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Ancient Bolgar – Northern Mecca

The city of Bolgar was founded in the 10th century by the Volga Boulgars, In 1361 the Golden Horde prince Boulat-Timur destroyed it. Bolgar was rebuilt but in 1431 it was destroyed again by Prince Fyodor Pestry and was never reestablished. All the people left it. Modern Bolgar is town of Spassk-Kazan region. In 1991 the city got its present name in honor of the ancient city of Volga Bulgaria, the ruins of which were not far from the place. The best and the most prosperous times for the city were at the edge of the 13th and 14th century. Most of the architect monuments still preserved are dated back to this time. Now the reconstruction of the monuments is in process.

The name “Bolgar” (the first syllable is stressed) or “Bulgar” (the last syllable is stressed), or “Great Bulgars” comes from the ethnonym of the ancient Volga Boulgars. According to one of the versions the word “Bolgars” is transcribed from the “Volgars” (those who live near the Volga). Ancient city of Bolgar state belongs to the historical and architectural museum-reserve. Here we can find the Cathedral Mosque, the Eastern Mausoleum (“The Church of St. Nicholas”) and the Northern Mausoleum (“monastery cellar”), Khan’s Shrine, Small Minaret, the Black Chamber, the White chamber, the Red and the Hellenic Chambers, Khan’s bathhouse and many others archeological sites. The White Chamber attracts a lot of tourists as a cultural heritage of the Volga Bulgaria. The historical and ethnographic complex museum of bread is also one of the most popular places among the guests.

  • Bus tour to ancient Bolgar
  • The city of Bolgar was founded in the 10th century by the Volga Boulgars. In 1361 the Golden Horde prince Boulat-Timur destroyed it. Bolgar was rebuilt, but in 1431 it was destroyed again by Prince Fyodor Pestry and was never reestablished. All the people left it. Modern Bolgar is a town of the Spassk-Kazan region. In 1991 the city got its present name after the ancient city of Volga Bulgaria, the ruins of which were not far from the place
  • The best and the most prosperous times for the city were at the edge of the 13th and 14th century. Most of the architect monuments still preserved are dated back to this time. Now the reconstruction of the monuments is in process. The name “Bolgar” (the first syllable is stressed) or “Bulgar” (the last syllable is stressed), or “Great Bulgars” comes from the ethnonym of the ancient Volga Boulgars. According to one of the versions the word “Bolgars” is transcribed from the “Volgars” (those who live near the Volga). Ancient city of Bolgar state belongs to the historical and architectural museum-reserve. Here we can find the Cathedral Mosque, the Eastern Mausoleum (“The Church of St. Nicholas”) and the Northern Mausoleum (“monastery cellar”), Khan’s Shrine, Small Minaret, the Black Chamber, the White chamber, the Red and the Hellenic Chambers, Khan’s bathhouse and many others archeological sites. The White Chamber attracts a lot of tourists as a cultural heritage of the Volga Bulgaria. The historical and ethnographic complex museum of bread is also one of the most popular places among the guests
  • Bus sightseeing tour: Museum of Bulgarian civilization, the Memorial sign, the Bulgarian fortification
  • Lunch
  • Visiting the White Chamber, the Cathedral Mosque, the Assumption Church
  • Visiting the museum of bread (on request)
  • Free time
  • Back to Kazan
  • Visiting shops of the local producers

Hotel The cost
from 850 р.
from 1 200 р.
from 1 360 р.
from 1 400 р.
from 1 500 р.
from 2 100 р.
from 2 300 р.
from 3 700 р.
from 4 000 р.
You will visit:
  • The Museum of Bolgar civilization , where more than 1600 exhibits are found. The museum combines the real exhibits and multimedia means, that helps to create the full picture of the cultural heritage. The architecture of the building goes together with the still existing ancient Bulgarian buildings.
  • The Bolgar hillfort, surrounded by the earth hill and the ditch 5 km long. This is a very precious architectural object represented by a number of stone and brick public and religious buildings dated back to the 13th-14th centuries.
  • The Cathedral Mosque , the main building in the centre of Bolgar of 13th-14th centuries. At the beginning of the 14th century the mosque was reconstructed and rebuilt inside. In the forties of the 14th century corner towers were added to the main building, there were made windows and doors in the side walls, tambours, external decorative niches appeared, the surrounding area was landscaped.
  • The White Mosque — Tatarstan Taj Mahal. It is situated in front of the old settlement and it’s like a symbol of the resurrection of the great Khanate. This architecture monument is rather new but it contains the traits of the great ancient Bulgarian Khanate, so great that managed to win the Golden Horde.
  • The Eastern Mausoleum (“The Church of St. Nicholas”) and the Northern Mausoleum. This is the example of the Muslim architecture and it represents a tent-type tomb. This is the only monument of ancient Bolgar that is almost fully preserved till our days. It is included in the central ensemble of architecture of the city.
  • The Khan’s Shrine, that was built of white limestone in the early XIV century . Later on it was reconstructed to become a complex of four tombs, mentioned in historical sources since the XVIII c. There were found 8 tombs with the boxes in the shrine. Some of them were placed under the brick tombstones. In one part of the mausoleum there was an oven and the floor heating channels.
  • The museum of bread (optional visit), represented by a complex of wooden buildings in the traditional style. Here you can see a windmill with carts loaded with sacks of flour. There is a storage house full of grain, a barn with reaps, a forge, a handicraft market and a pond with geese and ducks and a water wheel.
Included in the price:
  • Trip Kazan — Bolgar — Kazan
  • Guide services within the excursion program
  • Entrance tickets according to the program
  • Bus insurance
  • Support
The cost of the tour
The cost of the tour for 1 person
The size of the group Transport company The transport of the customer
40 people 1 000 р. 510 р.
30 people 1 200 р. 550 р.
18 people 1 450 р. 630 р.
7 people 1 740 р. 1 740 р.
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