February 18-19, 2015, a working visit by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan Airat Sibagatullina to the Orenburg region took place. During the visit, the minister has got acquainted with the progress of preparations for the All-Russian village Sabantui, scheduled to take place in a village of Tatar Kargala of Sakmara region of the Orenburg Oblast on June 6, 2015.

A.M.Sibagatullin met with the Governor of the Orenburg oblast Yuri Berg. Yuri Berg noted that the Orenburg region and Tatarstan enjoy long friendly neighborly relations. “Orenburg – a multinational territory, we have accumulated a rich experience in inter-ethnic and inter-religious dialogue, representatives of 126 nationalities live in the oblast in an atmosphere of peace and understanding. We have done and will do everything possible to maintain inter-ethnic harmony.

Therefore, I have been very pleased to accept a proposal made by the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov to make such a large venue for events as the All-Russian rural Sabantui in a Tatar village Kargala of Sakmarsky region “- he said.

As the portal of the Government of the Orenburg region informs, to coordinate the work a special organizing committee had been set up, chaired by Vice-Governor – Deputy Prime Minister of the Orenburg region on domestic policy Oleg Dimov. The work of the organizing committee is supervised personally by Governor Yuri Berg. The event promises to be a wide scale: experience shows that Russian rural Sabantui attracts thousands of participants from all over the country.

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Tatar village Kargala was founded in 1744 as a trading village, 18 miles from Orenburg in Srednyaya Kargalka revier by a group of Tatar people from Kazan Uyezd (County). In XVIII-XIX centuries, the village was a major center of transit trade between Central Asia and Russia. The main population was engaged in handicraft production (22 productions and 20 mills), trade, arable farming. In 1897, the population was over 13 thousand residents. In the early XX century, there were 10 mosques in Kargala with madrassas and mektebs operating.

According to the 2010 census, the current population of the village is 3,800 people, the predominant nationality – Tatars (90%). There are three mosques: two historical – Kush Manara and the White Mosque, as well as new – As-salaam.

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All-Russian village Sabantui is being held since 2010 in different regions of Russia. In 2010, rural Sabantui was held in the Samara region, in 2011 – in the Republic of Chuvashia, in 2012 – in the Chelyabinsk region, in 2013 – in the Perm region, in 2014 – in the Volgograd region.