Bashkirs are a people inhabiting the Bashkortostan region. They are Turkic and are accustomed to the harsh climate of the Urals.

This people has a rather interesting history and culture, and old traditions are still revered.

Story

The Bashkirs believe that their ancestors began to move to the territories occupied by the people today approximately a thousand years ago. The assumption is confirmed by Arab travelers who studied local regions in the 9th–13th century AD Following their records, one can find mention of the people who occupied the Ural ridge. The land of the Bashkirs was divided according to occupation. For example, camel owners took the steppes for themselves, and mountain pastures went to cattle breeders. Hunters preferred to live in forests, where there were a lot of animals and game.
Since the time of the organization of society among the Bashkirs, the main role was played by the people's assembly of Jiin. The princes had limited power; the most important role was played by the voice of the people. With the arrival of Khan Batu, the life of the Bashkirs did not change significantly. The Mongols saw fellow tribesmen in the Bashkirs, so they decided not to touch their settlements. Later, Islam began to spread in Bashkiria, replacing paganism. With the exception of yasak payment, the Mongols did not interfere in the life of the people in any way. The mountain Bashkirs remained completely independent.
The Bashkirs have always had trade relations with Russia. Novgorod merchants spoke flatteringly about the goods, especially wool. During the reign of Ivan the Third, soldiers sent to Belaya Voloshka ravaged the Tatars, but did not touch the Bashkirs. However, the Bashkirs themselves suffered from the Kirghiz-Kaisaks. These persecutions, combined with the growing power of the Moscow Tsar, prompted the Bashkirs to unite with the Russians.

The Bashkirs did not want to pay the Kazan tax and were still experiencing raids from their neighbors, so after accepting citizenship they decided to ask the king to build the city of Ufa. Later Samara and Chelyabinsk were built.
The Bashkir people began to be divided into volosts with fortified cities and large counties.
Due to dominant religion There was Orthodoxy in Rus', the Bashkirs could not feel independence, which became the reason for the uprising, which was led by an adherent of Islam Seit. This uprising was suppressed, but literally half a century later a new one broke out. This aggravated relations with the Russian tsars, who ordered from one country not to oppress the people, and from the other in every possible way limited their right to own territories.
Gradually, the number of uprisings began to decrease, and the development of the region increased. Peter the Great personally pointed out the importance of developing the Bashkir region, which led to the creation of copper and iron factories. The population grew steadily, also thanks to newcomers. In the provisions of 1861, the rights of the rural population were assigned to the Bashkirs.
In the 20th century, education, culture and ethnic identity began to develop. The February Revolution allowed the people to gain statehood, but the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War greatly slowed down progress. Repression, drought and assimilation played a negative role. Currently, the region is called the Republic of Bashkortostan and is characterized by active urbanization.

Life

For a long time the Bashkirs led partly nomadic image life, but gradually settled down. Yurts, characteristic of nomads, were replaced by log houses and adobe huts. Adherence to Islam has always implied patriarchy, so the man remains in charge. The Bashkirs are also characterized by the following features of their way of life:

1. Kinship is clearly divided into maternal and paternal parts so that inheritance can be determined.
2. Property and house were inherited by younger sons.
3. The eldest sons and daughters received part of the inheritance upon marriage.
4. Guys got married at 16, and girls got married at 14.
5. Islam allowed several wives, although only the rich enjoyed this privilege.
6. To this day, a bride is given a bride price, which always depends on the status of the newlyweds’ parents. Previously, bride price was paid in cattle and horses, outfits, painted scarves, and fox fur coats.

Culture

Holidays

Bashkir holidays are celebrated magnificently and solemnly. Events are celebrated in spring and summer. One of the oldest holidays is the arrival of rooks, which symbolizes the arrival of spring. The Bashkirs ask for the fertility of the land, the harvest, and organize magnificent round dances and festivities. You definitely need to feed the rooks with ritual porridge.
A notable holiday is Sabantuy, which marks the beginning of work in the fields. During this holiday, residents competed with each other, held competitions in wrestling, running, horse racing, and played tug-of-war. The winners were awarded, and afterward the people held a magnificent feast. The main dish on the table was beshbarmak - soup with noodles and boiled meat. Initially, Sabantuy was a holiday where rituals were performed to belittle the gods of the harvest. Now the Bashkirs celebrate it as a tribute to tradition. A significant national holiday is Jiin, on which it is customary to hold fairs. It's a great day for profitable purchases and making transactions.
Bashkirs celebrate Muslim holidays and honor all traditions, following religion.

Folklore

The spread of Bashkir folklore affected many Russian regions. It is also represented in the Republics of Tatarstan, Sakha and some CIS countries. In many ways, Bashkir folklore is similar to Turkic folklore. But there are many distinctive features. For example, kubair epics, which may have a plot, although sometimes there is no plot as such. Kubairs with plots are usually called epic poems, and those without a plot - odes.
The youngest is the Bayit - it represents lyrical legends, epic songs. Munozhat are considered close in content to bayits - these are poems whose purpose is to glorify the afterlife.
Became especially revered by the Bashkirs folk tales. Often the main characters in them are animals, the stories take the form of legends, and are replete with fantastic meaning.
Characters of Bashkir fairy tales encounter witches, spirits of reservoirs, brownies and other creatures. There are separate genres among fairy tales, for example, kulyamasy. There are many fables filled with clichés and local aphorisms.
Folklore affects family and everyday relationships, which we have already discussed above and will discuss in the sections “Character” and “Traditions”. Thus, as a phenomenon, folklore has absorbed pagan customs and the canons of Islam.

Character

Bashkirs are distinguished by their love of freedom and sincere disposition. They always strive for justice, remain proud and stubborn. People treated newcomers with understanding, never imposed themselves and accepted people as they are. Without exaggeration, we can say that the Bashkirs are absolutely loyal to all people.
Hospitality is prescribed not only by ancient customs, but also by current Sharia norms. Each guest needs to be fed, and the one leaving must be given a gift. If guests come with a baby, it means that he needs to be given a gift. It is believed that this way the baby will be appeased and will not bring a curse on the owners’ house.
The Bashkirs have always had a reverent attitude towards women. Traditionally, the bride was chosen by the parents, who were also responsible for organizing the wedding. Previously, a girl could not communicate with her husband’s parents during the first year after marriage. However, from ancient times she was revered and respected in the family. The husband was strictly forbidden to raise a hand against his wife, to be greedy and stingy in relation to her. A woman had to remain faithful - betrayal was strictly punished.
Bashkirs are scrupulous towards children. At the birth of a child, a woman became like a queen. All this was necessary for the child to grow up healthy and happy.
Elders played the most important role in the life of the Bashkirs, so the custom of honoring elders has survived to this day. Many Bashkirs consult with elders and ask for blessings on transactions.

Traditions

Customs

It is obvious that the Bashkir people honor not only traditions, but also customs that are associated with past generations and the foundations of Islam. So, it is necessary to bury the dead before sunset. Washing is carried out three times, the deceased is necessarily wrapped in a shroud, prayers are read and the graves are arranged. According to Muslim rites, burial occurs without a coffin. Bashkir custom instructs that the prayer verse be recited.

