Siberian Tatars

Flag of the Siberian Tatars

Siberian Tatars historically lived in the vast territory stretching from around the Yenisei river all the way to the area lying somewhat east of the Ural mountains.

According to the ambassadors of the Siberian Khanate ruler Yediger Khan, who visited Moscow in 1555, the population of "the black people," not counting the aristocracy, was 30,700. In a decree concerning tribute issued by Ivan the Terrible, the population was given as 40,000.

According to the results of the 1897 All-Russia Census, there were 56,957 Siberian Tatars in Tobolsk guberniya. This was the last accurate information about this population. In later censuses, Tatar immigrants from the other regions of Russia were also recorded under the classification of Tatar. The Siberian Tatars tried to avoid the census as much as possible, as they believed that it was an attempt to force them to pay the Yasak (tribute).[7]

The Siberian Khanate (Khanate of Sibir)

Their population in the territory of the current Tyumen Oblast in 1926 was recorded as 70,000; in 1959 as 72,306; in 1970 as 102,859; 136,749 in 1979; 227,423 in 1989; and 242,325 in 2002. According to the results of the 2002 Russian Census, there were 385,949 Tatars living in the oblasts discussed above. (Their territory roughly corresponds to the historical territory of the Siberian Khanate). Of these Tatars only 9,289 identified as Siberian Tatars.

2002 Russian Census recorded a total of 9,611 Siberian Tatars in Russia. Some publications estimated their number in the range of 190,000-210,000.[8] Such significant discrepancy is explained by the fact that the immigrants from the other ethnic groups who are also called Tatar by the Russians were also included in the figure, though most were Volga Tatars.[5]

The term Siberian Tatar covers three autochthonous groups, all Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi madhab, found in southern Siberia. They are remnants of the Khanate of Sibir, which was conquered by Russia in 1582. Geographically, the Siberian Tatars are divided into three main groups, each speaking their own dialect.[3] Although the Siberian Tatar language has been sometimes considered a dialect of Tatar, detailed linguistic study demonstrates that Siberian Tatar idioms are quite remote from Volga Tatar by origin. Siberian Tatars' ancestry was partly from Turkic and Mongol peoples, but their main ancestors are Samoyedic,[9] Yeniseian and Ugrian tribes.

Siberian Tatar language is, due to the Kipchakization processes during the Middle Ages, many times classified as belonging to the Kypchak–Nogay group of the Kypchak languages.[10] There are approximately as many elements that could be classified in the Upper Altaian language group.

Beginning in the 12th century, the Siberian Tatar language received some Karluk influences. Those Siberian Tatars who are living in ethnically mixed villages where, in the periods after Russian colonization, more numerous Volga Tatars settled, have also been influenced by the Kypchak-Bulgar language.

Siberian Tatar language has different dialects.[10] Since the penetration of Islam until the 1920s after the Russian Revolution, Siberian Tatars, like all Muslim nations, were using an alphabet that had been based on Arabic script. In 1928 they adopted an alphabet based on Latin script, and in 1939 one based on the Cyrillic script. Until 2014, the written language for Siberian Tatars was Tatar, a version based on the grammar rules of Volga Tatars.

In the 21st century, work began on the rationalizing of the Siberian Tatar language. Teams have conducted scientific research in the field of literary language norms of the indigenous population of Siberia. They have published the "Русско-сибирскотатарский словарь = Урысца-сыбырца сүслек" (2010) (Russian-Siberian Tatar Dictionary), and "Грамматика современного сибирскотатарского языка" (2014)(The Grammar of Modern Siberian Tatar Language). International Organization for Standardization ISO 639-3 PA with its headquarters in Washington, awarded in 2013, the Siberian Tatar language classification code 'sty' in New Language Code Element in ISO 639-3. The first person who seriously researched Siberian Tatar language was Gabdulkhay Akhatov, a Soviet Volga Tatar linguist and an organizer of science.

The Bukhalyks, literally "those from the city of Bukhara" are descendants of 15th- and 16th-century fur merchant colonies from the Caucasus and Central Asia. These settlers have now merged entirely with Siberian Tatars.

• Minsalim Timergazeev - sculptor;
• Anvar Kaliev - World War II USSR hero;
• Iskander Dautov - World War II USSR hero;
• Khamit Neatbakov (Neotbakov) - World War II USSR hero;
• Khabibulla Yakin - holder of the Order of glory;
• Tamerlan Ishmukhamedov - World War II USSR hero;
• Raushan Abdullin - hero of the Russian Federation;
• Nafigulla Ashirov - mufti, president of the spiritual association of Muslims of the Asiatic part of Russia;
• Galima Shugurova - rhythmic gymnast;
• Aleksandr Bashirov - film and theater actor, director and screenwriter (Siberian Tatar mother);
• Abdurreshid Ibrahim - imam, pan-Islamist, journalist, traveller;
• Foat-Tach Valeev - World War II USSR veteran, colonel, pedagogist, journalist, historian, sibirologist, ethnographer, professor;
• Yakub Zankiev - writer;
• Bulat Suleymanov - writer (with also some Georgian ancestry);
• Anas Gaitov - writer;
• Rakip Ibragimov - poet.

• Khanate of Sibir

• Group of Siberian Tatars.
• Information about Kalmaks.
• Siberian Tatars.
• Baraba Tatars.
• Song in Siberian Tatar language
• Modern Siberian Tatars

• History of Siberian Tatars