President of Tatarstan welcomed the participants of the traditional Muslim congress "Izge Bolgar zhyeny"
President of Tatarstan welcomed the participants of the traditional Muslim congress "Izge Bolgar zhyeny"
As part of his working visit to the city of Bolgar, the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, welcomed the participants of the traditional Muslim congress "Izga Bolgar zhyeny", dedicated to the anniversary of the voluntary acceptance of Islam by the Volga Bulgaria. Every year this holiday brings together tens of thousands of Muslims from all over Russia and from abroad.
The event was attended by State Counselor of Tatarstan, Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation Mintimer Shaimiev, head of the Department for Relations with Religious Organizations of the Office of the President of the Russian Federation on Domestic Policy Yevgeny Yeremin, Chairman of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia Talgat Tajuddin and others.
Rustam Minnikhanov emphasized that over the past 10 years, enormous transformations have taken place on the territory of the Ancient Bolgar. Under the leadership of the State Councilor of Tatarstan, Mintimer Shaimiev managed to revive a great historical heritage by creating a remarkable tourist center on this sacred land, he noted.
The President of the Republic of Tatarstan informed that earlier a meeting with Muslim religious figures was held at the Bulgarian Islamic Academy, during which the future of the academy was discussed, the organization of a children's summer spiritual and educational camp in Bulgaria. “Islam for us is not just a religion, it is the traditions of our ancestors. I want to thank you for participating in the “Izga Bolgar zhyeny”. I hope we will continue to meet and celebrate this holiday together, ”Rustam Minnikhanov addressed the crowd.
Mintimer Shaimiev added that the whole republic participated in a large-scale work on the revival of the Ancient Bolgar. As a result, it was possible not only to restore historical monuments, but also to recreate spiritual images. “This is our legacy. In the future, it is necessary to organize competent work, to develop and enrich the substantive part. This is our sacred land, here is our story. We need to protect her! ” he said.
Then, for a special contribution to the implementation of the complex project “Cultural Heritage: the Island-City of Sviyazhsk and Ancient Bolgar” Mintimer Shaimiev presented to the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov the IX volume of the Book of Philanthropists of the Republican Foundation “Renaissance”.
Also, the participants were congratulated by head of the Department for Relations with Religious Organizations of the Office of the President of the Russian Federation on Domestic Politics Yevgeny Eremin, Chairman of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin, Chairman of the RT Religious Board of Muslims Kamil Samigullin. Mikhail Mishin read out a telegram from head of the Federal Agency for Nationalities Igor Barinov.
Then Rustam Minnikhanov and Mintimer Shaimiev visited new museums opened in the territory of the Ancient Bolgar. The guests got acquainted with the exposition of the museum “City on the river”, dedicated to the history of the district town of Spassk on the Volga River. Here is a collection of archaeological finds from the funds of the Bolgarian State Historical and Archeological Museum-Reserve, in particular, old fishing gear. After that, President of the Republic of Tatarstan and State Adviser of the Republic of Tatarstan visited the museum of Abdullah Alish, telling about the life, work and military feat of the famous Tatar children's writer, as well as the Bolgarian Tea Party museum, where a large collection of samovars is presented. It is worth noting that all museum exhibitions are organized in stone huts built in Bolgar in the early 20th century. Rustam Minnikhanov also visited the belt wrestling competition site.
Then Rustam Minnikhanov, Mintimer Shaimiev and other honored guests took part in the collective noon prayer, which was traditionally held at the Cathedral Square.