Cägfär Taríxi
Encyclopedia
The Cäğfär Taríxı is a controversial Russian language text purporting to be a partial translation of a 17th century Volga Bulgar
compilation of early historical material on the Bulgars
, Khazars
and other Eurasia
n nomads.
, by Baxşi İman, secretary of Cäğfär, the leader of a Volga Bulgar liberation movement
that supposedly flourished there at the time. Nurutdinov states that the original, written in "Bulgar Turkic" (here equated with the language of the Volga Tatars
), in the Arabic script, was translated into Russian in the late 1930s by his uncle I.M.-K.-Nigmatullin, who did this in order to save it from an NKVD
campaign of confiscation and destruction of old Bulgar documents written in the Arabic script. The manuscript containing the Tatar text was destroyed by NKVD agents. Nigmatullin himself was killed in World War II
, and the translation was preserved by his mother, who eventually passed it over to her grandson, Nurutdinov, in 1976. He managed to copy parts of the translation, but the original translation and some of the copies were stolen from his father's country house in the 1980s by unknown perpetrators. Finally, Nurutdinov published the remaining text.
, who do not appear in the account of al-Tabari, in the Schechter Letter
, in the Khazar Correspondence
, or any other extant document. It also associates the Bulgars with what Nurutdinov interprets as references to Troy
, Sumer
and America
.
The majority of scholars view the work as a mixture of (previously known) factual data and outright fabrications. Its critics claim that it is a forgery
created in order to advance Volga Tatar
nationalism and in particular to promote the notion that the Volga Tatars
were an ancient, autochthonous ethnic group quite distinct from the Crimean Tatars
and other groups of Tatar. Some also speculate that it was written either by or at the request of the NKVD
in order to split the Turkic ethnic groups into opposing camps.
Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria, or Volga–Kama Bolghar, is a historic Bulgar state that existed between the seventh and thirteenth centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers in what is now Russia.-Origin:...
compilation of early historical material on the Bulgars
Bulgars
The Bulgars were a semi-nomadic who flourished in the Pontic Steppe and the Volga basin in the 7th century.The Bulgars emerge after the collapse of the Hunnic Empire in the 5th century....
, Khazars
Khazars
The Khazars were semi-nomadic Turkic people who established one of the largest polities of medieval Eurasia, with the capital of Atil and territory comprising much of modern-day European Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the northern Caucasus , parts of...
and other Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
n nomads.
History
According to its publisher, Fargat Nurutdinov, the Cäğfär Taríxı was written in its present form in BashkortostanBashkortostan
The Republic of Bashkortostan , also known as Bashkiria is a federal subject of Russia . It is located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is the city of Ufa...
, by Baxşi İman, secretary of Cäğfär, the leader of a Volga Bulgar liberation movement
Liberation movement
A liberation movement is an organization leading a rebellion against a colonial power or national government, often seeking independence based on a nationalist identity and an anti-imperialist outlook.-See also:*Anti-imperialism...
that supposedly flourished there at the time. Nurutdinov states that the original, written in "Bulgar Turkic" (here equated with the language of the Volga Tatars
Tatar language
The Tatar language , or more specifically Kazan Tatar, is a Turkic language spoken by the Tatars of historical Kazan Khanate, including modern Tatarstan and Bashkiria...
), in the Arabic script, was translated into Russian in the late 1930s by his uncle I.M.-K.-Nigmatullin, who did this in order to save it from an NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
campaign of confiscation and destruction of old Bulgar documents written in the Arabic script. The manuscript containing the Tatar text was destroyed by NKVD agents. Nigmatullin himself was killed in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and the translation was preserved by his mother, who eventually passed it over to her grandson, Nurutdinov, in 1976. He managed to copy parts of the translation, but the original translation and some of the copies were stolen from his father's country house in the 1980s by unknown perpetrators. Finally, Nurutdinov published the remaining text.
Contents
The text refers to numerous persons and historical events unattested in other sources; for example, it makes references to mid 7th century Khazar rulers named Khalga and KabanKaban
Kaban may refer to:*Kaban, a Khazar ruler*An Israeli military psychologist *Lakes Kaban, lakes in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia...
, who do not appear in the account of al-Tabari, in the Schechter Letter
Schechter Letter
The "Schechter Letter" was discovered in the Cairo Geniza by Solomon Schechter.-The Letter:The Schechter Letter is a communique from an unnamed Khazar author to an unidentified Jewish dignitary...
, in the Khazar Correspondence
Khazar Correspondence
The Khazar Correspondence was an exchange of letters in the 950s or 960s between Hasdai ibn Shaprut, foreign secretary to the Caliph of Cordoba, and Joseph, Khagan of the Khazars. It is one of the few documents known to have been authored by a Khazar, and one of the very few primary sources on...
, or any other extant document. It also associates the Bulgars with what Nurutdinov interprets as references to Troy
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
, Sumer
Sumer
Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
and America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
.
The majority of scholars view the work as a mixture of (previously known) factual data and outright fabrications. Its critics claim that it is a forgery
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
created in order to advance Volga Tatar
Volga Tatars
The Volga Tatars are the largest subgroup of the Tatars, native to the Volga region.They account for roughly six out of seven million Tatars worldwide....
nationalism and in particular to promote the notion that the Volga Tatars
Volga Tatars
The Volga Tatars are the largest subgroup of the Tatars, native to the Volga region.They account for roughly six out of seven million Tatars worldwide....
were an ancient, autochthonous ethnic group quite distinct from the Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
and other groups of Tatar. Some also speculate that it was written either by or at the request of the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
in order to split the Turkic ethnic groups into opposing camps.