Islamic historiography and "Bulghar" identity among the Tatars and Bashkirs of Russia1998

This book deals with the development of Bulghar regional identity among Tatars and Bashkirs, i.e. Volga-Ural Muslims. Based on locally-produced Islamic manuscripts, the book examines how these Muslims manipulated local legends, conversion narratives, and sacred geography to create a body of sacred historiography that expressed a meaningful regional identity, and one which responded to the changing relationship between these Muslims and the Russian state over the nineteenth century.