Bolgar International Volunteer workcamp

Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex lies on the shores of the river Volga, 97 km south from Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan. It covers an area of 424 hectares and contains the evidence of the medieval city of Bolgar, an early settlement of the civilization of Volga Bolgars, which existed between the 7th and the 15th centuries. Bolgar was also the first capital of the Golden Horde in the 13th century and remained an important trade centre in the time of the Kazan Khanate. The site preserves its spatial context with its historic moat and walls as well as its religious and civil structures, including a former mosque, a minaret and several mausoleums, bath houses, remains of a Khan's palace and shrine.
Bolgar represents the historical cultural exchanges and transformations of Eurasia over several centuries, which played a pivotal role in the formation of civilizations, customs and cultural traditions. Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex provides remarkable evidence of historic continuity and cultural diversity, the mutual influences of cultural traditions in particular at the time of the Volga Bolgars, the Golden Horde, the Kazan Khanate and the Russian state. Bolgar was always located at the crossroads of trade, and economic, cultural and political communications and illustrates the interaction of nomadic and urban cultures. The site is also a symbolic reminder of the acceptance of Islam by the Volga Bulgaria in 922 and serves as a place of pilgrimage for various Eurasian Muslim groups.
Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex was inscribed to the World Heritage List in 2014 under criteria (ii) and (vi).