Tatar History and Civilisation

This isarich andcomprehensivebookon the historyandcivilization of theTatarsandthefirst tobepublishedin theEnglish language. It isacollaborative workin which 35scholars from Tatarstan participated.Thebookbegins with thecomprehensiveIntroduction by Dr. Damir Ishaqovtitled"TheTatarWorld: Ethnos,CultureandLanguage". It is followedbyPart Ion History, containing10chapters.Thispartevaluates the historical transformation ofTatar society and institutions from pre-Islamic times to the post-Soviet era. Part II on Social Structure and Economic Development in Tatar Society, which has six chapters, focuson thesocial structure,economicdevelopmentanddailylifeofTatar community.Part IIIon Culture, with 10chapters, covers theevolution of Tatar language, educational institutions, arts andculture. Each part ends with a section ofphotographs. Thebook was originallypreparedin the Tatar language under the coordination of IRCICA Director General Dr. Halit Eren and the scholarly advice of Professors Mirkasim A. Usmanov and Rafael S. Khakimov; it was translated into English by Ilnur Nadirov, and prepared for publication at IRCICA. Knowledge of Tatar history and civilization around the world was until recently confined to a limited circle of specialists. However interest in the subject has been growing recently as is reflected through the IRCICA conferences on Volga-Ural history and civilization among others. The Conclusion by Prof. Rafael Khakimovpoints totheimportanceof theTatar factor in understandingthe historyof Russiaandthe whole world. IRCICA believes that thepresent publication will contribute importantly in this direction. Research and learning interest about the Tatar factor in history and civilization will grow simultaneously with the process Khakimov describes concisely and meaningfully at the end of his Conclusion: "Today many things have fundamentally changed, but Tatar civilization leans on its own experience and values". There is a great deal to draw from this experience and these values, as the