January 21, 2017 (Saturday), Centre of Tatar culture of the city of Ulyanovsk hosted the conference of Tatar ethnographers of the Ulyanovsk region. It was attended by scientists from the Institute of History after Sh. Mardzhani and the Institute of Tatar Encyclopedia and Regional Studies of RT Academy of sciences.

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The organizers of the Second Conference of the Tatar ethnographers of the Ulyanovsk region were Public organization “Ulyanovsk regional Tatar national-cultural autonomy” and Office of domestic policy of the Governor of the Ulyanovsk region administration. The Center of Tatar culture of the Ulyanovsk region gathered about 60 activists of local lore movement of Ulyanovsk and Tatar villages of districts of the Ulyanovsk region, and invited staff of the Administration of the Governor of the region, the Regional Archives, the Research Institute “Institute of History and culture of the Ulyanovsk region after N.M. Karamzin. ”

From Kazan the conference was attended by head of Department of History of the Tatar-Bolgarian civilization, History Institute of A.S. RT after Sh. Mardzhani, Merited scientist of RT, A.A. Burkhanov and head of Department of History, Institute of Tatar encyclopedia and Regional Studies, Academy of Sciences of RT, a native of the Ulyanovsk region, Professor R.V. Shaidullin.

Prior to the event participants and guests laid flowers to monument, erected on the square at the entrance to the Tatar Cultural Center building in 2008, to the classic of medieval Turkic-Tatar literature period, of the Volga Bolgaria period Kul Ghali (1183-1230 presupposed years of life (40) years).

Then the participants and the guests got acquainted with the exhibits of the Museum of History of the Tatars of the Ulyanovsk region, located on the second floor of the Center of Tatar culture. During the visit to the museum a procedure for transferring personal belongings of honorary citizen of the Ulyanovsk region D.I. Sharipov, which included the soldiers’ letters (triangles), written by mother of his father, who died in the Great Patriotic War took place.

Then, in the room (on the first floor) of the building reports by the participants and guests of the conference were heard.

The work of conference was opened and conducted by head of the Regional Council of the Tatar regional specialists and honorary citizen of the Ulyanovsk region R.F. Akhmedullov.

The words of welcome on behalf of the scientists of the region were pronounced by Director of the Research Institute – Institute of History and Culture of the Ulyanovsk region after N.M. Karamzin, candidate of history science S. A. Prokopenko, who spoke about the activities of the opened in 2013, Research Institute and contacts with scientific centers of Tatarstan, as well as on plans to create a sector study of the history of the Tatars of the Simbirsk region.

Then chairman of the Oblast Association of Tatar local historians of the Ulyanovsk region R.F. Akhmedullov spoke about the main results of the activities and achievements of the regional organization of local ethnographers to study the history and culture of the Tatars of Simbirsk-Ulyanovsk region.

Among the major achievements, he called a series of published local history books on history of Tatar villages, life and activity of the Akchurins dynasty, the encyclopedic work “Tatars of Simbirsk-Ulyanovsk Region” (Ulyanovsk, 2016, 264 p., with illustrations.) Also, Interregional scientific practical conferences were held dedicated to the life and work of G. Kandalyya (in 2015), and the study of the spiritual heritage of patrons Akchurins (2015) and others.

Then the poet and public figure R.B. Ilkin (Rinat Ilkyai, author of “History of the village Allagulovo (Atnagyl)” (2015) and “History of Filippovka village” (2016), as well as collections of poetry “Ailyanya zhir shary, ailyanya” (2012) and “That’s how the years pass” (2016), spoke about the problems of studying history of the Tatar villages, he shared his personal experience of writing a book on the history of the Tatar-Chuvash village Filippovka and presented his books.

Local historian M.K. Sayukov shared the experience of collecting material and writing a book on the history of the village Tatar Saiman of the Nicholaevsky district. The well-known public figure, Honored Worker of Culture, chief editor of the newspaper of the Tatar Ulyanovsk region “Omet” (created in 1990) I.H. Khalimov told on the activities of newspapers and publications in it the history of the Tatar villages of the region.

A member of the Provincial Archives of the Ulyanovsk region R.V. Makarov told about the activities of their institutions and the capital stock, which keeps materials about the Tatars and Tatar villages of Simbirsk-Ulyanovsk region.

A young ethnographer M.R. Zibirov, coauthor of the book Zabirov M.R. Zabirov R. K, “Drakino (materials on the history of the village),” 2013) with great interest told fellow countrymen about the experience of preparation and publication of a book about his native village Drakino of the Inzensky district. The reporter in qualified way reasoned answers to the questions from the guests and fellow countrymen.

The representative of the Executive Committee of the Ulyanovsk regional Tatar national-cultural autonomy, a member of the World Congress of Tatars Executive Committee Bureau, correspondent of TV and radio company “TNV” in the Ulyanovsk region, R.F. Safin briefly reported on the activities of the NCA of Tatars oblast in 2016 and handed over on behalf of the Executive Committee of the WCT and the management of the Ulyanovsk region Gratitude letters to activists of local lore movement.

Head of Department of History of the Academy of Sciences of RT, candidate of sciences on history, Professor of Kazan (Volga) Federal University R.V. Shaydullin described the experience of compiling encyclopedias and some issues of studying Tatar villages, especially the having disappeared ones. A scholar for active study of the history of the Tatars of the Simbirsk region was awarded a Letter of gratitude from the City Duma of Ulyanovsk.

The final report was made by head of department of Institute of History of AS RT, chairman of the Society Board of local historians and a member of the All-Tatar society of Presidium of the Executive Committee of the WCT of local historians A.A. Burkhanov, spoke about the complex problems and issues on the study, preservation, museification and use of natural objects of historical and cultural heritage of Tatarstan and Tatar world within the Volga-Ural region. In addition, he spoke about the main directions and results of activity of local history organizations in the Republic of Tatarstan and Tatar regions of the world, and said that in March, 2017, the All-Tatar Congress of ethnographers would be held and offered regionalists of Simbirsk to send their delegates to Kazan. Then A. A. Burkhanov on behalf of the management and staff of the Institute presented to the library of the Centre of Tatar culture of the Ulyanovsk region, about two dozen books, prepared by scientists of the Institute of History of AS RT after Sh. Mardzhani.

After the speeches, the elections of 8 delegates from Ulyanovsk region to participate in the I Congress of Tatar local historians were held.

At the end, participants and guests of the conference made a collective photograph as a keepsake.