Amazing wedding traditions and customs that include a whole complex. Bashkirs believe that a man will not become respectable until he gets married. It is interesting that Bashkirs have been planning their children’s weddings since adolescence. This is due to old tradition It’s too early to marry children. Wedding gifts were given in a special way:

• A saddle horse, an ordinary boy, collected gifts from everyone who came to congratulate the newlyweds;
• Having collected money, scarves, threads and other gifts, he went to the groom;
• It was forbidden to touch gifts;
• The mother-in-law invited guests to the tea ceremony, mostly relatives and friends;
• During the wedding, there was always a struggle for the bride. They tried to kidnap the girl, and forced the groom to fight. Sometimes it got to the point of quite serious fights, and according to tradition, the groom had to cover all the damage.

In connection with marriage, many prohibitions were introduced. Thus, the husband had to be at least 3 years older than his wife, it was forbidden to take women from his own family as wives, only representatives of the 7th and 8th generations could marry.
Now weddings have become more modest, and newlyweds have become more pragmatic. The modern pace of urbanization has led to a different way of life, so it is preferable for Bashkirs to get a car, a computer, or other valuable property. Pompous rituals and payments of dowry are a thing of the past.
The custom of maintaining hygiene has appeared since ancient times. People washed their hands before sitting down to eat. It was imperative to wash your hands after eating meat. Rinsing your mouth was considered a good preparation for eating.
Mutual assistance among the Bashkirs is called kaz umakhe. The custom concerned the preparation of ducks and geese. Usually young girls were invited to it. At the same time, goose feathers were scattered, and the women asked for a bountiful offspring. Then the geese were eaten with pancakes, honey, and chak-chak.

Food

Bashkir cuisine offers the sophisticated gourmet simple dishes. The main thing for a Bashkir is to be well-fed, and delicacies come in second place. Distinctive feature cuisine is the absence of pork, and this is not due to Islamic canons, but purely to ancient dietary habits. There were no wild boars in these places, so they ate lamb, beef and horse meat. Bashkir dishes are hearty, nutritious and always prepared from fresh ingredients. Onions, herbs, spices and herbs are often added to the dish. It is the onion that is highly valued by the Bashkirs for beneficial features, because in its fresh form this product helps fight bacteria, provides vitamin C and normalizes blood pressure.
Meat can be eaten boiled, dried, or stewed. Horse meat is used to make kazy horse sausage. It is usually served with the fermented milk drink ayran.
The most important drink was kumys. For nomadic tribes, the drink was indispensable, because even on the hottest day it retained its properties. There are many ways to prepare kumiss, which the Bashkirs preserve and pass on from generation to generation. Positive properties drinks are strengthening the immune system, improving the functioning of nervous system and maintaining skin elasticity.
Dairy dishes in Bashkir cuisine abound in variety. Bashkirs love baked milk, sour cream, cottage cheese with honey. An important product is karot, a cheese that was stored during the winter to obtain nutrients and fat. It was added to broths and even tea. Bashkir noodles are called salma and can have many forms. It is prepared in the form of balls, squares and shavings. Salma is always made by hand, so there are many options for execution.
Tea drinking is an important tradition, and tea, along with kumiss, is considered a national drink. Bashkirs drink tea with cheesecakes, boiled meat, chak-chak, berry marshmallows and pies. Pastila was prepared from exclusively natural berries, ground through a sieve. The puree was laid out on boards and dried in the sun. In 2–3 days, an exquisite and natural delicacy was obtained. Most often, tea is drunk with milk and currants.
Bashkir honey is a brand of Bashkiria. Many gourmets consider it a reference, because the recipe for making the first honey dates back one and a half thousand years. The people of Bashkiria carefully preserved traditions, so these days the wonderful delicacy turns out great. The storage of honey in ancient times is evidenced by rock paintings found in the Burzyan region. It is forbidden to counterfeit Bashkir honey. This brand produces exclusively national products. It is this that serves as the basis for preparing such a dessert as chak-chak.

Appearance

Cloth

A feature of Bashkir clothing is the use various types weaving arts. For example, the use of appliqués, knitting, embroidering patterns, decorating with coins and corals, applying ornaments to the skin. Often several craftsmen were involved in the creation of one costume. Their task was to obtain a coherent ensemble, united by a single artistic design. Observance of traditions was certainly required in composing the costume. The formation of the costume took place under the influence of cattle breeding craft. For insulation, people used sheepskin coats, fur coats made of sheep wool.
Homemade cloth was quite thick, while holiday cloth, on the contrary, was thin. To make the material as dense as possible, it was dumped and poured with hot water.
Boots were made of leather. Leather could be combined with cloth or felt. To insulate clothes, they used wild animal fur. The squirrel, hare, wolf and lynx were especially in demand. Beaver and otter were used for festive fur coats and hats. Hemp threads, which have increased strength, played a significant role. Shirts were made from linen, decorated with geometric patterns.
The design of the costume varied depending on the region of residence. For example, in the southeastern regions, red, blue and green were preferred colors. Northeastern, Chelyabinsk and Kurgan Bashkirs wore dresses with border embroidery.
The hem of the dress was decorated with ornaments, as were the sleeves. In the 13th century, new materials for clothing began to appear, including cloth of Flemish, Dutch and English origin. Bashkirs began to value fine wool, velvet and satin. Pants and a shirt remained a common feature of women's and men's costumes (women wore dresses).
Often Bashkirs had to wear a whole set of outerwear. Each was freer than the previous one, which made it possible to move comfortably and escape the cold. The same feature was retained for festive outfits. For example, Bashkirs could wear several robes at the same time, regardless of weather conditions.
In mountainous Bashkiria, men wore a cotton shirt, canvas pants, and a light robe. In winter, the time of cold weather came, and cloth clothing was replaced by cloth. It was made from camel wool. The shirt was not girded, but a belt with a knife was used to secure the robe. An ax served as an additional weapon for hunting or going into the forest.
The robes themselves served as everyday clothing. Many copies can be seen in museums located in Bashkiria. A striking example of the beauty of women's clothing among the Bashkirs is the beshmet and elyan. They clearly demonstrate the craftsmen's ability to use embroidery, corals, beads and coins to decorate fabrics. To make the outfits as colorful as possible, the craftsmen used cloth of different colors. In combination with gold and silver braid, a unique range was obtained. The sun, stars, animals and anthropomorphic patterns were used as ornaments.
Corals made it possible to lay out triangles and beautiful rhombuses. Fringe was used for a stripe that was made at the waist. Various kinds of tassels, buttons, and decorative details made it possible to produce an even more striking effect.
Men wore fur clothing without fail, but for women it was considered rare. They made do with a quilted coat and used a shawl. With the onset of severe cold, a woman could cover herself with her husband’s fur coat. Fur coats for women began to appear quite late and were used exclusively for rituals.
Only rich Bashkirs could afford jewelry. The most common precious metal was silver, which they liked to combine with corals. Such decorations were used to decorate outerwear, shoes and hats.
The Bashkirs are a small people. There are just over one and a half million of them, but thanks to careful attitude traditions, this people was able to achieve prosperity, gained rich culture and became one of the most remarkable in the Russian Federation. Nowadays, the region is heavily influenced by urbanization, with more and more young people flocking to cities to find permanent work and housing. However, this does not prevent the Bashkirs from observing ancient customs, passing on recipes for national dishes from generation to generation and living in peace with each other, as has been the custom from time immemorial.

