Shihabaddin Marjani, “First Russian muftis”. Fragment of the Cronicle Mustafad al-akhbar fi ahwali Qazan wa Bulghar (Mine of Information about Events in Kazan and Bulghar), translated from the Old Tatar and commented by A.N. Yuzeev and I.F. Gimadeev

Abstract

Historical work by the famous Tatar scholar Shihab al-din al-Marjani (1818-1889) entitled Mustafad al-akhbar fi ahwali Qazan wa Bulghar (Mine of information about events in Kazan and Bughar) belongs to the classics of Islamic historiography in the Volga-Ural region. A.N. Yuzeev with I.F. Gimadeev prepared the first academic Russian translation of its passage including biographies of the first five Russian muftis who directed the Orenburg Muslim Spiritual Assembly in the towns of Ufa and Orenburg from its establishment in 1789 till 1886. Translation is accompanied with a detailed historical introduction and comments. Its publication is devoted to the anniversary of the Assembly set up 220 years ago.