Tatarstan. Tours to Tatarstan 2024. Prices. Mouzenidis Travel

 Located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kama, Tatarstan is a bridge between the European and Asian parts of Russia, kind of an intersection of religious and cultural traditions of the East and the West. It represents unique historical experience of peaceful coexistence between the two world religions: Islam and Orthodox Christianity.
It is an amazing fusion of two cultures - Russian and Tatar, with beautiful landscapes and ancient cities. Sviyazhsk Island , Velikie Bulgary - a city-museum under the open sky, Pasternak's Tchistopol, the old merchant Yelabuga, turbulent modern Nizhnekamsk and Naberezhnye Chelny, Raifa - the pearl of Tatarstan, and Kazan, called the "marvelous city", "capital of the East" by medieval travelers.

Population
By area, Tatarstan is approximately equal to Ireland. Here Tatars (52%) and Russian (39%), Chuvash and Mari live side by side, as well as over 100 other nationalities, about four million people.
The Tatars are very hospitable. They give their guests the best treats - sweet chak-chak, white honey, and of course, fragrant tea.Muslims consider an inhospitable person to be defective. Traditionally, they do not only entertain guests, but also bestow gifts on them.

History
The first country in the region was Volga Bulgaria, established in the late 9th - early 10th century by Turkic tribes. Bulgaria for a long time remained the only developed state in the north-eastern Europe.In 922 Islam was adopted as the state religion, then Bulgaria joined the empire of Genghis Khan, and later became part of the Golden Horde.As a result of the collapse of the Golden Horde in the Volga region, a new feudal stateappeared - the Khanate of Kazan (1438). After the capture of Kazan in 1552 by the troops of Ivan the Terrible, Kazan Khanate ceased to exist and was attached to the Russian state.
In 1708, the territory of today's Tatarstan joined the huge Kazan province, whose original borders stretched to Kostroma in the north, to the Urals in the east, to the Terek River in the south and to Murom and Penza in the west. Kazan had retained the status of province capital for over 200 years.
Prior to 1920, the territory of the present Republic of Tatarstan was not called "Tatar" or "Tatarstan" either officially or unofficially. Kazan as part of Russia was first called the Kingdom of Kazan, later Kazan province, and only in 1920, on Lenin's initiative was formed Tatar ASSR. Since 1992 and up to now it is known as the Republic of Tatarstan.

Cuisine
Tatar national cuisine.is interesting and diverse The legacy of the Bulgars in it are katyk, ball-may, kabartma, as well as Tatar chak-chak, ech-pochmak. They also acquired the Finno-Ugric dumplings, Chinese tea, Uzbek plov, Tajik Pahlavi.
Basic food is meat, dairy and vegetables. Tatars' favorite kinds of meat are lamb and poultry. Rermented milk is used to prepare Tatars' favorite drink - katyk, which is also used to make sozmu - the Tatar cottage cheese.
Of all the variety, the most typical dishes are soups and broths (shulpa, tokmach), which can be meat, milk or lean; flour baked products - beleshi, peremyaches, bekkens, ech-pochmaks, sumsa and other stuffed with meat, potatoes or cereals.Tea is served with sweet dough: katlama, kosh-tele, chak-chak - an obligatory dish at the wedding feast.Honey is used for cooking special treats in honor of the birth of a new baby - pure-alba, or wedding treats called ball-may.Sherbet - a sweet fruit and honey drink - is also used during the wedding ceremony: the bride passes it to the guests, and after drinking the sherbet, they put money on the tray as a gift for the newlyweds.
The special meal rules are associated with the Islamic religion. It is forbidden to eat the meat of pigs and some birds - such as falcon or swan. During Ramadan (the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar), all Muslims over 12 years old should keep 29-30 days of uraza - complete abstinence from food and drink during daylight hours. THe religion also forbids wine and other alcoholic beverages.

Tourism
The Republic of Tatarstan is located in the east of the East European Plain and is divided into threeparts by the valleys of the rivers Volga and Kama. Tourists prefer local sightseeing tours, because the territory of Tatarstan has a lot of "historical cities" with architectural, historical and cultural monuments, ensembles and complexes.
In 2006 was developed the tourist route "The Pearl Necklace of Tatarstan", consisting of two rings - the Small and the Big.
The Small Ring surrounds Kazan and crosses the territory of municipalities adjacent to the capital of the republic: Zelenodolsky, Verkhneuslonsky, Laishevsky, Pestrechinsky and Arsky.Each of them has a distinct culture, ethnicity, nature, history and architecture. Radial sightseeing routes are also popular: Kazan - Raif, Kazan - island Sviyazhsk , Kazan - Laishevo, Kazan - Arsk, Kazan - Kokushkino.
The Big Ring includes Kazan, Bolgar Bilyarsk, Tchistopol and Yelabuga. Of greatest interest to tourists are the historical and architectural museum-reserves (Kazan Kremlin, Bolgary, Bilyarsk, Yelabuga), excavations of ancient settlements (Juketau, Bilyar, Suvar), as well as unique natural areas of the Volga-Kama reserve, Spassky reserve and Chistye Luga.