Uvek - Volga Troy
15 февраля 2013 11:56

Uvek - Volga Troy

Female voice-over:

Through golden steppe over the wild grasses, blow proud wind. Once upon a time it used to kiss a proud town Ukek by name. And a bright sun warmed it. And swift river washed it. And eternal blue sky protected it.

Dmitry Kubankin:
We came to the southern outskirts of Saratov. And if we look down, we can see the place called Uvek. This is the very place, where in 13 - 14 century the Golden Horde town Ukek located. And if you look further, you will see a railway bridge. This is the place where probably was a ferry from the town Ukek to the Khan of Golden Horde Headquarters.

Alexey Malyshev:
Ambassador Velgelm Rubruk was the first to mention the name of the town.-
He said that Khans established a settlement of Russians and Muslims on the banks of the Volga, where embassies and caravans could cross the river. Later the name Uvek was mentioned by Arab, Persian and Egyptian geographers and historians and also travelers.

Female voice-over:

Glorious was Ukek and glorious were its citizens. They gave themselves fully to their craft and shared wealth with each other.

Alexey Malyshev:
Uvek was inhabited with many nations which were resettled by Mongols during the conquest of various regions of the world. They were people of Central Asia, the North Caucasus, Mordovia, from Russian principalities and Volga Bulgar. The population of Uvek differed from that other Russian principalities, with their outlook and their cultural peculiarity. They were familiar with the language and culture of various peoples including the Turks, the Mongols, knew Alanian language and probably Greek.

Dmitry Kubankin:
The specificity of Golden Horde town Ukek also lies in the fact that among the multi-ethnic population, there was a large part of ancient Russian. Their status is a special issue. Previously, it was assumed that they were basically slaves. The written sources confirm that hordes invaded Russia repeatedly and took Russians in captivity. Excavations that we hold on Uvek and in other Golden Horde settlement indicate that many people who came from ancient Russia, were rather rich and wealthy. The excavation of 2012 showed that a person who was a native of Russian, had expensive dishes, gold painted Syrian vessels, amber jewelry, that means he was not a slave, but a person of high incomes.

Female voice-over:
Wind carried the prayers in height, raised them above the clouds.  And people lived beneath the clouds and prayed to different gods, in different languages. And gods helped them in their affairs and protected them from the evils and misfortunes.

Alexey Malyshev:
The supreme deity in Turkic - Mongolian people was Tengry - the eternal blue sky, the creature of the universe, Lord of all things, the patron of power. Mongols imagined Tengry as a horse - rider, or as an armed warrior.  But the Mongols worshiped the other gods too and even protected the gods of other religions. They released from taxes priest of different religions - Christian, Muslim, Buddhist. The main thing for them was that a person submits to the will of Khan and pays taxes, no matter what religion he follows.

Dmitry Kubankin:
In 2010-2011 while we worked in Ukek settlement a Christian church was found, which belonged to Russian Orthodox population. The temple was made of stone, was decorated with frescoes and obviously was a religious center of Russian people in a Golden Horde town Ukek, besides numerous icons and crosses found during the excavations confirm the theory about the existence of a Russian Orthodox church in Ukek. Written sources mention the Franciscan mission in Ukek that means the Catholic monks from Western Europe also settled in the town.


Female city over:
No borders, no barriers were there for Ukek. Steppe wind defended it from enemies. Strong, and brave hordes, protected Ukek and cared for it.

Dmitry Kubankin:
The town had no walls. If the town was meant to be  a fortress it would be  built on the mountain, and would be fortified with walls. But Ukek is located in a valley. Mongols used to say that walls are for those who are afraid. And in the times when Ukek appeared nobody threatened it. Friendly hordes roamed in surrounding plains, so that enemies could not get through this «wall». This explains why the town without fortification could safely grow to vast area.


Alexey Malyshev:
Golden Horde towns usually were surrounded by camps of nomadic Turkic – speaking population and by settlements providing them with food. Towns themselves were formed by several large estates of Golden Horde aristocrats, feudal lords adjoining shopping and workmanship districts.


Female voice-over:

Merchants from all over the world came to Ukek, multiplied prosperity of the town, multiplied its fame. People in Ukek become richer and richer, find merchants carried the rumors about the town to far countries.

Alexey Malyshev:
The wealth of Uvek was based on its preferable geographic position: two important trade routes crossed here. The first was the great Volga way, connecting North Europe, Russia, Volga Bulgaria, Golden Horde, Caspian countries, the Caucasus, Iran and Central Asia. The second was the northern branch of the Silk Road, along which goods moved from east to west. Especially from the Far East, Central Asia, to the Crimea, northern Black Sea and Constantinopole.

Dmitry Kubankin:
The materials found in Ukek testify that active trade, there in 13th – 14th centuries. We got artifacts manufactured on territories from China to Europe: these are Iranian crockery, Byzantine dishes.


Female voice-over:
But a sudden disaster struck the famous town, fires burned in Ukek, and there were cries and sad screams and people fled from the town, and prayed the heaven for help.

Dmitry Kubankin:
The history of Ukek is full of secrets and mysteries. The theme of downfall of the town is the main. According to one version it was destroyed by landslide, another a gas explosion, but we hold an opinion, which characterises Ukek as any other town of Golden Horde.

A twenty year Civil War, troop march of Tamerlane destroyed a lot of towns. Look at this fragment – it is burned by strong fire. It symbolizes the history of a wealthy Golden Horde town burned in the flames of civil wars.

Alexey Malyshev:
The causes of downfall of Uvek cannot be recognized for sure. We have a range of historic reasons and circumstances that led to it. In the middle of the fourteenth century then were two epidemics of plague, the Black Death, which mows the urban population of Golden Horde towns. This caused a certain stagnation in economic life. This period was followed by Civil War and internecine dissension oh the territory of Golden Horde between Golden Horde Khans Juchids who claimed the possession of the throne of Sarai.


Female voice-over:
Glorious was Ukek, glorious and great. Hot sun warmed it, swift rivers washed it. Furious hords guarded it. Now the town disappeared from the face of the earth. Its people sank into oblivion. Only blue sky remained. Eternal, blue sky.


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