Head of Bashkortostan visited Batyrsha Museum

The history of the creation of the Gabdulla Galiev (Batyrsha) museum in the village of Starobaltachevo, Baltachevo district, began back in 1990. On March 1, 2002, premises were allocated for the museum in the regional Palace of Culture. The new building was opened on August 30, 2003, with the participation of the President of Bashkortostan Murtaza Rakhimov.

Today, the Head of the Republic, Radiy Khabirov, got acquainted with the museum’s exposition. The museum director, Rafis Shaykhaidarov, a descendant of Batyrsha, said during the excursion that they have unique exhibits and materials. Among them are more than 100 handwritten books by Batyrsha.

Handwritten books are designed in different ways. For example, tomes are written in clear and elegant calligraphy and neatly bound in leather. There are also handwritten books copied for personal use. Rarely valuable are books written in ancient Turkish, Arabic, and Persian. These books show the high level of enlightenment of our ancestors.

The museum exhibits include a copy of Batyrsha’s famous letter to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, which he wrote from November 4 to November 24, 1756, in Moscow on his way to the Shlisselburg fortress, where he was escorted to serve his sentence.

The written petition - the letter was placed in a special envelope, sealed by Batyrsha himself, and sent under strict guard to St. Petersburg, but only reached the Secret Chancellery and the Senate.

Batyrsha’s letter, written in the Turkic language, has reached us in one copy, copied out completely, and in seven drafts and translations into Russian.

Translations were made for officials of the Senate and the Secret Chancellery. All manuscript versions are stored in the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts. The letter consists of 140-150 pages and is a significant historical and literary monument of the mid-18th century.

In terms of its content, it is a historical-political, socio-economic, ethical, and philosophical treatise of that period. It is a valuable source on the history and culture of the Bashkir and Tatar peoples.

The museum also has paintings about Batyrsha, his busts, and many household items, clothing, and jewelry items. The museum consists of two halls. The first hall contains an exhibition about the life of Batyrsha, and the second hall is the ethnography hall.

The Head of the Republic, after visiting the museum’s exhibitions, wrote his warm wishes in the book of honored guests.