The Russian Federative Republic is a multinational state, representatives of many nations live, work and honor their traditions here, one of which is the Bashkirs living in the Republic of Bashkortostan (capital Ufa) on the territory of the Volga region Federal District. It must be said that the Bashkirs live not only in this territory, they can be found everywhere in all corners of the Russian Federation, as well as in Ukraine, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The Bashkirs, or as they call themselves the Bashkorts, are the indigenous Turkic population of Bashkiria; according to statistics, about 1.6 million people of this nationality live on the territory of the autonomous republic; a significant number of Bashkirs live in the territory of Chelyabinsk (166 thousand), Orenburg (52.8 thousand) , about 100 thousand representatives of this nationality are located in Perm region, Tyumen, Sverdlovsk and Kurgan regions. Their religion is Islamic Sunnism. Bashkir traditions, their life and customs are very interesting and differ from other traditions of the peoples of Turkic nationality.

Culture and life of the Bashkir people

Until the end of the 19th century, the Bashkirs led a semi-nomadic lifestyle, but gradually became sedentary and mastered agriculture, the eastern Bashkirs for some time practiced going on summer nomads and in the summer they preferred to live in yurts, over time, and they began to live in wooden log houses or adobe huts, and then in more modern buildings.

Family life and the celebration of folk holidays of the Bashkirs almost until the end of the 19th century was subject to strict patriarchal foundations, which in addition included the customs of Muslim Sharia. The kinship system was influenced by Arab traditions, which implied a clear division of the line of kinship into maternal and paternal parts; this was subsequently necessary to determine the status of each family member in matters of inheritance. The right of minority was in effect (predominance of the rights of the youngest son), when the house and all the property in it, after the death of the father, passed to the youngest son, the older brothers had to receive their share of the inheritance during the life of the father, when they got married, and the daughters when they got married. Previously, the Bashkirs married their daughters quite early; the optimal age for this was considered to be 13-14 years (bride), 15-16 years (groom).

(Painting by F. Roubaud "Bashkirs hunting with falcons in the presence of Emperor Alexander II" 1880s)

The rich Bashkorts practiced polygamy, because Islam allows up to 4 wives at the same time, and there was a custom of conspiring with children while still in their cradles, the parents drank bata (kumis or diluted honey from one bowl) and thus entered into a wedding union. When marrying a bride, it was customary to give a bride price, which depended on the financial status of the newlyweds’ parents. It could be 2-3 horses, cows, several outfits, pairs of shoes, a painted scarf or robe; the mother of the bride was given a fox fur coat. In marriage relations, ancient traditions were respected; the rules of levirate (the younger brother must marry the wife of the elder) and sororate (the widower marries younger sister his late wife). Islam plays a huge role in all spheres of public life, hence the special position of women in the family circle, in the process of marriage and divorce, as well as in inheritance relations.

Traditions and customs of the Bashkir people

The Bashkir people hold their main festivals in spring and summer. The people of Bashkortostan celebrate the Kargatuy “rook holiday” at the time when the rooks arrive in the spring, the meaning of the holiday is to celebrate the moment of nature’s awakening from winter sleep and also an occasion to turn to the forces of nature (by the way, the Bashkirs believe that it is the rooks that are closely connected with them) with a request about the well-being and fertility of the coming agricultural season. Previously, only women and the younger generation could participate in the festivities; now these restrictions have been lifted, and men can also dance in circles, eat ritual porridge and leave its remains on special boulders for rooks.

The plow festival Sabantuy is dedicated to the beginning of work in the fields; all residents of the village came to the open area and participated in various competitions, they wrestled, competed in running, raced horses and pulled each other on ropes. After the winners were determined and awarded, a common table was set with various dishes and treats, usually a traditional beshbarmak (a dish of crumbled boiled meat and noodles). Previously, this custom was carried out with the goal of appeasing the spirits of nature so that they would make the land fertile and it would produce a good harvest, and over time it became a regular spring holiday, marking the beginning of hard agricultural work. Residents of the Samara region have revived the traditions of both the Rook's holiday and Sabantuy, which they celebrate every year.

An important holiday for the Bashkirs is called Jiin (Yiyyn), residents of several villages took part in it, during it various trade operations were carried out, parents agreed on the marriage of their children, and fair sales took place.

Bashkirs also honor and celebrate all Muslim holidays, traditional for all adherents of Islam: these are Eid al-Fitr (the end of fasting), and Kurban Bayram (the holiday of the end of the Hajj, on which it is necessary to sacrifice a ram, a camel or a cow), and Maulid Bayram (famous for the Prophet Muhammad).

Southern Urals, Southern Pre- and Trans-Urals. Number of people: 1 million 673 thousand people. In terms of numbers, Bashkirs occupy fourth place in the Russian Federation after Russians, Tatars and Ukrainians. They speak Bashkir. Believers are Sunni Muslims.

The great historian S.I. Rudenko, in his fundamental work “Bashkirs,” correlates the Bashkirs with the tribes that lived in the Urals back in the 2nd millennium BC. Judging by written sources, ancient Bashkir tribes lived in the Urals more than a thousand years ago, as evidenced by the reports of travelers. The first written information about the Bashkirs dates back to the 10th century. Around 840, the Arab traveler Sallam at-Tarjuman visited the land of the Bashkirs, who indicated the approximate limits of the country of the Bashkirs. Another Arab author is al-Masudi (died about 956), telling about wars near Aral Sea, mentions the Bashkirs among the warring peoples. Other authors have also written about the Bashkirs as the main population of the Southern Urals. Ibn Ruste (903) reported that the Bashkirs are “an independent people who occupied the territory on both sides of the Ural ridge between the Volga, Kama, Tobol and the upper reaches of the Yaik.” Reliable information about the Bashkirs is contained in the book of Ahmed Ibn Fadlan, who in 922 visited Volga Bulgaria as part of the embassy of the Baghdad caliph. He describes them as a warlike Turkic people who worship various forces of nature, birds and animals. At the same time, the author reports, another group of Bashkirs professed more high shape religion, including a pantheon of twelve spirit deities led by the heavenly god Tengri.

The territory of modern Bashkortostan was a zone of interaction between Finno-Ugric, Turkic and Indo-European peoples. The most common etymology of the self-name “Bashkort” is from “bash” - “head” and the Turkic-Oguz “gurt”, “kurt” - “wolf” (the influence of Oguz tribes (Pechenegs) in the ethnogenesis of the ancient Bashkirs is undoubtedly). Ibn Fadlan, who left the first reliable information about the Bashkirs, clearly indicates the Turkic affiliation of the Bashkirs.

