The Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan raised the question of who Validkhan Tanachev was.

      A round table entitled “Life Between the Volga and the Great Steppe” was held in Kazan to mark the 155th anniversary of Validkhan Tanachev. A Kazakh-Tatar political and public figure, Tanachev could have become a prominent name across the Great Steppe, but did not. The twists of his fate were the subject of the event.

      The round table was organized by the Shigabutdin Marjani Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan and the Consulate General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Kazan. The initiator of the meeting was Dr. of History, leading researcher of the institute Maria Imasheva. “I am the chief specialist on Astrakhan Tatars and, as it turned out, on Kazakhs,” the researcher joked as she began her report.

      The historian first encountered the name of Validkhan Tanachev in the archives. She met him again when she began studying the national-educational movement of the Astrakhan Tatar-Muslim society. Imasheva sketched Tanachev’s portrait in broad strokes and explained why this figure might attract interest for broader study.

      Tanachev had a higher education (a rarity for Muslims of that period), was apparently popular with women, married the widow of the “first Tatar Bolshevik” Khusain Yamashiev, participated in the Shuray Islam movement (risking his status as a student of the Astrakhan Gymnasium), and was also acquainted with the ideological inspirer of that movement, Mustafa Izmailov, and with the disciple of Shigabutdin Marjani — Abdurakhman Umerov — at the II All‑Russian Congress of Muslims in St. Petersburg in 1906 (where the political party “Ittifaq al‑Muslimin” was created). In Soviet times he was repressed (arrested twice, exiled to the Krasnoyarsk Krai); after the death of Khadicha Yamashieva he returned to Kazan and was buried in the Novo‑Tatar Cemetery. A renovated monument was unveiled at his grave today.

      At the same time, Tanachev is considered a significant Kazakh political and public figure. He took part in the formation of Kazakh statehood, headed the “Ministry of Justice” of that time (he was deputy People’s Commissar of Justice of the Kazakh ASSR and also temporarily acted as People’s Commissar).

      “He headed the Ministry of Justice, where issues of defining borders—where Kazakhstan would be—were handled. One must understand how difficult it was for members of our intelligentsia to defend every piece of land,” Erlan Iskakov, Consul General of Kazakhstan in Kazan, told reporters.

      The diplomat believes Tanachev’s biography is known, but much less is known about his contribution. Moreover, even in Kazakhstan few know about this figure. Restoring historical memory and establishing the significance of Tanachev’s contribution to the history of Kazakhstan and Tatarstan is the task of scholars, and this round table is the first step toward that.

      The topic aroused curiosity among historians; the audience listened with interest to the story of a representative of the Tatar‑Kazakh intelligentsia. In addition to the Consul General and staff of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan, Vice‑President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan Aynur Timerkhanov was also present in the hall (he also gave a greeting).

      “Validkhan Tanachev lived a long and, in my opinion, interesting life, which he devoted to serving two fraternal peoples: the Kazakh and the Tatar. Therefore, a scholarly reflection on his life seems important for a better understanding of the processes of the early 20th century,” the Academy vice‑president noted.

      Among the listeners was Dr. of Philosophy, senior researcher at the Institute of History Danis Garaev.

      “One can find many such figures who existed on the Tatar‑Kazakh borderland. And I think Tanachev is one of the vivid examples. I think we need to talk more about such people because they are bridges that link the fraternal Tatar and Kazakh peoples. It’s good that such an event took place,” he commented on the round table.

      The historian added that such figures become a “channel of communication” between Russia and Central Asia.

      Reports from the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan were delivered by Liliya Gabdrafikova (“Tatar Women in the Early 20th Century on the Example of Khadicha Yamashieva”) and Khalida Bagautdinova (“Validkhan Tanachev — Student of Kazan University. Some Controversial Questions of the Biography”).

      Their reports were also presented by: Professor of the Kazan branch of the Russian State University of Justice Aidar Khabutdinov (“Projects of National Autonomies for the Muslim Population of the Volga‑Ural Region and Kazakhstan in 1917–1919”), Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence at Kazan Federal University Lyalya Bakhtieva (“The Spouses Khadicha and Validkhan Tanachev and the Bogdanovich Family”), Professor of Atyrau State University Zhamiga Tanatarova (“The Activities of Validkhan Tanachev in the Government of Alash Orda”), employee of the State Archive of the Atyrau Region of Kazakhstan Raisa Tastemirova (“Documents on the History of the Tanachev Family in the Collections of the State Archive of the Atyrau Region”) and independent researcher Tamina Biktimirova.

      Photo: © “Tatar‑inform”

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      In Kazan the grave of the first member of Kazakhstan’s cabinet Validkhan Tanachev has been restored

      In Kazan events were held dedicated to the memory of the first member of the government of Kazakhstan (KASSR) Validkhan Tanachev (1882–1970). 18:34 16.09.2025 Business Online – Kazan

      At the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan they asked who Validkhan Tanachev was

      A round table “Life Between the Volga and the Great Steppe” was held in Kazan to mark the 155th anniversary of Validkhan Tanachev. 17:46 16.09.2025 IA Tatar‑inform – Kazan