Mishar Tatars
Videos
Page
The Mishar Tatars, previously known as the Meshcheryaki (мещеряки), are the second largest subgroup of the Volga Tatars, after the Kazan Tatars. Traditionally, they have inhabited the middle and western side of Volga, including the nowadays Mordovia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Ryazan, Penza, Ulyanovsk, Orenburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Samara regions of Russia. Many have since relocated to Moscow. Mishars also comprise the majority of Finnish Tatars and Tatars living in other Nordic and Baltic countries.
Mishar Tatars, the beginning of 20th century.
Mishar Tatars in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Sergachsky District.
Mishar Tatar woman in Nizhny Novgorod, late 1800s.
Land Captain of the second section of Sergachsky District P. V. Dmitriev (in the middle) with his subordinates; Mishar Tatars on left, Russians on right. (late 1800s).
Volga Tatars
Videos
Page
The Volga Tatars or simply Tatars are a Kipchak-Bulgar Turkic ethnic group native to the Volga-Ural region of Eastern European Russia. They are subdivided into various subgroups. Volga Tatars are the second-largest ethnic group in Russia after ethnic Russians. Most of them live in the republics of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. Their native language is Tatar, a language of the Turkic language family. The predominant religion is Sunni Islam, followed by Orthodox Christianity.
"Workers of the world, unite!", written in the Tatar Arabic script on illustrated flag of TASSR. (Kazan Kreml Museum, 2023).
Märcani Mosque in Kazan
Head of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov (left) and former head Mintimer Shaimiev during the Izge Bolgar zhyeny festivities, dedicated to the 1,121st anniversary of the adoption of Islam by Volga Bulgaria.
Xäydär Bigiçev (1949-1998), Mishar Tatar from Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, soloist of the Tatar Opera and Ballet Theater named after Musa Jalil, award-winning folk artist.