The North-South International Transport Corridor is reshaping Eurasian routes, offering a shortcut from Russia to India and the Persian Gulf countries. The Caspian route has the potential to reduce shipping time and costs. However, the sustainability of this route is being undermined by political instability in the region, requiring decisive action to address these challenges. The corridor's popularity is driven by its rigorous logistics and is evidenced by the rich cultural history of the Lower Volga region—in particular, the chronicles of Islam in this geographical region of the Russian Federation.
Syzranov's scholarly work "Islam on the Lower Volga: Essays on History and Ethnography" is almost entirely devoted to the chronicle of religion in the Astrakhan region—an economically developed region of Russia on the Caspian Sea whose name evokes Eastern influences. In 1333, the traveler Ibn Battuta mentioned Khadzhitarhan in his diary—this is the most well-known etymology. Other sources also exist: in the 12th century, the Bulgar Astarkhan founded a winter camp here; the name may date back to the early millennium CE or earlier—it can be translated from ancient Greek, Sanskrit, and Persian as "star settlement" or "armed fortification."
Islam's penetration here began in the 8th century, during the reign of the Khazar Khaganate. A community of immigrants from Khorezm and the Caliphate formed in the capital, Itil. The Golden Horde era was marked by the construction of mosques and the missionary work of Sufi brotherhoods. The love of God and the purity of heart of the Yasawi and Kubravi tariqas manifested themselves in the widespread spread of the religion. A mystical dimension in the region was preserved by the followers of the Naqshbandi and Shadhili sects, and today Islam remains a deeply ingrained element of identity in the Astrakhan region.
The regional muftiate established the Astrakhan Islamic College, which has been training imams since 1997; youth and women's programs, as well as media projects, are also developing. Muslims make up approximately a quarter of the region's population—primarily Sunnis, with some Shiites. Ethnic diversity is vividly demonstrated by historical examples: the Agrizh Tatars, descendants of Indians who married Tatar women, are well-known adherents of Islam. A rich culture was also evident earlier—in the ancient city of Saksin, which replaced the Khazar city of Itil, becoming a transit point in the Lower Volga.
In the heart of the Astrakhan region, at the Samosdelskoye settlement, many meters conceal the remains of majestic baked brick structures. Here, archaeologists can rightly see Saksin, described by the 12th-century traveler Abu Hamid al-Gharnati. It was a motley world of "forty tribes," including Maghribis, Khazars, Bulgars, and Suvars. Each Muslim community in the city had its own leader, mosque, and residential quarter. Saksin grew thanks to transit trade, which gave rise to developed crafts and the traditional livestock breeding and fishing industries, and to a lesser extent, agriculture.
Archaeologist Dmitry Vasiliev, who has devoted numerous scholarly works to the history of the ancient city, notes that the Volga-Caspian trade route began in the 8th century after the Caliphate's capital was moved to Baghdad. Saksin's main trading partners, which assumed the economic role of Itil, were Khorezm, Mangyshlak, Derbent, and Shirvan. The city was destroyed by the Mongol invasion. The chronicle confirms how destructive aggression is to peaceful, mutually beneficial exchanges between diverse cultures. This contrasts sharply with the Golden Horde period, when construction took place here.
Today, Astrakhan boasts a unique complex: the ancient White Mosque, the Black Mosque of the Bukhara Courtyard, the Persian Mosque, which reflects Shiism, and the Green Mosque, which evokes the history of the Yurt Tatars. The central mosque, built by Sheikh Abdulvagap Aliyev, was one of the first to be returned to believers after decades of Soviet rule. Since the 1990s, historic buildings (including Nugai) have been restored, and new ones have been built: the Tauba (Repentance) Mosque and the Mahmud Efendi Mosque.
According to the legend recorded by the traveler Evliya Çelebi, the name Astrakhan derives from the victory of a "khan"—a hero—over an "ajdaha" (dragon). Traces of the veneration of Muslim saints, later reinterpreted in the Orthodox tradition, remain on the grounds of the Astrakhan Kremlin. Saint Kirill of Astrakhan, Archimandrite of the Trinity Monastery, earned veneration even among Muslims with his meekness and piety, who nicknamed him Kara Daud—Black David—in contrast to the holy prophet and king. A remarkable synthesis of Lower Volga traditions arose at this crossroads of paths and "gateways" for many peoples, for whom the treacherous aggressor will always serve as a symbol of the defeated dragon.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"