,
Shihabetdin Marjani and
Gabdennasyr Kursawi all belonged to Naqshbandi.
Literature and Şəhit Əxmədiyev (1928). As their literary language, Tatars used local variant of
Türki until early 1900s. Its norms began to move towards the spoken vernacular from the mid 1800s. The basis for a new literary language was created by migration and urbanization. The vocabulary and phonetics of it is based mostly on the Kazan Dialect and the morphology on Mishar Dialect.
Ğabdulla Tuqay (1886–1913) is often considered the founder of modern Tatar literary language. Tatar literature has an ancient history. Before the introduction of printing, ancient Tatar books written in Arabic script were copied by hand. Manuscripts of the Koran, other spiritual literature, educational books were widely distributed. One of the earliest works of national Tatar literature known is considered to be written at the beginning of the 13th century by the famous Volga Bulgar poet
Qol Ğəli, the poetic work
Qissa-i Yosıf (
قصه یوسف, Tale of Yusuf). The first printed edition in the Tatar language was the Manifesto of
Peter I on the occasion of the
Persian campaign, published in 1722. The
Golden Horde and the subsequent
Khanate of Kazan (1438–1552) were a period of great flowering for Turkic-Tatar literature. Many different literary genres developed significantly during this period. Among the most famous writers of the Golden Horde was Nasreddin bine Borhaneddin Rabğuzi, whose works are considered part of their literary heritage by modern Tatars and Uzbeks. Notable poet of Kazan Khanate was Möxəmməd Yar. Tatar literature was negatively affected by the loss of independence to Russia in the mid-16th century, and many works were destroyed. During the Russian Empire, new works were created, although fewer. Examples of these include the 18th–century poets Ğəbdessəlam bine Uray and Ğəbderrəxim Utız İməni. Others also used Tatar; for example, the well-known Kazakh poet
Abay Qunanbayulı in many of his poems in the 18th century. The Tatar cultural reneissance of the 20th century was showcased in literature as well. Many notable works were created by, among others, Ğabdulla Tuqay,
Fatix Əmirxan, Dərdemənd and
Ğəliəsğar Kamal. During the Soviet era, there was a conflict among Tatar writers; some collaborated with the government and even wrote on revolutionary topics, while others were against this and distanced themselves from the new Tatar society. Writers who were in one way or another pro-communist included
Hadi Taqtaş, who has been described as the "
Mayakovsky of the Tatars". Ğəlimcan İbrahimov's novel
Tirən tamırlar (Deep Roots, 1928) is about class struggle, World War II also appeared as a theme in Tatar literature, such as in the collection of poems
Moabit dəftəre by the Hero of the Soviet Union
Musa Cəlil. In the 1980s and 1990s, themes of the independence of the Tatar people became popular; for example, in the works of Rəşit Əxmətcanov and Zölfət Xəkim.
Music Professional Tatar music culture took shape during the Soviet era. In the mid-20th century, many Tatar composers became famous, including Cəwdət Fəyzi,
Salix Səydəşev, Mansur Mozaffarov,
Nəcip Cihanov. The largest center of Tatar folk music is the Musa Dzhalil Opera and Ballet Theater. The first Tatar opera,
Saniyə, was performed in 1925. It was composed by Soltan Ğəbəşi, in collaboration with Vasily Vinogradov.
Fərit Yarullin composed the first Tatar ballet,
Şürəle.
Sofia Gubaidulina has been called one of the "most significant Russian composers of the late 20th century". Compositor Rashid Kalimullin's works have been performed worldwide and
Aida Garifullina performed together with
Robbie Williams in the
2018 FIFA World Cup. Notable Tatar folk singers include
Rəşit Wahapov, Xəydər Bigiçev, Rafail İlyasov. Modern Tatar musicians include İttifaQ, Usal (Усал),
Tatarka, K-Ru, Taraf, Saida Mukhametzyanova (Сайда Мухаметзянова), Malsi Music, Dyshat (Дышать). A "legendary Tatar folk-rock group" Başkarma is from Finland.
Celebrations The traditional celebrations of the Tatar people include both, ancient Turkic and common Islamic celebrations. The Persian New Year
Nowruz (Нәүруз, Nəwrüz) is also celebrated among the Tatars. The most famous Tatar cultural holiday is
Sabantuy (Сабантуй; also
Saban tuyı, Сабан туе). It dates back to pre-Islamic times as a harvest festival for farmers. Today, Sabantuy is a national holiday in Tatarstan. It includes competitive sports, such as wrestling and horseback riding. Sabantuy is celebrated not only by neighboring nations, but also for example in Kazakhstan (Sabantoy, Сабантой). The wrestling genre that belongs to it,
körəş (көрөш), is also widely known among Turkic peoples (in Turkish güreş, in Uzbek kurash, etc.). ==Status in Russia==