On the traces of the Proto Bulgarians from Old Great Bulgaria and the Volga Bulgars in Tatarstan

Our first memories from the classes in homeland studies in the past, and later in history are related to the instructive story about Khan Kubrat and his sons. Yes, the story with the bundle of sticks which the five sons of the Khan – Batbayan, Kotrag, Asparuh, Kuber and Altsek, tried to break. None of the five sons managed to break the sticks in bundle into two. Then the ruler told them to try to break them one by one. The brothers managed to do this without any efforts. But the wisdom comes after that: “My sons, the question is not breaking but the lesson. If after my death the five of you remain united like in a bundle, no one will overpower you. You will be able to save your state, to expand it, so that to endure it forever. If you separate, your enemies separately can easily brake you” told the old Khan Kubrat.

The story from now on is familiar for us, almost. We know that in he lands of Old Great Bulgaria remained only the eldest son Batbayan. Kuber settled in Avarian Pannonia, Altsek reached the lands of Northern Italy. And Khan Asparuh with his tribe of Onogondurs headed northwest, “consecutively overcoming the rivers of Dnieper, Dniester, Bug settled in one significant boundary with Byzantium territory, which covered the lands of today’s Moldova, and to the south it reached the Danube Delta”. In this way begins the history of Danube Bulgaria which today we call the Republic of Bulgaria.

But where is he fifth son, Kotrag? He headed northeast and settled in the lands of Middle Volga, where in 7^th century established independent Bulgar state, named Volga-Kama Bulgar Khanate, or only Volga Bulgaria. Exactly about it is told in the book of Dr. Ismail Dzhambazov “Volga Bulgars – first Muslims from Turkic tribes”.

“After many tribulations, cataclysms and battles survived three Bulgarian states – Great Bulgaria, Volga Bulgaria and Danube Bulgaria”, explained the author.

What does he mean with his words: “Unlike our brothers from Danube Bulgaria, who accepted Christianity, before them we had accepted Islam and, Alhamdulellah, nowadays we are Muslims” the academician Shaukat Bogdanov from the Republic of Tatarstan?

Did the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) send a letter to the ruler of Volga Bulgaria in which he invites him to Islam? When did the Volga Bulgars accept Islam? How the events related to the Bulgarian khanates developed? The author search answers of these and many other questions related to the Age and its events.