Mintimer Shaimiyev: “Our work is to blend both in history and landscape of Bolgar”

Today, in the Kazan Kremlin State Advisor of the Republic of Tatarstan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Republican Fund for revival of historical and cultural monuments Mintimer Shaimiyev held a meeting on the reconstruction and improvement of the complex of Holy Spring “Well of Socius Gabdrakhman” located in the north-eastern part of Bolgar settlement.

Mintimer Shaimiyev noted that the implementation of project “Cultural heritage of Tatarstan: ancient city of Bolgar and island of Sviyazhsk” was being carried out according to the plan; a list of work for 2013 in Bolgar and Sviyazhsk had been approved. “Now we have come close to one of the most important projects of the year, to the restoration of natural and historical monument. It is the well of Socius Gabdrakhman. We have to make it one of the most popular and attractive places of the ancient city of Bolgar. There are all prerequisites: the well, detailed information about the well; besides, there are many legends associated with this place. It is time to approve the project in order to begin working in spring”, added the State Advisor.

Two projects were presented to the participants of the meeting: a project by SUE “Tatinvestgrazhdanproyekt” (general designer of objects in Bolgar and Sviyazhsk) and a project by contracting organization “Gran” LLC.  

Director General of SUE “Tatinvestgrazhdanproyekt” Adel Khusnutdinov presented a draft offer for the reconstruction of the complex with the area of more than nine hectares. He showed the participants the sketches of the main objects of the complex: enters with a parking lot, the main object that is a well with drinking water, and a wall of holy water sources. The project also provides arbors for visitors, a platform for the installation of the mobile complex for ritual sacrifice, arbors for having a rest, cooking and eating, as well as public conveniences. Sidewalks and stairs with the scheme of easy access to all objects of the complex have been designed.

The second landscape design and vision of the main objects of the complex were presented by manager of “Gran” LLC Eduard Akhmetov and director of “Atrium” LLC Gulnara Mustafina.

The meeting was attended by Assistant to the President of Tatarstan on social issues, Executive Director of Republican Fund “Vozrozhdeniye” Tatiana Larionova, First Deputy Chairman of Spiritual Directorate of the Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan Abdullah Adygamov, Director of State Budgetary Institution Institute of History named after Sh.Mardzhani of Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan  Rafael Khakimov, Director of Institute of History of Kazan Federal University Ravil Khairutdinov, Head of Spassky municipal area of Tatarstan Kamil Nugayev, Deputy Minister of Construction, Architecture and Housing of the Republic of Tatarstan Almaz Akhmetshin, Minister of Culture Airat Sibagatullin and Head of the Secretariat of the State Advisor of the Republic of Tatarstan Yevgeny Grishin.

Concluding the meeting Mintimer Shaimiyev thanked the developers of the projects for their good and meaningful work and asked them to finish the work together i.e. to take the project of “Tatinvestgrazhdanproyekt” as a basis and use the most interesting and useful ideas from the project “Gran” LLC  as the landscape design of the complex is to be perfect . “Our work is to blend both in history and landscape of Bolgar”, he emphasized.

The reconstruction and improvement of the complex of Holy source “Gabdrakhman koyesy” is to be completed by June 2013.

For reference use

 Natural and historical monument Well of Socius Gabdrakhman is located at the mouth of Small Jerusalem ravine near a picturesque bank of the Volga River, and is a popular place visited by pilgrims and tourists. The monument was partly restored in 1980s.

 The coastline in this part of the Volga River is rich in springs. The settlements of late Paleolithic and Bronze Ages were found here. In the pre-Mongol period in the 10th-13th centuries the area was densely populated. Spring water was drinking water for the people of the ancient Bolgar.

An ancient legend about the origin of the well was kept in historical manuscripts. Prophet Muhammad sent his three companions Zubair ben Talke, Zubair ben Zhadga and Gabdrakhman to Bolgar to spread Islam after giving them a turban, a staff and an ink-well. They arrived in Bolgar as doctors and cured many people. After seeing and talking to them the Vizier of Khan Aidar reported to the Khan whose 20-year-old daughter Tuibike was seriously ill. Aidar Khan invited Zubair ben Talke, Zubair ben Zhadga and Gabdrakhman to his place and asked them to cure his daughter. After examining the patient they said that a birch broom was required for the treatment. But the birch was to be grown from the staff. After reading a pray Socius Gabdrakhman stack the staff into the ground and water wept directly from there, and a birch grew right in front of their eyes. The daughter of the Khan was cured by this water and the broom. The companions of Muhammad addressed Khan and asked him to adopt Islam. Thus Bulgarian people accepted Islam. And Tuibike married Socius Talke.

The source which appeared due to the staff became sacred, and was called the Well of Socius Gabdrakhman.

 This legend was born based on the events described in the notes of Arabic-speaking merchant from Grenada Hamid al-Garnati who visited           Volga Bulgaria in 1135  and read the book of Bulgarian kadi (judge) and historian of the 9th -12th centuries Yakub ibn Nugman.

There is another name for the monument that is “Captain's Well” associated with the name of Russian traveler and geographer Rychkov Nikolai Petrovich (1746-1784). He took part in the expedition of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences headed by Pyotr-Simon Palass. By the Decree of Catherine the Second the expedition explored this land for the presence of minerals. In 1769 Captain Rychkov investigated the rampart and the area near the well. Bog iron ore and saltpeter required in the manufacture of gunpowder. Rychkov also made a description of the nature, the ancient city and its local customs.