Age of the Golden Horde

Acceptance of Moscow citizenship

The establishment of Moscow suzerainty over the Bashkirs was not a one-time act. The first (in the winter of 1554) to accept Moscow citizenship were the western and northwestern Bashkirs, previously subject to the Kazan Khan. Following them (in 1554-1557), connections with Ivan the Terrible were established by the Bashkirs of central, southern and southeastern Bashkiria, who then coexisted on the same territory with the Nogai Horde. The Trans-Ural Bashkirs were forced to come to an agreement with Moscow in the 80-90s of the 16th century, after the collapse of the Siberian Khanate. Having defeated Kazan, Ivan the Terrible appealed to the Bashkir people with an appeal to voluntarily come under his highest hand. The Bashkirs responded and at popular meetings of the clans they decided to come under Moscow vassalage on the basis of an equal agreement with the tsar. This was the second case in their centuries-old history. The first was a treaty with the Mongols (XIII century). The terms and conditions were clearly stated in the agreement. The Moscow sovereign retained all their lands for the Bashkirs and recognized the patrimonial right to them (it is noteworthy: except for the Bashkirs, not a single people who accepted Russian citizenship had a patrimonial right to the land). The Moscow Tsar also promised to preserve local self-government and not to oppress the Muslim religion (“... they gave their word and swore that the Bashkirs professing Islam would never force them into another religion...”). Thus, Moscow made serious concessions to the Bashkirs, which, naturally, met its global interests. The Bashkirs, in turn, pledged to perform military service at their own expense and pay the treasury yasak - land tax.

The collection of taxes from the territory of Bashkortostan was entrusted to the Order of the Kazan Palace. The territory of Bashkortostan in the XVI-XVII centuries. in royal documents it was designated as “Ufa district”, which was divided into Nogai, Kazan, Siberian and Osinsk roads (darugs). Trans-Ural Bashkirs were part of the Siberian Road. The roads consisted of tribal volosts, which, in turn, were divided into clans (aimags or tubes).

In 1737, the trans-Ural part of Bashkortostan was assigned to the newly created Iset province, the territory of which covered the modern Kurgan, northeastern part of the Chelyabinsk, southern Tyumen, eastern Sverdlovsk regions. In 1744, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, by her highest decree, ordered that “there should be a province in Orenburg and be called the Orenburg province and Privy Councilor Neplyuev should be its governor.” The Orenburg province was formed as part of the Orenburg, Ufa and Iset provinces.

Bashkir uprisings

During the life of Ivan the Terrible, the terms of the agreement were still observed, and he, despite his cruelty, remained in the memory of the Bashkir people as a kind, “white” king. With the rise to power of the House of Romanov in the 17th century. The policy of tsarism in Bashkortostan immediately began to change for the worse. In words, the authorities assured the Bashkirs of their loyalty to the terms of the agreement, but in reality they took the path of violating them. This was expressed, first of all, in the theft of Bashkir patrimonial lands and the construction of outposts, forts, settlements, Christian monasteries, and lines on them. Seeing the massive theft of their lands, the violation of ancestral rights and freedoms, the Bashkirs rebelled in 1645, 1662-1664, 1681-1684, 1705-11/25. The tsarist authorities were forced to satisfy many of the rebels' demands. After the Bashkir uprising of 1662-1664. The government once again officially confirmed the patrimonial right of the Bashkirs to the land. During the uprising of 1681-1684. - freedom to practice Islam. After the uprising of 1705-11. (the embassy from the Bashkirs again swore allegiance to the emperor only in 1725) - confirmed patrimonial rights and special status Bashkirs and conducted a trial that ended with the conviction for abuse of power and the execution of government “profit-makers” Sergeev, Dokhov and Zhikharev, who demanded taxes from the Bashkirs that were not provided for by law, which was one of the reasons for the uprising. During the uprisings, Bashkir detachments reached Samara, Saratov , Astrakhan, Vyatka, Tobolsk, the outskirts of Kazan (1708) and the Caucasus mountains (during an unsuccessful assault by their allies - Caucasian highlanders and Russian schismatic Cossacks, the Tersky town, one of the leaders of the Bashkir uprising of 1705-11 was captured and later executed. , Sultan Murat). Human and material losses were enormous.

The heaviest loss for the Bashkirs themselves was the uprising of 1735-1740, during which Khan Sultan-Girey (Karasakal) was elected. According to the calculations of the American historian A. S. Donnelly, every fourth person from the Bashkirs died. The next uprising broke out in 1755. The reason was rumors of religious persecution and the abolition of light yasak (the only tax on the Bashkirs; yasak was taken only from the land and confirmed their status as patrimonial landowners) while simultaneously prohibiting free salt production, which the Bashkirs considered their privilege. The uprising was brilliantly planned, but failed due to the spontaneous premature action of the Bashkirs of the Burzyan clan, who killed a petty official - bribe-taker and rapist Bragin. Because of this absurd and tragic accident, plans for the simultaneous action of the Bashkirs of all 4 roads, this time in alliance with the Mishars, and, possibly, the Tatars and Kazakhs, were thwarted. The most famous ideologist of this movement was the Akhun of the Siberian Road of Bashkiria, Mishar Gabdulla Galiev (Batyrsha). In captivity, Mullah Batyrsha wrote his famous “Letter to Empress Elizaveta Petrovna,” which has survived to this day as an interesting example of an analysis of the causes of the Bashkir uprisings by their participant.

The last Bashkir uprising is considered to be participation in the Peasant War of 1773-1775. Emelyan Pugacheva, the hero of this uprising Salavat Yulaev also remained in people's memory.

The result of these uprisings was the establishment of the class status of the Bashkirs.

Bashkirs in the Patriotic War of 1812

Before the start of the war: the 1st Bashkir Regiment was part of the Cossack corps of Ataman Platov, located in the city of Grodno; the 2nd Bashkir Regiment was part of the 1st Brigade of Colonel Ilovaisky of the 12th, 5th Cavalry Division, 2nd Western Army. Teptyarsky Cossack Regiment of Major Timirov became part of the vanguard of the 3rd Infantry Corps of Lieutenant General Tuchkov 1st. Having learned about the beginning of the war, the Bashkirs immediately formed the 3rd, 4th, 5th Bashkir volunteer regiments.

Platov's Cossack Corps, covering the retreat of Bagration's army, took part in the battle near Grodno on June 15 (27), 1812, in which the 1st Bashkir Regiment actively participated. Privates Buranbai Chuvashbaev, Uzbek Akmurzin, captain Ihsan Abubakirov, and cornet Gilman Khudayberdin especially distinguished themselves.

The battle between Platov’s cavalry and the French vanguard on June 17 (July 9) is famous. General Tourneau's brigade of six regiments was completely defeated. In this battle, along with the Don Cossacks, the Bashkir cavalry also fought bravely. The newly distinguished private Uzbek Akmurzin was promoted to private soldier for this battle.

