Tartars

The Tartars are a Turkish people from the Volga region in Russia - where they have their own Autonomous Republic, centred around the capital: Kazan.  Although they are descended from the Mongol Golden Horde, most resemble Russians rather than the other Turkic peoples.  

The Tsar began encouraging the Tartars to begin settling in Central Asia in the middle of the 19th century as farmers, traders and clerical workers.  In 1944 another trance were deported here by the Soviet authorities from the Crimea.  A large number have emigrated to either the Crimea or Russia since Independence and there are now just over 50000 in Kyrgyzstan.

Sabantui is a Tartar festival which takes in June each year with performances by various ensembles (including ensembles representing other ethnic groups which are represented in Kyrgyzstan's population) and games. 

Interestingly:

• The publisher of the first book in Kyrgyz was Karimov Husainov and Co. - a Tatar publishing company.
• The Kyrgyz author and diplomat, Chinghiz Aitmatov, was descended from a Tatar mother.