Last modified: 2006-07-29 by antonio martins
Keywords: tataria | tartary | tatar | tatarstan | qazâqmetov (tavil) | snow leopard | ak bars | kamaz | kama3 | horse |
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(Note: You need an Unicode-aware software and font to correctely view the cyrillic text on this page. See here transliteration details).
Tatarstan is peopled by both Russians and Tatar peoples. The latter trace
their heritage to the powerful Kazan state which was finally conquered by the
Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1552. A Tatar ASSR was established early in
the history of the USSR, in 1920. The Tatars were supposed to form an
ideological spearhead for the Communization of other non-Slavic peoples. In
1990, this ASSR declared itself a full Union Republic (being amongst the first
to do so). In 1992, the Republic passed, by referendum, a resolution of
independence. Since then, however, the constitutional crisis this posed appears
to have been defused, with the signing of a unique accord between Russia and
Tatarstan defining mutual roles and obligations.
Stuart Notholt, 25 Nov 1995
Tatars as a nation originated as a result of mixing of Turkic tribes that
came from Asia to what is now Tatarstan in the 7th century AD with local
Finnish tribes that lived there.
Tatars created their own state in the 9th century AD in what is now
Tatarstan. It was one of the first states in Eastern Europe (it came into
existence earlier than Russia).
Sabirzyan Badertinov, 01 Jul 1997
As far as I know, there’s currently no especially active Tatar
independentist movement, although is clear that Tatars are the
most «different and proud» of all peoples in Russia — they’re
also the largest all-Russia minority ethnical group, after
Russian and Ukranian.
António Martins, 08 Apr 1998
The flag officially adopted on 29 November 1991 holds
red and green in a 7:1:7 three horizontal stripes.
Giuseppe Bottasini
This flag (but in proportions 2:3)
is listed under number 92 at the chart Flags
of Aspirant Peoples [eba94] as:
«Tatarstan (Tatars) - Central Russia».
Ivan Sache, 15 Sep 1999
The colours
purportedly stand for the Muslim Tatars and the Russians.
Stuart Notholt, 25 Nov 1995
According to official explanation:
The colours of the national flag of Tatarstan,
were designed from the flag of the Tatar Public Center,
(which was planned to be the new national flag)
later recognized by the Tatarstan
Constitution as the flag of the
Turkish peoples of
Idel-Ural.
Jaume Ollé, 21 Oct 1997,
and Ralf Stelter, 04 Mar 1999
According to Rezeda Dautova [dtv01],
the flag of Tataria was designed by artist-painter Tavil Qazâqmatov
(Тавил
Хазяхматов)
in 1986, during his stay in England; he made many proposals for the future
flag. In 1991 a competition for Tatarstan flag and arms was
held and one of Qazyaqmatov’s designs was chosed among more than 100 proposals,
and was adopted in 1991 by the Tatarstan parliament.
(Interesting fact is, that Khazyakhmatov and Fakhrutdynov, the
arms competition winner received as award
only middle-class cars Oka. In Bashkiria,
winners of competition for arms and flag received top-class cars Volga
and three-room flats.)
Grzegorz Skrukwa, 15 Oct 2001
My sources say "Qazâqmetov"
(Хазяхметов).
Victor Lomantsov, 15 Oct 2001
I’m just back from four days in Nabereẑnyĭ Ĉelny, in Tataria (a city
briefly named Breẑnev in the last years of the soviet era). The tatar flag
is widely used locally, either isolated or along with the russian national
flag. It seemed to me that standalone flags are usually longer (1:2)
and those flown along with the russian flag shorter (2:3), but that might
have been an optical illusion due to the narrow middle stripe. No other
flags in sight, except for commercial flags, like oil companies’ at gas
stations.
António Martins, 09 Mar 2000
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The arms is circular, red with white
winged snow leopard. The disc is
bordered with white line and around it with green
circle bearing yellow ornament all around except in
lower part where there is inscription "TATAPCTAH"
(i.e. "Tatarstan" in cyrillic letters).
Željko Heimer, 02 Aug 1997
The winner of competition for the arms was Rif Faqrutdynov (Риф Фахрутдынов). Three circles represents three historical stages of Tatar statehood:
The animal on the arms is called ak bars |
ак барс in Tatar (beliĭ
bars | белий барс
in Russian) which means "white snow leopard" (Panthera uncia — ed.).
This is an ancient Tatar symbol and a very popular one. In Kazan I saw "Ak
bars" supermarket and "Ak bars" bank, also there is an ice-hockey club "Ak
bars" which was the champion of Russian ice-hockey league last year (this
year on 4th place).
Anton Apostol, 18 May 1999
In Nabereẑnyĭ Ĉelny, Tataria, are located the main facilities of
the russian truck manufactor Kamaz; I spotted it’s flag, which is dark
blue with the company logo — a stray horse viewed from ahead and
lettering "KAMA3" (seldom it shows also in latin characters "KAMAZ",
but not on the flag). The name Kamaz comes from Kamskiĭ
Avtozavod (automobile factory of the Kama river, a local
tributary of the Volga).
António Martins, 09 Mar 2000
At http://www.mi.ru/~ant/antinucl.htm,
there is the flag of Antinuclear society of Tataria.
Jens Pattke, 28 Oct 2001
There is a better logo at
http://www.mi.ru/~ant/.
Victor Lomantsov, 02 Nov 2001
Anything below this line was not added by the editor of this page.