On July 1 (13), Platov's corps arrived in Romanovo. On July 2 (14), seven enemy cavalry regiments were met by Cossacks, Bashkirs, and Kalmyks and, after a stubborn battle, were overturned. Having received reinforcements, the enemy launched a second attack, but, encountering staunch defenses, was forced to retreat again. Again, the distinguished horseman Buranbai Chuvashbaev was promoted to the rank of soldier for his excellent service and courage.

Borodino. The 3rd battalion of the Ufa Infantry Regiment especially distinguished itself.

In Bashkiria and from the Bashkirs of the adjacent counties of the Perm and Orenburg provinces, 28 (including 6 repair) Bashkir, 2 Mishar (Meshcheryak) and 2 Teptyar Cossack regiments were formed.

On August 15, 1812, the Bashkirs, Teptyars and Mishars donated 500 thousand of the then full-value rubles of the royal coinage to the army.

Each regiment had its own banner. The banner of the 5th Bashkir Volunteer Regiment is still sacredly kept in National Museum Republic of Bashkortostan

Bashkir-Meshcheryak Army. Cantonal control system

The most significant of the reforms towards the Bashkirs carried out by the tsarist government in the 18th century was the introduction of a cantonal system of government, which operated with some changes until 1865. By decree of April 10, 1798, the Bashkir and Mishar population of the region were transferred to the military service class and were obliged to carry out border service on the eastern borders of Russia. Administratively, cantons were created. The Trans-Ural Bashkirs found themselves part of the 2nd (Ekaterinburg and Shadrinsk districts), 3rd (Troitsky district) and 4th (Chelyabinsk district) cantons. The 2nd canton was located in Perm, the 3rd and 4th in the Orenburg provinces. In 1802-1803 The Bashkirs of Shadrinsky district were allocated to an independent 3rd canton. In connection with this, the serial numbers cantons The former 3rd canton (Troitsky district) became the 4th, and the former 4th (Chelyabinsk district) became the 5th.

Major changes to the cantonal administration system were undertaken in the 30s of the 19th century. From the Bashkir and Mishar population of the region, the Bashkir-Meshcheryak army was formed, which included 17 cantons. The latter were united into trustees. The Bashkirs and Mishars of the 2nd (Ekaterinburg and Krasnoufimsk districts) and 3rd (Shadrinsk district) cantons were included in the first, 4th (Troitsky district) and 5th (Chelyabinsk district) - in the second trusteeship with centers in Krasnoufimsk and Chelyabinsk. Law “On the annexation of Teptyars and Bobyls to the Bashkir-Meshcheryak army.” on February 22, the Teptyar regiments were included in the canton system of the Bashkir-Meshcheryak Army. Later the name was changed to the Bashkir Army by the Law “On henceforth naming the Bashkir-Meshcheryak army the Bashkir army.” October 31st."

Proclamation of the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Agreement on the formation of the BASSR

After the revolutions of 1917, All-Bashkir congresses (kurultai) were held, at which a decision was made on the need to create a national republic within federal Russia. As a result, on November 16, 1917, the formed Bashkir regional (central) shuro (council) proclaimed the creation of the Orenburg, Perm, Samara, and Ufa provinces of the Republic of Bashkurdistan in territories with a predominantly Bashkir population.

Theories of ethnogenesis of the Bashkirs

The ethnogenesis of the Bashkirs is extremely complex. The Southern Urals and the adjacent steppes, where the formation of the people took place, have long been an arena active interaction different tribes and cultures.

In the 20th century Research by Rudenko, R. G. Kuzeev, N. K. Dmitriev, J. G. Kiekbaev and others substantiates the point of view according to which the Turkic tribes of South Siberian-Central Asian origin played a decisive role in the origin of the Bashkirs and the formation of their ethnocultural appearance with the participation of local ( Cis-Ural) population: Finno-Ugric (including Ugro-Magyar), Sarmato-Alan (ancient Iranian). The ancient Turkic ancestors of the Bashkirs, who experienced the influence of the Mongols and Tungus-Manchus in their ancestral home, before coming to the Southern Urals, wandered in the south of Western Siberia, in Kazakhstan, then in the Aral-Syr Darya steppes, coming into contact with the Pecheneg-Oguz and Kimak-Kypchak tribes. From the end 9 - at the beginning 10th century Bashkirs live in the Southern Urals with steppe and forest-steppe spaces adjacent to the west, south and east. From the 9th century The ethnonym “Bashkort” becomes known. According to many researchers, it originates from the name of the military leader Bashgird, known from written sources, under whose leadership the Bashkirs united into a military-political union and then began to develop modern territory resettlement. Another name for the Bashkirs (“ishtek”/“istek”) was presumably also an anthroponym. In the Southern Urals, the Bashkirs partly displaced, partly assimilated the aboriginal (Finno-Ugric, Iranian) population, came into contact with the Kama-Volga Bulgarians, settled tribes of the Ural-Volga region and Western Siberia.

Ugric theory

Turkic theory

Complex origin theory

Traditional activities and crafts

The main occupation of the Bashkirs in the past was nomadic (jailaun) cattle breeding; Hunting, beekeeping, beekeeping, poultry farming, and fishing were common. gathering. Crafts include weaving, felt making, production of lint-free carpets, shawls, embroidery, leather working (leatherworking), wood working.

Kurgan Bashkirs

Kurgan Bashkirs are an ethno-territorial group of the Bashkir people, living compactly in the west of the Kurgan region. The total number is 15,470 people. They are settled mainly in Almenevsky, Safakulevsky, Shchuchansky districts of the region. The largest settlements with a predominance of the Bashkir population in the Kurgan Trans-Urals - Tanrykulovo, Sart-Abdrashevo, Sharipovo, Subbotino, Sukhoborskoye, Suleymanovo, Mir, Yulamanovo, Aznalino, Tungui, etc. The vast majority of Kurgan Bashkirs are rural residents. Believers are Muslims (Sunnis)

The language of the Kurgan Bashkirs belongs to the Yalano-Katay dialect of the eastern dialect of the Bashkir language. There are a lot of Russianisms in the agreement. Most Kurgan Bashkirs also speak Russian.

Anthropological types common among the Kurgan (Yalan-Katay) Bashkirs occupy an intermediate place between the Caucasoid and Mongoloid great races (South Siberian, Subural, Pamir-Fergana, Pontic, light Caucasoid)

The folk culture of this group of Bashkirs is characterized by the great preservation of many elements of traditional family rituals, ancient examples of folklore, and folk clothing. Characteristic features of traditional clothing are women’s breast ornaments “yaga” and head coverings “kushyauzik”.

A small part of people from Kurgan Bashkirs are now residents of the cities of Chelyabinsk, Surgut, Yekaterinburg, Kurgan, Tyumen. Some families have also lived in the regions of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan since the 1960s-1970s (as a result of migrations).

