The Orient and Turk World in Tatar Travel Books
50th Annual Meeting of the PIAC, Kazan 2007
Travel books (‘sayahatnama’) as unique syncretic historical-literature genre are not found in many cultures. The results of our research point out that, on the one hand, Tatar sayahatnama represents all varieties of Tatar literature genre and style, on the other hand, they prove that Tatars as a nation were not isolated from the rest of the world, but had many cultural, political, trading and etc. relations with other countries and nations. We want to underline the main reasons which led them to start traveling. The first reason is that as true Moslems (they had been Moslems for over 1000 years) they went to haj to worship holy Moslem lands. Secondly, Tatars who lived on the cross-road of civilizations soon started trading relations with near and distant lands. The third reason is that young students traveled to Central Asia to study, because at those times it was one of the main educational and cultural centers of Moslems. They studied in Buhara, Samarkand, India. Eventually, Tatars didn’t lose their scientific and cultural ties with other nations of the Turk world, traveling on vast territories from the Volga to China. The fourth reason is that well-educated Tatar intelligentsia was involved in Russia’s commercial and diplomatic intercourse missions to Eastern countries and India. In rich archives we can find a great number of ‘had- jnama’ (travel books about pilgrimage), as well as traveler’s journals, books sayahatnama.
The most famous business and diplomatic travel books about voyages to the Turk world, India and oriental countries are:
- “Ismail Bikmuhamedov’s travel to India” (1751). The writer of the sayahatnama Ismail Bikmuhamedov was one of the professionals who were recruited by the Russian government and sent to work in Central-Asian khanates. The plot of the sayahatnama consists of three chapters: 1) stories about travelling in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and India; 2) haj to the holy lands of Arabia; 3) return to home through Turkey.It is known that the XVIII century was special for Russia’s political changes. At this period of time the main aim of Russia was to widen and fortify its eastern borders, as well as to improve relations with Asian nations and countries. They used different methods including diplomatic missions. For these purposes the Russian government recruited well-educated Tatars, who knew Turkish, Arabic and Persian languages and Islamic traditions.
- “Gubaydulla Amirov crossing Asia” (1784). The author of this sayahatnama was the Tatar man Gubaydulla Amirov from Orenburg who wrote about his travel to India, where he stayed in 1805. “Sayahatnama” of Gubaydulla Amirov has important factual material and plenty of statistic data. It is kind of geographic and ethnographic science work, written in publicist style, which completes the traditional genre of ‘sayahatnama’. It is one of the ways of expressing Tatar nation’s public conscience.
- We have to point out a similar kind of travel book called “Report on travel to Buhara of Mindiyar Bikchurov” whom the Russian government sent to Buhara khanate with a diplomatic mission (1781).
- An especially interesting travel book is the one called “Records of lieutenant Gabdennasir Subhangulov on his trip to Buhara” (1809–1810). It is a very accurate report on political situation of the region, trading of Buhara khanate with eastern neighbors, everyday life of different ethnic layers of the khanate, and diplomatic games with Russia.
- There is one travel book of special interest for the Tatar enlightment thought called “Mavarennaherga sayahat” (1893) – “Travel to Trans Oksania”, i.e. a journey to the Turk part of Central Asia. This book represents the author’s thoughts about the political life of Trans Oksania. It is about the economics and culture of Russia at the end of the XIX-th century. It is valuable because Z. Bigiev shares his thoughts about war and peace, upbringing of youth, increasing cultural education of Tatars, women’s education, fair business, upturning living conditions of shakirds (students), national newspapers and magazines.
All sayahatnamas reflect history, culture of the nation, its spiritual life, traditions, and consciousness as well as social, political, diplomatic relations between nations and countries where the writer traveled.