Study of the Muslim community primarily in the Russian imperial and Soviet space makes up the content of the second issue of the “Pax Islamica” journal. Evolution of the Russian and Soviet ummah in the early modern period and its response to the challenges of modernization in an effort to preserve and consolidate its religious identity are explored here. The first scientifically verified translation of excerpts from two classical works of Tatar historiography of the XIX century, Mustafad al-Ahbar fi Ahval Qazan ve Bulgar (“A mine of information about the affairs of Kazan and Bulgar”) by Shihabetdin Marjani and Tawarikh-i Bulghariyah (“History of Bulgaria”) by Khusain Amirkhan, is published in the section “Heritage of Muslim Culture”.