Idel-Ural
Idel-Ural (Tatar: Идел-Урал, romanized: Idel-Ural, Russian: Идель-Урал), literally Volga-Ural, is a historical region in Eastern Europe, in what is today Russia. The name literally means Volga-Urals in the Tatar language. The frequently used Russian variant is Volgo-Uralye (Russian: Волго-Уралье).[1] The term Idel-Ural is often used to designate 6 republics of Russia of this region: Bashkortostan, Chuvashia, Mari El, Mordovia, Tatarstan and Udmurtia, especially in Tatar-language literature or in the context of minority languages.[2]
Idel-Ural is at the center of the Volga Federal District (Поволжье, Povolzhye). The major religions in the region are Islam and Orthodox Christianity.
Before being conquered by the Tsardom of Russia in the 16th century, the region was dominated by native Uralic tribes and a succession of empires, such as Volga Bulgaria, the Khazars, the Golden Horde and the Khanate of Kazan. At the time of Peter the Great's death, in the early 18th century, the region had been made up of roughly 1 million people, with around half being Tatars, Chuvash, and Bashkirs.[3]
References
- Sergei Konstantinovich Belykh. "История народов Волго-Уральского региона" (PDF). udmurt.info (in Russian). Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- "В России режим Путина подавляет самоидентификацию коренных народов – активисты". zmina.info (in Russian). 21 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- Bushkovitch, Paul (2012). A concise history of Russia. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-521-54323-1.
Further reading
- Frank, Allen J. (2000). "Historical Legends of the Volga-Ural Muslims concerning Alexander the Great, the City of Yelabuga, and Bāchmān Khān". Revue des mondes musulmans et de la Méditerranée. 89–90 (89–90): 89–107. doi:10.4000/remmm.274 – via Centre pour l'Édition Électronique Ouverte. - Includes an abstract in English and an abstract in French. The French title is "Légendes historiques des musulmans de la région Volga-Ural concernant Alexandre le Grand, la ville de Yelabuga, et Bāchmān Khān."