Snapshot from Tatarstan

[peacetraveler22]

I don't know much about the Tatars, but I began to go through old photos I took in Kazan last year and noticed I have a lot of shots of locals walking the streets. I guess their appearance is highly unusual to me, even exotic to some extent. Here's just one example. About this girl (woman?), I know nothing, but find her intriguing. :)

What do I need to know about the Tatars, and this Republic of Russia? My host in this city spoke very little English, so it was difficult to learn a lot about the region from the native showing me around. Please share any interesting facts or insights. I struggle to understand why cities like Kazan are so much nicer than other parts of Russia? Is it because the region is rich in oil, and has more resources? Kazan is now my second favorite city, only Peter is more aesthetically pleasing. Both have very friendly locals, and Kazan has more English speakers than any other city I've visited. I guess because there are so many young students there, but it makes navigation in the city much easier for a foreign tourist like me...

Comments

Snapshot from Tatarstan

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User info_infanterie referenced to your post from Snapshot from Tatarstan (http://info-infanterie.livejournal.com/5617405.html) saying: [...] Originally posted by at Snapshot from Tatarstan [...]

[j1980.livejournal.com]

там промышленность есть, должны деньги водиться. ну и шаймиеву не пофиг было на регион

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

There is money and power in Moscow, but Kazan is still more beautiful and friendly. :)

[pro100-petrov.livejournal.com]

Sabantui. And mafia.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Mafia? Somehow readers think the mafia is everywhere, except in Moscow.

Рахим Итыгез!

[pin-gwin.livejournal.com]

I was in Kazan at early 80-ties. It looked like most of industrial cities of USSR, slightly better. They won some more control over income they generate after perestroika and used it properly. Also, they have some oil and industry (auto and avia to name a few), good educational level, a tradition of multicultural coexistence, while maintaining sufficient independence. Climate is a bit drier than in Moscow area, more sunny days. Also, my observation is that Tatars have a very positive life attitude, but that's may be just my limited generalization. The girl on the photo is very likable, and if I were young, I would be easily attracted to one like this without thinking about her ethnicity, in fact , it had happened, really. BTW - they are great housekeepers (generalization again)

Re: Рахим Итыгез!

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't know if this female is young or old, and it's irrelevant. :) I think she's lovely. Yes, locals are very friendly, and actually one young man probably saved me from breaking my leg near the university. I was trying to take a pic of the young Lenin statue, and there was a sheet of ice all around it. I lost my footing and was on the way to disaster, but he caught me, and I immediately said an enthusiastic and grateful "thanks!!" in English. He began to speak to me perfectly in the language. :)) I cannot tell the difference between this woman, and an Uzbek for instance. They look similar to me...

A recent video from Kazan :)

[rostislavddd.livejournal.com]

An unknown girl came out of the crowd and improvised with street musicians.

Re: A recent video from Kazan :)

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Cool! :) What is she singing about? I cannot understand the words.

[nguryev.livejournal.com]

Before 1917 Kazan was famous by its Univesity, which was in some disciplines better than St. Petersburg's University. By the way V. I. Lenin studied in Kazan's University.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I visited the university and saw the statute of a "young Lenin" there. :) Lots of young students in the city. It's good, and makes the atmosphere more lively.

[karbunkul-lug.livejournal.com]

Kazan is great.It was tax exemptions for Tatarstan for a long time. Someone think that tax exemption for tatarstan duied through threatening of tatar separatism. During regulation of region by Menteimer Shamiev Kazan became one of sport and financial center of Russia.
Did you like Kul Sharif and Kazan Kremlin

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Sure, the mosque is really beautiful, but I get tired of looking at all these Kremlins throughout Russia...What kind of tax exemptions? The city itself, or the actual citizens of Tatarstan get tax exemptions?

[zx-ready.livejournal.com]

https://youtu.be/zk_VszbZa_s
Original video - it was a huge hit about decade ago.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I know almost nothing about Russian music or cinema. Thanks for the link.

Сабантуй

[pro100-petrov.livejournal.com]

Re: Сабантуй

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Village entertainment? :)

Каждый русский немножко татарин.

