Suar (Suwar or Suvar) was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

(9th - 14th century)

Volga Bulgaria Volga Bulgaria or Volga–Kama Bulgaria (sometimes referred to as the Volga Bulgar Emirate) was a historical Bulgar state that existed between the 9th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama River, in what is now Europea ...

n city, the capital of Suar Principality in 948–975. It was situated at

Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

's left tributary Ütäk river's upper stream. In the 10th century it coined its own money. Suar was a political, economical and trade center of

. After the Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria in 1236 the city lost its importance. It is believed that ruins (fortifications, foundations, ruins of palace) are situated in the present day village of Kuzneçixa, Spassky District,

Tatarstan Tatarstan, officially the Republic of Tatarstan, sometimes also called Tataria, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is a part of the Volga Federal District; and its capital city, capital and largest city i ...

. Dmitriev V.D. believed that the Bulgarian city of Suvar was located on the right bank of the Volga on the Sviyaga River:

Another legend about the right-bank Chuvash says: "...Once the Chuvash lived between the
Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...
and Sviyaga. They say they lived in dugouts, which is why their villages were invisible. Even their central city consisted of dugouts. Their villages and towns were located among the forests and steppes between the
Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...
and Sviyaga rivers, they say. Then they were called not Chuvash, but some kind of Suvars. So they were called because they lived in the between the rivers..." Dimitriev V. D. Chuvash Historical legends: Essays on the history of the
Chuvash people The Chuvash people (, ; , ) also called Chuvash Tatars, are a Turkic ethnic group, a branch of the Oğurs, inhabiting an area stretching from the Idel-Ural region to Siberia. Most of them live in the Russian republic of Chuvashia and the ...
from ancient times to the middle of the XIX century / The second, expanded edition. —
Cheboksary Cheboksary is the capital city of Chuvashia, Russia. It is a port on the Volga River. Geography The city is located in the Volga Upland region and stands on the shore of the Cheboksary Reservoir. Its area is .Resolution #2083 The satellite city ...
: Chuvash. Book of Publishing, 1993. — page 42.

V. D. Dmitriev believed that the city of Suvar was called that way because it was located between the two rivers Sviyaga and Volga, and the word Suvar itself means Between the rivers, from the turkic ''Su'' or chuvash dialect ''Shu - Water'', ''River'' and ''Var - in the middle'', in the center, literally "''Shuw varrinche''" - "''In between the river''". The city of Suwar on the map of Muhammad Al Idrisi is marked on the right bank of the

as "Sauan". According to Vasily Dimitrievich, this city was located not far from Ulyanovsk (Simbirsk) in the village of Old Aleikino, marked "on the archaeological map of the Simbirsk Province" as "Moshkovo Settlement", and nearby was the satellite city "Sendyukov settlement" (''from the Chuvash "Şĕn Çuk"''), as well as nearby was the town of Oshel, a medieval city of

, its archaeological remains are located at the Bogdashkinsky settlement, now

Tetyushsky district Tetyushsky District (; ) is a territorial administrative unit and municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan within the Russian Federation. The district is located in the south-west of Tatarstan, on the right bank of the Kuybyshev Reservoir ...

, Republic of Tatarstan.

Near the village of Starago Alekina, the remains of a very ancient town, known in the Kazan scribal books of the village of Volynsk in 1648 under the name of "Moshkov settlement", have been preserved. In 1675, this settlement, together with the adjacent empty land, was given to Grigory and Markel Vasilyevich Galkin, who founded the village of Rozhdestvenskoye (Alekino, Moshkovo-the settlement of the same) here. Past the village of Old Aleikino passed from the villages of Gorodishche and Rastoki Tetyushskaya zaseka in the direction of Kuralovo settlement, which is near the village of Pilyugina on Dry Biryuch. Then the zaseka went to the settlement near the village of Kezmino, and then headed to the village of Promzino Settlement (Alatyrsky district) Polivanov, Vladimir Nikolaevich "Archaeological map of Simbirsk province", pp. 8-9

Ahmad Ibn Fadlan Ahmad ibn Fadlan ibn al-Abbas al-Baghdadi () or simply known as Ibn Fadlan, was a 10th-century traveler from Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate, famous for his account of his travels as a member of an embassy of the Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadir to the king ...

's notes say - The king of Suvar was called Vayrak:

22 Moving bets on the Javshire River. The king moved from a reservoir called Hallaja to a river called Javashir, where he stayed for two months. Then he gainwanted to move and sent slannikto a tribe called ''Suvar'', inviting them to perform with him. They refused ubmitand split into two groups. One of hese groupswas headed by his son-in-law, whose name was Vayrak, he was their ruler. The king f Bulgariasent them messagesaying: – Indeed, Allah the Great and Mighty has sent down to me the grace of Islam and the supremacy of the ruler of believers. I am his slave. These people recognized my authority, and if someone contradicts me, I will meet him with a sword! Another group was headed by the king of the tribe, who was called the king of the
ribe Ribe () is a town in south-west Jutland, Denmark, with a population of 8,367 (2025). It is the seat of the Diocese of Ribe. Until 1 January 2007, Ribe was the seat of both a surrounding municipality and county. It is now part of the enlarged E ...
'' Eskel''. He recognized the supremacy of he king of the Bulgars but y that timehad not yet converted to Islam.

Suar is also spelled as ''Sugar'', but ''Suvar'' refers also to

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...

i city, which was founded by

Sabirs The Sabirs (Savirs, Suars, Sawar, Sawirk among others; ,) were a nomadic Turkic equestrian people who lived in the north of the Caucasus beginning in the late-5th–7th century, on the eastern shores of the Black Sea, in the Kuban area, and possi ...

before the 8th century.Suvar. Bulghar State Historic and Architectural Museum Reserve Branch
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External links

Suvars. History, Language and Culture of Suvar-Bulghar-Chuvash Ethnicity

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See also