Orenburg Bashkirs

The Bashkirs of the Orenburg region are considered its indigenous inhabitants. According to the 1989 census, Bashkirs live compactly in the following districts - Krasnogvardeisky (5378 people), Gaisky (2734 people), Saraktashsky (1881 people), Kuvandyksky (1864 people). In general, Bashkirs live in all districts of the region, as well as in the cities of Orenburg (6211 people), Orsk (4521 people), Mednogorsk (2839 people), Gai (1965 people), etc. In Orenburg there is a monument to the history and culture of the Bashkir people Caravan -barn (Karauanharay), built in 1838-44 on the initiative of representatives of Bashkir clans under the tutelage of the military governor Vasily Alekseevich Perovsky. The Orenburg region gave the Bashkir people outstanding people - Mukhametsha Burangulov (folk sesen, famous folklorist, who was the first to draw up the manuscript of the Bashkir oral folk epics “Ural-Batyr”, “Akbuzat”, “Karasakal and Salavat”, etc., from the village of Verkhne-Ilyasovo, Krasnogvardeisky district ), Daut Yulty (writer, from the village of Yultyevo, Krasnogvardeisky district), Sagit Agish (writer, master of short stories, from the village of Isyangildino, Sharlyk district), Ravil Bikbaev (poet, from the village of Verkhne-Kunakbaevo, Pokrovsky district), Gabdulla Amantai (writer, from village of Verkhne-Ilyasovo, Krasnogvardeisky district), Khabibulla Ibragimov (playwright and composer, from Orenburg), Valiulla Murtazin-Imansky (actor, director and playwright, from the village of Imangulovo, Oktyabrsky district), Amir Abdrazakov (actor and director, from the village of Kaipkulovo, Aleksandrovsky district) .

Perm Bashkirs

The Bashkir tribal organization Gaina in the 13th century occupied vast territories along the banks of the Kama - from the mouth of the Siva River to the mouth of the Ocher River, and then the border of the land ran along the Sylva River to the upper reaches of the then river. Irginka went to the upper reaches of the Bystry Tanyp River.

After the defeat of Kazan by Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1552, the Gainin Bashkirs accepted his citizenship in 1557 and received from the tsar a “charter of ownership”, according to which they remained the owners of the lands between the Kama, Sylva and Belaya rivers. Later, they, like the rest of the Bashkirs, were assigned to the military class, like the Cossacks, and paid a small community tax, because they had to guard the border and participate in the wars waged by Russia. When the canton system was established, the Gainin people entered the 1st Bashkir canton. The most famous thing for them was their participation in the war against Napoleon (France). 13 Perm Bashkirs were awarded the silver medal “In Memory of the War of 1812” for their military services in the war.

After the Gainians accepted Moscow citizenship, the government began to pursue a policy of colonization of the region. First, having driven the Gainin people out of their indigenous lands, they built the Novo-Nikolskaya Sloboda, which later turned into the Osinskaya fortress. in 1618, Andrei Krylov built a dacha, which later turned into a village. Krylovo. In 1739, General-in-Chief Alexander Glebov built a copper smelter near the Shermeika River. The Gainin people rose up more than once to preserve their territory, but the uprisings were brutally suppressed. The Gainin people took part in all the Bashkir uprisings. According to Batyrsha, during the uprising of 1735-40. 400 Gainin soldiers destroyed a 1000-strong team of “freemen” with 4 guns and “only after the truce they gave up the guns.” During the uprising of 1755, they were assigned a very important role, but the performance of the Bashkirs of Gaina was nipped in the bud by the powerful Tarkhan of the Gaina Bashkirs, the ore miner and foreman Tuktamysh Ishbulatov (in the future - a deputy from the Bashkirs in Catherine’s Legislative Commission and a Pugachev colonel). The most significant uprising was their participation in the Pugachev uprising of 1773-1775, where more than 9,000 Gainin residents took part. They gave this war 9 colonels, 7 atamans and 16 marching foremen. After this, their lands remained within the Gaininsky volost.

Famous people appeared among the Gainin people of that time. This is Ismail Tasimov, on whose initiative the First Mining School, now the Mining University, was opened. The second prominent representative of the region was Tuktamysh Izhbulatov, who for 20 years was the foreman of the Gaininsky volost, a deputy of the Legislative Commission, drew up the order of the Bashkirs to the Legislative Commission and spoke 3 times at the meetings of the commission. The third representative was Mansur Gata-Khazret, deputy State Duma, who opened a progressive madrasah in the village. Sultanay.

Bashkirs of Samara region

Bashkirs began to settle in the Samara region from the 18th century; they founded villages now located in the territories of the Bolshechernigovsky and Bolsheglunitsky districts of the Samara region (formerly the Imeleevskaya volost of the Samara province). They are also known as Irgiz Bashkirs, since most of their villages are located in the valley of the Irgiz River. Samara Bashkirs, despite their distance from their historical homeland, speak the literary Bashkir language, since their ancestors come from the southeast of Bashkortostan, and not from the Tatar-speaking northwest. The Samara land gave the Bashkir people a number of famous people. These are writers Rashit Nigmati (1909-1959, from the village of Dingezbaevo, Bolshechernigovsky district), Khasan Bashar (1901-1938, from the village of Utyakaevo, Bolshechernigovsky district), Khadiya Davletshina (1905-1954, from the village of Khasanovo, Bolshechernigovsky district), Gubay Davletshin (1893-1938 , from the village of Tashbulatovo, now Tash-Kustyanovo, Bolsheglunitsky district), his cousin, linguist Gabbas Davletshin (1892-1937, from the same village), participant in the Bashkir national liberation movement, ally of Akhmad-Zaki Validi Kharis Yumagulov (1891-1937, from the village of Khasanovo), Fatima Mustafina (1913-1998, from the village of Dingezbaevo) Minister of Education of the BASSR (1955-1971).

Bashkirs of the Chelyabinsk region

More than 166 thousand Bashkirs live in the Chelyabinsk region. The Bashkir population is represented in most districts of the region. There are compact settlements of Bashkirs in Argayashsky, Kunashaksky, Sosnovsky, Kusinsky, Krasnoarmeysky, Nyazepetrovsky, Oktyabrsky, Kaslinsky, Chebarkulsky, Uysky, Kizilsky, Agapovsky, Ashinsky, Kyshtymsky and some other districts of the region. Before the Great Patriotic War, the Argayash National District existed on the territory of the Chelyabinsk region. Notes

There are about two million Bashkirs in the world, according to the latest census, 1,584,554 of them live in Russia. Now representatives of this people inhabit the territory of the Urals and parts of the Volga region, they speak the Bashkir language, which is related to the Turkic language group, have been practicing Islam since the 10th century.

Among the ancestors of the Bashkirs, ethnographers name the Turkic nomadic peoples, the Finno- Ugric group, and ancient Iranians. And Oxford geneticists claim that they have established the relationship of the Bashkirs with the inhabitants of Great Britain.

But all scientists agree that Bashkir ethnic group formed as a result of the mixing of several Mongoloid and Caucasian peoples. This explains the difference in appearance representatives of the people: from the photo it is not always possible to guess that such different people belong to the same ethnic group. Among the Bashkirs you can find classic “steppe people”, and people with an oriental appearance, and fair-haired “Europeans”. The most common type of appearance for a Bashkir is average height, dark hair and brown eyes, dark skin and a characteristic eye shape: not as narrow as those of the Mongoloids, only slightly slanted.