[andrey-kaminsky.livejournal.com]

Russian proverb says: scratch a Russian, you'll find a Tatar.
These two great nation robbed and raped each other for centuries. Now, every russian is a bit of a tartar, the situation is the same with the tatars. Genes mixing leads to greater beauty :)

Re: Каждый русский немножко татарин.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

The most beautiful here in the U.S. are when black and whites mix to have babies. Beautiful children in most cases, with perfect skin tone and complexions. I once dated a guy like this...he was definitely one of my favorites from a purely physical standpoint. Something like this guy, from the TV show Grey's Anatomy. But with more hair. :))

[merinainen.livejournal.com]

As a rule Tatar kids are very good in learning English, very capable in linguistics. Tatar mothers are incredibly orderly and keep the homes and families tidy and clean.

[278200.livejournal.com]

It's because the tatars are reach)) They are enterprising, they have very strong and very vast family relations & often make a business inside one family

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Strong family relations - beneficial on many levels! :)

[Макс (from livejournal.com)]

o, man. listen to me if want to know the truth.

kazan is a big city and all big cities in russia look much better than small cities. but yes, some of them looks even better. I would say it concerns to kazan, grozny, vladivostok, novosibirsk, and maybe irkutsk. but i didn't hear about irkutsk too much. why is it so? because there's no enough money to develop all the cities.

about tatars. my father taught me not to marry on them. and there're two strong reasons. 1. their women are too overbearing. 2. and they are so nice when they are young but rapidly getting old and unattractive. but it depends on skin type. not all tatars have a dark skin.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

What exactly does it mean to be an "overbearing" woman in your mind? Just curious.

[ria9.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Kazan is my city. Mayors of Kazan want to make this city the most beatiful in Russia, At least third

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I've been to many cities in Russia, and this is definitely one of the best! I can't know what it's like to live there, but for a tourist, it's a comfortable and friendly place to visit. This cannot be said about a lot of places in Russia, unfortunately...

[mytb.livejournal.com]

This is exactly and typical tatar girl.
If you interesting about this girl you can ask her your questions I think. Here is her profile on vkontakte (it's russian facebook) - https://vk.com/id69661643

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Wow, you internet detectives never fail to amaze me. How did you find her VK page, based on this image alone? Just curious. There is some type of app, or software that scans the web for similar images of a person posted in a photo? I know VK and have an account there http://vk.com/id153673589, but I use it much less frequently than FB.

[moskitow.livejournal.com]

I'm from Bashkortostan, it's not far from Tatarstan and we have lot's of tatars. I used to have a boyfriend who was tatar. He was tall, blond with blue eyes. Tatars could be very different. One of my friends is Mishar tatar, they somehow are different and have a different dialect. I grew up with Sabantuy, Kurban bayrami, Uraza bayram, all the national dishes. They have "chak chak", it's like a cake, looks like this http://www.vkusnoteev.ru/product/p69.jpg. It's so good. Also they make red cottage cheese that I love and haven't tried for a long time.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I wrote a whole post dedicated to chak chak. :)) I ate a lot of the Tatar dishes during the visit to Kazan. Also, some type of delicious pancake thing that's placed in a skillet and cooked over hot firewood. Very good! About chak chak, you can look here http://peacetraveler22.livejournal.com/135080.html. It's an old post, but I still communicate with the lovely owners of the museum.

[dp-3lo.livejournal.com]

Можете встретить земляков - в Татарстане работают Ford, MAGNA и еще десятки менее именитых компаний из Европы и Америки.
:)

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I didn't notice any American companies there. Unfortunately, I was only in city center most of the time. I wanted to go away from the city, to visit a traditional Tatar family, but there wasn't enough time.

[petr-rpc.livejournal.com]

В достаточной степени нацистско-магометанский регион. То есть сильны как магометанские радикальные взгляды, так и нацистские.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

What radical views?

[moonrainbow.livejournal.com]

I visited Kazan many times, though mostly this was an even-based travel.

Kazan is a very historic city indeed, but its modern-day good state is a combined result of a relative autonomousness and a good management. In the '90s Tatarstan refused to participate in the privatization orchestrated by the federal government and kept most industries under republican contol. As a results of that, Tatarstan owns oil company Tatneft that operates all of Tatarstan's oil fields and a major refinery, and also is an owner of Nizhnekamsk petrochemical plant that is second largest in Russia. The republic also has other industries (aerospace, automobiles, etc.). It is therefore, that the republic has money, and a good management of the city ensures that the money is spent much wiser than in many other cities in Russia. It is said though that the republican authorities are themselves the most important oligarchs in Tatarstan. :)

I have to say that this improvement only became visible in the last 5-10 years. In 2000, Kazan's only well-looking street was the central Baumana street. Walking in the soviet blocks of the nothern part of the city was seriously dangerous in the evening, there were numerous incidents with people being robbed or beaten on street. Kazan has become much safer and nicer since.

