The Study of a Monumental Structure Ruins to the Southwest of the Cathedral Mosque in Bolgar City

Abstract

The ruins of a large brick building were revealed on the Bolgar city site to the southwest of the Cathedral mosque. The structure was studied during the 1989-1993, 2000 and 2011 excavations. It has been found that that its outer walls were built of baked brick and the inside walls were made of mud brick. The roofing could be beamed and resting on light pole supports. The layout of the building and the finds of stock-in-trade items confirm the hypothesis that the structure could serve as the city trade yard (marketplace) or bazaar. The coins found make it possible to date the structure back to the 1340-1350s and its collapse in the fire to the 1360-1370s. The construction features of the building point to its relationship with the architectural tradition of the Lower Volga settlements, that of Iran and Central Asia.

Keywords

• the Middle Volga river region
• the Golden Horde period
• Bolgar city
• trade yard
• bazaar
• architecture of the Golden Horde
• bricks
• stock-in-trade
• scales
• weights