The name "Bashkirs" causes as much controversy as their origin. Ethnographers offer several very poetic versions of its translation: " Chief wolf", "Beekeeper", "Head of the Urals", "Main Tribe", "Children of Bogatyrs".

History of the Bashkir people

Bashkirs - incredible ancient people, one of the first indigenous ethnic groups of the Urals. Some historians believe that the Argippeans and Budins, mentioned back in the 5th century BC in the works of Herodotus, are precisely the Bashkirs. The people are mentioned both in Chinese historical sources of the 7th century, as Bashukili, and in the “Armenian Geography” of the same period, as Bushki.

In 840, the life of the Bashkirs was described by the Arab traveler Sallam at-Tarjuman; he spoke of this people as an independent nation inhabiting both sides of the Ural ridge. A little later, the Baghdad ambassador Ibn Fadlan called the Bashkirs warlike and powerful nomads.

In the 9th century, part of the Bashkir clans left the foothills of the Urals and moved to Hungary; by the way, the descendants of the Ural settlers still live in the country. The remaining Bashkir tribes held back the onslaught of Genghis Khan's horde for a long time, preventing him from reaching Europe. The war of the nomadic peoples lasted 14 years, in the end they united, but the Bashkirs retained the right to autonomy. True, after the collapse of the Golden Horde, independence was lost, the territory became part of the Nogai Horde, the Siberian and Kazan Khanates, and eventually, under Ivan the Terrible, it became part of the Russian state.

In troubled times, under the leadership of Salavat Yulaev, Bashkir peasants took part in the rebellion of Emelyan Pugachev. During the Russian and Soviet history enjoyed autonomy, and in 1990 Bashkiria received the status of a republic within the Russian Federation.

Myths and legends of the Bashkirs

In legends and fairy tales that have survived to this day, fantastic stories are played out, telling about the origin of the earth and the sun, the appearance of the stars and the moon, and the origin of the Bashkir people. In addition to people and animals, myths describe spirits - the masters of the earth, mountains, and water. Bashkirs talk not only about earthly life, they interpret what is happening in space.

So, the spots on the moon are roe deer, always running away from the wolf, Big Dipper- seven beauties who found salvation in heaven from the king of the devas.

The Bashkirs considered the earth to be flat, lying on the back of a large bull and a giant pike. They believed that earthquakes caused the movements of the bull.

Most of the mythology of the Bashkirs appeared in the pre-Muslim period.

In myths, people are inextricably linked with animals - the Bashkir tribes, according to legend, descended from a wolf, horse, bear, swan, but animals, in turn, could descend from humans. For example, in Bashkiria there is a belief that a bear is a person who has gone to live in the forests and is overgrown with fur.

Many mythological stories comprehended and developed in heroic epics: “Ural-batyr”, “Akbuzat”, “Zayatulyak menen Khyukhylu”, etc.

Bashkirs or Bashkirs - people Turkic tribe, live mainly on the western slopes and foothills of the Urals and in the surrounding plains. But in the second half of the 16th century, with a few exceptions, they owned all the land between the Kama and Volga to Samara, Orenburg and Orsk (which did not yet exist) and east along Miass, Iset, Pyshma, Tobol and Irtysh to the Ob.

The Bashkirs cannot be considered the aborigines of this vast country; There is no doubt that they are aliens who have replaced some other people, perhaps of Finnish origin. This is indicated by the fossil monuments of the country, the names of rivers, mountains and tracts, which are usually preserved in the country, despite the change of tribes that lived in it; This is confirmed by the legends of the Bashkirs themselves. In the names of rivers, lakes, mountains, and tracts of the Orenburg region there are many words of non-Turkic roots, for example, Samara, Sakmara, Ufa, Ik, Miyas, Izer, Ilmen and others. On the contrary, rivers, lakes and tracts of the southern Orenburg and Kyrgyz steppes often bear Tatar names or, for example, Ilek (sieve), Yaik (from yaikmak - to expand), Irtysh (ir - husband, tysh - appearance), etc.

According to the legends of the Bashkirs themselves, they moved to their current possessions over 16-17 generations, that is, over 1000 years. The testimony of Arab and Persian travelers of the 9th-13th centuries agrees with this, who mention the Bashkirs as an independent people who occupied almost the same territory, as at present, namely, on both sides of the Ural ridge, between the Volga, Kama, Tobol and the upper reaches of the Yaik (Ural).

A. Masudi, a writer of the early 10th century, speaking about the European Bashkirs, also mentions the tribe of this people living in Asia, that is, remaining in their homeland. The question of the tribal origin of the Bashkirs is very controversial in science. Some (Stralenberg, Humboldt, Uifalvi) recognize them as the people of the Finno-Ugric tribe, who only later adopted the type; The Kirghiz call them istyak (Ostyak), from which they also conclude that they are of Finnish origin; some historians derive them from the Bulgars. D. A. Khvolson produces Bashkirs from the Vogul tribe, which forms a branch of the Ugric group of peoples or part of a large Altai family and considers them the ancestors of the Magyars.

Having occupied the new region, the Bashkirs divided the land according to clans. Some got mountains and forests, others free steppes. Passionate hunters of horses, they also kept countless herds of cattle, and the steppe also kept camels. In addition, the forest Bashkirs were engaged in both hunting and beekeeping. Dashing riders, they were distinguished by their courage and boundless daring; They placed personal freedom and independence above all else; they were proud and quick-tempered. They had princes, but with very limited power and importance. All important matters were decided only in the people's assembly (jiin), where every Bashkir enjoyed the right to vote; in case of war or raid, the Jiin did not force anyone, and everyone went of their own free will.

The Bashkirs were like this before Batu, and they remained like this after him. Having found fellow tribesmen in Bashkiria, Batu gave them tamgas (signs) and various advantages. Soon, under Khan Uzbek (1313-1326), Islam established itself in Bashkiria, which had penetrated here even earlier. Later, when Golden Horde broke up into separate kingdoms, the Bashkirs paid yasak to various rulers: some who lived along the Belaya and Iku rivers - to the Kazan kings, others who roamed along the river. Uzen, - the kings of Astrakhan, and still others, the inhabitants of the mountains and forests of the Urals, - the khans of Siberia. The Horde’s relationship with the Bashkirs was limited to the collection of one yasak; internal life and self-government remained inviolable.

The mountain Bashkirs further developed their strength and fully retained their independence; the steppe people turned into peaceful nomads: and those of them who intermarried with the Bulgarians (Volga) who survived the Tatar pogrom even began to get used to settled life. The Bashkirs came into contact with the Russians long before the conquest of Kazan. There is no doubt that the enterprising Novgorodians established trade relations with the Bashkirs, since the neighboring Vyatka country began to be settled by Novgorod natives back in the 12th century, and the Vyatka, Kama and Belaya rivers served as the best natural route for relations between the peoples who lived along them. But it is doubtful that the Novgorodians would have permanent settlements on the banks of the Kama.