I agree that the locals are friendly, though I don't personally have friends there.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Hi Slava! Nice to hear from you! :) Do you and Maria have any travel plans for the May holidays or summer?

[popados.livejournal.com]

Girl on photo is 100% tatar

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Is your wife also a Tatar?

[oskanov.livejournal.com]

It is quite natural that you find some of Tatar people looking "exotically". The modern anthropological studies show, that in fact this folk is derived from 4 different phenotypes including both Caucasoid and Mongoloid traits. All of them has been mixing for many-many years, so now it is difficult to say exactly how should typical Tatar man or woman look like. But as for the girl on your picture she obviously bears mongoloid traits, e.g. epicanthic fold. As for me this very type of Tatar women is the most beautiful one... :)

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I agree! She's beautiful, in a very natural way. These are the types of females I find most attractive. :)

[Макс (from livejournal.com)]

I just remembered funny story about Tatars.

Once they come to Stalin and said him: listen man, have you heard what they say about us? This Russian proverb. They're saying that unexpected guest is worse than Tatar. We don't like this type of attitude, what the hell does this mean? What they're trying to say - we're bad? Stalin thought for a few minutes and then said: Ok, men, I got it. I hereby declare that unexpected guest is better than Tartar.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

What is the issue? They're strongly disliked, even in modern day Russia? They are 1000% more friendly than the average Muscovite...:)

[rollson.livejournal.com]

are Tatars also called "чурка" in russia?

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I don't think this derogatory ethnic slur is used for Tatars, but I could be wrong.

Facts you need to know about Tatarstan and tatar:

[timur sharifullin (from livejournal.com)]

Facts you need to know about Tatarstan and tatar:
1) Tatarstan has been occupied by Russia since 1552. Before that Russia was occupied by tatars , but tatar tolerance and 10% tax system let Russia gather money and power to attack Tatarstan.
2) Words such as «customs», «tax», «money», «treasury», etc. in Russian are tatar words as until for Russians these words were unknown.
3) For German traveler and scientist Karl Fuchs in the 1800-s tatars were more educated than people, living in the most West European states. Lenin in 1900-s said that tatars were the most educated nation in Russian Empire. At that time education in Europe and Russian Empire got only rich people and there was no state education system. But in Tatarstan rich tatars opened private schools, where even poor tatars got education without charge.
4) Being afraid of tatar and Tatarstan enhancement –tatars were scattered across all USSR by communists.
5) In Russia Tatars are often compared with Jew - for their intellect, cunning and entrepreneurship.
6) Tatars never had serfdom, they never have been slaves, but their human rights have been always infringed by Moscow.
7) Tatarstan (and any russian region) has no influence on economic, tax or politic system in Russia – just Putin. Russian federation is false federation –not like Unites States.
8) Many tatars (but not all) now mentally almost don't differ from Russians – russian system of education, russian vodka, russian television and propaganda raise russification of tatars every day.
9) In Russian it is prohibited to get higher education in tatar language (even private education).
10) There is only one tatar TV-channel allowed, that shows only traditional and cultural practices (no politics).
11) Tatarstan now send Moscow about 80% of its gathered taxes.
12) As a tatar I dream when my nation get ability to build its own independent state. But not all tatars like me – many belive in Putin (Russian propaganda is as strong as Hitler’s propaganda). In Russian my dream is called as separatism and sentenced to the longest terms.
Sorry for my poor English.)

Re: Facts you need to know about Tatarstan and tatar:

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your comment! The English is fine. :)

Question

[bruce stores (from livejournal.com)]

Hi Shannon,

As one who has traveled extensively and lived in four countries (Guatemala, Vietnam, pre-revolution Iran, and now Mexico, I very much enjoyed your travel journals. But that is not what brought me to your site.

I grew up in Arlington Va. in the 1950's (yes, I'm older than dirt.) In those years I had a very close friendship with James Edward McKeon who I had been searching for over many decades. I also learned he had a daughter named Shannon, which brought me to your site. Is it possible he was your father or you have a different relation with him?

If not, then viewing your many travel photos in your Journal made this visit worthwhile and please accept my best wishes.

Sincerely,

Bruce Stores, rbstores@hotmail.com

Re: Question

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Hello! Thanks for your message, but I don't know anyone named James Edward McKeon, and he is not a part of my family. Good luck in your search to find him!