A Tatar home

Bolğar settlements developed in three stages: trade centers emerged (late 9th–10th century), internal markets grew (11th–early 12th century), and expansion into new lands followed (12th–early 13th century). Rural villages, often near rivers, housed fewer than 20 people, with estates featuring clustered or linear layouts centered around residential houses and practical storage solutions like timber barns and deep pits.

By the 15th century, Kazan Khanate architecture blended Volga-Bulgarian, Turkic, Persian, Arab, and Ottoman influences, seen in monumental structures with heavy domes, minarets, and rich decorative arts. Cities like Kazan, İske Qazan, and Arça were fortified with wooden structures, with the Kazan Kremlin becoming a major stronghold. After the 1552 siege, stone public baths were introduced.

Despite political and cultural pressures, Tatar architectural traditions survived, especially in rural Kazan areas. Homes featured central courtyards, ornate wooden windows, and summer-winter structures, with villages laid out along water sources. Wealthier households built better materials into their homes, while public buildings remained central, shaped by environment and evolving settlement patterns.

Tatar rural architecture featured semi-basement storerooms for household items and sunken cellars for preserving food, often beneath sheds or barns. Cone-shaped roofs were common in Kazan Tatars' yards in the mid-19th century. Livestock buildings, such as barns, stables, and pens, were essential for agriculture. The traditional bathhouse (munça) was a vital structure, especially in the Volga-Ural region, where many families had a bathhouse. The construction of bathhouses varied from wooden to brick and stone, with heating methods like the "black" (qara munça) or "white" (aq munça) stove. Summer kitchens (alaçıq), which had both living and practical uses, were common in the Middle and Lower Volga regions. Building materials were often influenced by the local environment, with wood being prevalent in forested areas, and mudbricks (saman) and stone were used in steppe regions. Traditional Tatar houses were built on elevated foundations (nigez), often featuring a cellar (idən astı) and wooden or earthen floors. Roofs (tübə) could be gabled or flat, with materials like shingles, bark, or straw. 

Early Tatar dwellings were simple, single-room structures (yalğız öy), common in the initial stages of rural development. Over time, two-room houses with extensions were built, often with a porch or shelter near the entrance. By the late 19th to early 20th century, the typical house layout had become more complex, with three rooms (qara-qarşı öy), often arranged with a living area and a separate kitchen or storage area. These homes typically had a central roof that covered all the rooms, and in some rural areas, an additional work or seasonal living space was included.

In certain forest-steppe and steppe areas, poor peasants and early settlers built semi-ground dwellings (cir ızba) that had walls made of logs or a frame-post construction, with roofs covered in earth and turf. These homes often had a simple earthen floor and an entrance supported by posts, sometimes transforming the space into a two-chamber dwelling. A stove was typically located near the entrance.

Wealthier families in regions like the Qasıym district constructed two-story homes made entirely of logs. These larger homes had a more complex layout, with a large stove in the lower part of the house and a flue leading to the upper floor, where it was styled like a Dutch oven. The interior of these homes had distinct areas for different uses, with the "men's half" (aq or tür yaq) and the "women's half" (poçmaq) of the house clearly separated by the placement of the stove and a curtain (çarşaw) or a paravent (bülem).

Səke, large wooden platforms, were central to the interior, used for work, rest, meals, and festivities, often occupying the space along the front wall. As furniture evolved in the late 19th century, shorter səke and wooden beds became common, particularly in areas like the Qasıym district and Oka-Sura region. Other furnishings included wooden shelves (kiştə) for storing bread, clothing, and religious texts, while kitchen items were stored in cupboards and racks. By the late 19th century, clocks and mirrors, influenced by urban styles, became a standard part of the rural interior, especially in wealthier households. Muslim Tatars displayed shamails, framed texts from the Quran, and family trees (şəcərə). The interiors often featured potted flowers like geraniums and basil, lovingly tended to and placed on windowsills. The rural homes also included sparse but essential furniture like tables (östəl), chests (sandıq), and simple wooden beds, with some wealthy families showcasing decorative chests as a symbol of their affluence.

In older Mişər homes with the “black” heating the stove stood in a corner near the front wall, with urdık (səke in Kazan Tatar) along this wall and a narrow yanurdık (bench) along the side wall. Later, the stove was moved to the back wall, creating a kitchen area (kazna, keçe urdık yak, or çolan). The tür remained along the front wall, but its far end, called putmar, was enclosed for storage—an element borrowed from Mokshas and absent in Kazan Tatars’ homes. 

In traditional Tatar interior design, textiles played a key decorative role. Homes were decorated with handwoven towels (sölge, bistər), tablecloths (aşyawlıq), prayer rugs (namazlıq), and small napkins (tastımal). Layers of textiles softened wooden walls and corners, creating a cozy, yurt-like feel. Bedding items like mattresses, sheets, pillows, and blankets were often stacked high on səke or chests, covered with embroidered yapma (sheet). Special textiles like the çıbıldıq curtain marked personal spaces, such as the newlyweds' bed. 

Textiles were also seen as protective. In Turkic yurts, the valance covered the junction between the dome and the walls — a symbolic zone where the upper and middle worlds met, believed to be a potential entry point for evil spirits.

During feasts (tabın), seating reflected gender and social hierarchies. The Tatar interior, with its spatial organization and textiles, mirrored the Turkic yurt, preserving nomadic traditions even in urban life.

The interior design of the Kerəşen home, in addition to the tür, features qoyaş poçmaq or təre poçmaq in the front corner of the house, diagonally opposite the stove, a feature that likely appeared during their Christian period. The stove, in smaller homes, was often against the wall, and some homes had a small free space between the stove and the back wall (piç artı or gölbəç), which sometimes featured a ladder (kəzünkə basqıçı) leading to the loft. In larger homes, the space between the stove and walls provided maximum heat distribution. The stove base was made of logs, and benches (uşa) were attached to it.

Tatars placed great importance on decorating their homes. This attention to decoration reached its peak during festive occasions, when the ancient tradition of öy kiyenderü (“dressing the home") was practiced, transforming the space into a beautifully adorned setting.

✨ Modern Tatar interior

After doing some research, I’ve gathered a few tips and ideas for bringing Tatar elements into your interior. Consider adding:

• plenty of pillows and cushions (especially oversized ones)

• textile decorations with floral or geometric patterns, embroidery, fringes, and ruffles

• rugs and carpets

• lots of plants

• a beautiful Tatar tea set and other ceramics

• an authentic shamail or shamail-inspired calligraphic art

Splurge on these brands or get inspired to create your own DIY pieces:

Bolğar ceramics

Home Tatar

Luiza Khamzina

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The History of the Tatars since ancient times in seven volumes, 2017. V.2, V.4, V.5, V.6 and V.7,

Images from the same books and Pinterest accounts of Ali Sadekoff, Raushania Polosina and İlzirә