World History: The exhibition, dedicated to the history of the relationship of the Golden Horde, Russia and the Ottoman state from the XIII century till the beginning of the XX century, was opened in Kazan

17 July 2017

In the Museum of the History of Statehood of Tatarstan, the Museum-Reserve "Kazan Kremlin" was opened an exhibition "Everything is transitory, and this will remain forever and ever…", dedicated to the history of the Golden Horde, Russia and the Ottoman state in a wide time range - from the XIII to early XX centuries. This is a joint project of the Museum-Reserve "Kazan Kremlin" and the State Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan on archival matters.

Unique archival documents, archeological items, books that have become part of the heritage of both Tatar and Turkish culture, the manuscript of 1557, works of Kazan Orientalists, engravings with views of Istanbul and other exhibits serve as evidence of ancient and strong relations between the peoples of Russia and Turkey.

The exhibition is timed to the 525th anniversary of the establishment of interstate relations between Russia and Turkey. This unofficial date (the date of the establishment of Russian-Turkish diplomatic relations is considered to be the year 1701, when the embassy of Russia was opened in Constantinople) is connected with the dispatch in Moscow of the Grand Duke Ivan III in 1492 concerning the trade of the Turkish sultan Bayazid II. However, contacts between the peoples of Russia and Turkey have an even more ancient history. Relations between the Volga region and the Seljuk Turks were established before the Mongol conquests and were not forgotten for centuries. These relationships were supported by the commonality of trade interests, political motives and cultural exchange. A single religion - Islam, uniting the Tatar population of the Middle Volga region and modern Turkey, gave the relations between the two regions even greater stability, despite the vicissitudes of their historical destinies. Kazan was one of the leading centers for the study of the countries of the East, including Turkey. Tatar social and political figures, after the revolutionary events in Russia, found a new home in Turkey - Sadri Maksudi, Gayaz Iskhaki, Yusuf Akchura - had a significant influence on the formation of the young Turkish Republic in the first half of the XX century.

To illustrate the centuries-long contacts with Turkey, the exhibition uses materials from the State Archive of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Ottoman Archive under the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, the National Library of the Republic of Tatarstan, the N. I. Lobachevsky Kazan Federal University, the A. Kh. Khalikov Institute of Archeology, the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan and the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan. 

The title of the exhibition quoted from the message of the Khan of the Golden Horde Ulug-Muhammad to the Turkish sultan Murad II - the desire to preserve peace and friendship between the two states.