Islam in Eastern Europe

african.mapper:

Islam in Eastern Europe has a long and complex history, primarily centered around Turkic and Tatar populations in present-day Russia and Ukraine.

One of the earliest Islamic communities in the region developed among the Volga Bulgars, who converted to Islam in the 10th century and laid the foundation for the Muslim identity of the Volga Tatars in what is now Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. Further south, the Crimean Tatars established a strong Islamic presence in Crimea, especially during the time of the Crimean Khanate, a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th to the 18th century.

During the Soviet era, Islam, like other religions, was heavily suppressed, with mosques closed and religious education banned, resulting in widespread secularization. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, there has been a noticeable revival of Islamic practices and institutions, especially in regions such as Tatarstan, Dagestan, Chechnya and Crimea, where Islam plays a central role in both spiritual life and ethnic identity.

Collection: religions - Tags: islam, europe - Source: instagram.com