Then there is news that in 1468, during the reign of John III, his governors, “fighting Kazan places,” went to fight in Belaya Volozhka, that is, they penetrated to the river. White. After the campaign of 1468, there are no indications that the Russians invaded Bashkiria, and only in 1553, after the conquest of Kazan, the Russian army pacified the peoples dependent on the Kazan kingdom and ravaged Tatar dwellings to the distant borders of the Bashkir. It was then, probably, that the Bashkirs, pressed by the raids of the Kyrgyz-Kaisaks, on the one hand, and on the other, seeing the growing power of the Moscow Tsar, voluntarily accepted Russian citizenship. But there is no exact historical data that they came to Moscow with a petition, as the Orsk people and the Meadow Cheremis did. Be that as it may, in 1557 the Bashkirs were already paying yasak, and Ivan the Terrible, in his will, written in 1572, entrusts his son with the Kazan kingdom “with Bashkird”.
Soon after accepting Russian citizenship, the Bashkirs, finding it burdensome to deliver yasak and suffering from raids from neighboring tribes, asked the tsar to build a city on their land. In 1586, voivode Ivan Nagoy began to found the city of Ufa, which was the first Russian settlement in Bashkiria, except for Elabuga, built on the very border of the Bashkir lands. In the same 1586, despite the opposition of Prince Urus, Samara was built. The voivodeship order of 1645 mentions the fort of Menzelinsk; in 1658 a city was built to cover the settlements located along the river. Iset; in 1663, the previously existing Birsk was erected into a fortified fort, occupying the middle of the road from the Kama to Ufa.

The Bashkirs were divided into volosts, which formed 4 roads (parts): Siberian, Kazan, Nogai and Osinsk. Along the Volga, Kama and Ural there was a network of fortified places bearing the names of cities, forts, and winter huts. Some of these cities became centers of district or regional government, to which the foreigners assigned to this district were also subordinate. The Bashkirs became part of the districts of Kazan, Ufa, Kungur and Menzelinsky.

In 1662, an uprising broke out under the leadership of Seit. The ultimate goal of the uprising was the revival of Muslim independence throughout the Kazan region and Siberia. In 1663, Voivode Zelenin suppressed the uprising. The pacification is followed by a strict prohibition to oppress the Bashkirs with the order to “keep them kind and friendly” and “to reassure them with the sovereign’s mercy.” Calm has been restored in the region, but not for long. In 1705, an even more stubborn uprising broke out.

In 1699, they began to build the Nevyansk plant, donated by Peter in 1702 to the enterprising Demidov; then the Uktussky, Kamensky, Alapaevsky, Sysertsky, Tagilsky, Isetsky and others factories appeared; Yekaterinburg arose - the place of the main management of mining plants. By the end of Peter’s reign, there were 5,422 male souls in state factories alone. All these factories lay outside the Bashkir lands, but they were already approaching them. In 1724, the Bashkirs were limited in the right to own forests, which were divided into reserved and non-reserved. In the construction of the city of Orenburg they saw a further measure of deprivation of their land ownership. They decided to resist.

In 1735, an uprising broke out under the leadership of Kilmyak-Abyz. Based on the first rumors of an uprising, Alexander Ivanovich Rumyantsev was appointed to go and pacify it. In June 1736, most of Bashkiria was burned out and devastated. By decree of 1736, the Russians were allowed to acquire Bashkir lands, and the Meshcheryaks, who remained faithful and did not participate in the riots, were given ownership of the lands that they had previously rented from the Bashkir rebels.

In 1742, Iv was appointed commander of the Orenburg expedition, then called the Orenburg Commission. Iv. Neplyuev, statesman of the Peter the Great school. First of all, Neplyuev began to develop military settlements, the importance of which for the pacification of the region was pointed out by Peter. Orenburg was chosen as the center of these settlements, which Neplyuev moved to the river. Ural, where it is currently located. According to his ideas, the Orenburg province was established in 1744, and it included all the lands that were in charge of the Orenburg expedition, and in addition the Iset province with the Trans-Ural Bashkirs, the Ufa province with all its affairs, as well as the Stavropol district and the Kyrgyz steppes.

By 1760, there were already 28 factories operating in Bashkiria, including 15 copper and 13 iron, and their population reached 20,000 male souls. In total, by this time the newcomer population in Bashkiria numbered 200,000 souls of both sexes. The spread of factories, which had the inevitable consequence of occupying lands that the Bashkirs considered their inalienable property, met with strong opposition on their part.

According to the Regulations of February 19, 1861, the Bashkirs do not differ in rights and responsibilities from the other rural population of the empire. For economic matters, the Bashkirs form rural societies that own public land on a communal basis, and for immediate administration and court they unite in volosts (yurts). Rural public administration consists of a village assembly and a village headman, and a volost (yurt) administration consists of a volost (yurt) assembly, a volost (yurt) foreman with a volost board and a volost court. The volost government is formed by: the volost elder, village elders and tax collectors of those rural societies in which they exist.

At the end of the 19th century, the Bashkirs, numbering 575,000 people, lived between 50-57° north. lat. and 70-82° east. duty. in the provinces of Orenburg and Ufa everywhere and in the districts of Bugulminsky and Buzuluksky of the Samara province, Shadrinsky, Krasnoufimsky, Perm and Osinsky of the Perm province. and Glazov and Sarapul, Vyatka provinces.

The beginning of the 20th century is characterized by the rise of education, culture and ethnic identity. After the February Revolution of 1917, the Bashkirs entered into an active struggle to create their statehood. In 1919, the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed. By the end of 1926, the number of Bashkirs was 714 thousand people. The consequences of the drought and 1932-33, the repressions of the 1930s, heavy losses in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, as well as the assimilation of the Bashkirs by the Tatars and Russians had a negative impact on the number of Bashkirs.

The share of Bashkirs living outside Bashkiria in 1926 was 18%, in 1959 – 25.4%, in 1989 – 40.4%. The proportion of city dwellers among Bashkirs by 1989 was 42.3% (1.8% in 1926 and 5.8% in 1939). Urbanization is accompanied by an increase in the number of workers, engineering and technical workers, creative intelligentsia, increased cultural interaction with other peoples, and an increase in the proportion of interethnic marriages. In October 1990, the Supreme Council of the Republic adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In February 1992, the Republic of Bashkortostan was proclaimed.

Currently, the bulk of the Bashkirs are settled in the valley of the river. Belaya and along its tributaries: Ufa, Bystry Tanyp - in the north; Deme, Ashkadar, Chermasan, Karmasan - in the south and southwest; Sim, Inzer, Zilim, Nugush - in the east and southeast, as well as in the upper reaches of the river. Ural, along the middle reaches of the river. Sakmara and its right tributaries and along the rivers Big and Small Kizil, Tanalyk. The population in Russia is 1345.3 thousand people, incl. in Bashkiria there are 863.8 thousand people.