Saray-Batu is the ancient capital of the Golden Horde. How to get to Saray-Batu from Astrakhan or Volgograd?

Interest in Sarai-Batu refers us to the sad pages of Russian history, to the times when, as taught in Soviet schools, Russia was under the yoke of the Mongol-Tatar yoke. But nowadays, given the multinational composition of Russia, respecting the feelings of all peoples respecting those times, they adopted a new terminology regarding those times - the Tatar-Mongolian yoke is now called the period of the Golden Horde rule.

The Medieval Empire

The huge territory controlled by Chingizid Batu stretched from Lake Balkhash, Aral, Caspian and Black Seas in the south to the Volga forests and Novgorod lands in the north. In the east, it was the Ob, in the west it stretched from the banks of the lower Danube to the Gulf of Finland. Russian territories were not part of this state except territorially, but they were vassals of the Khans of the Golden Horde for almost 250 years (from 1237 to 1480), obeyed orders and paid a humiliating tribute.

The emergence of the capital

A cunning politician, brave warrior and talented commander Khan Baty (1208-1255) was the grandson of Genghis Khan. Having made a number of successful conquests in 1243, on the place where the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea, in its lower reaches, he founded a state called the Golden Horde. Batu immediately began to build the capital, which was to correspond to the status of a powerful and vast state. He called this place Saray-Batu, and the first mention of it appeared already in 1254 in the book of the wandering Franciscan Rubruck "Journey to the Eastern Countries". The capital was located in those distant times near modern Astrakhan.

Pearl of the Lower Volga Region

For those times the city was incredibly large and rich. For ten kilometers it stretched along the banks of the Aktuba River.

Saray-Batu (or, as it was also called, Saray-al-Makhrusa) corresponded fully to the concept of the capital of a large state. It was also an administrative and political center, the paths of merchants and merchants from all over the world converged here. As in ancient Rome, crafts and all kinds of art developed here, there were jewelry and pottery workshops, weapons business was improved, and intensive construction was carried out. Very high level of development of skills reached the master of cutting bone, glass blowers and processors of precious and semiprecious metals.

Features of Saray-Batu

An indicator of the greatness of the city and its compliance with the high urban norms of the time can be the presence of central heating in Saray-Batu. The population - about 75 thousand inhabitants - also shook the imagination. However, the fame about him was spread mainly because of the magnificent Khan's palace, stunning visiting people with grandeur, luxury and decoration. The city of Khan Baty constructed during 12 years - from 1243 to 1254th year. The location for the construction was chosen perfectly - here was the Great Silk Road, near the flowing Volga. The policy of the khan was wise, far-sighted and cruel - a tribute from a huge subordinate territory came quickly and regularly. The city grew in leaps and bounds. In the luxurious areas where lived to know, operated water and sewage. In 1395 Tamerlane (Timur ibn Taragay Barlas) after the complete defeat of the Tatar-Mongol army burned the capital of the Golden Horde to its foundations.

The need for excavations

The connection between Saray-Batu and Astrakhan is explained not only by geographical proximity.Original archaeological excavations of 1965 were made thanks to scientists and teachers of the historical faculty of the ASU. The works were conducted under the guidance of the historian G.A. Fedorova-Davydova - doctor of historical sciences, professor of Moscow State University, a major expert in the field of history, archeology and numismatics of the Golden Horde. With the beginning of the excavations they dragged on for a long time.

Back in 1950, in the territory of the Selitrenny settlement (in 1710, a plant for the production of saltpeter and a working village was erected on the territory of the former capital) coins, decorative objects, ceramics, and GA were found. Fedorov-Davydov managed to persuade the Academy of Sciences of the USSR of the need for a systematic study of this object.

History of the Celitic Town

Regular work began only in 1965. Near the excavation site is a camp of archaeologists. Village Selitrennoe exists and now, in it, according to the latest census, there are 2137 people. And in 1911 there were 1022 households here, and the number of inhabitants was 5049 villagers. The factories were closed by that time, the settlement was so significant for its district that it had its own coat of arms. Now all buildings in it are maintained in strict dependence on the complex "Saray-Batu - Selitrennoe Gorodische".

How to get there

The painstaking work of scientists led to the emergence of an ancient capital from under the earth to the light of day, which is skillfully reconstructed, and which becomes not only a major archaeological center, but also an attractive object for tourists from all over the world. Hundreds of found exhibits were housed in the museum of the Saray-Batu complex created for this purpose. How to get here to see what the resurrected capital is like, how to find out what archaeologists have been doing for so long? The delivery of all comers is carried out by large professional travel agencies. Year round tours from Astrakhan and Volgograd are carried out, including individual tours. The address of the complex is as follows: Astrakhan region, Kharabalinsky district, Selitrennoye village, which is located on the highway "Volzhsky-Akhtubinsk-Kharabaly-Astrakhan". The coordinates of this place are as follows: No. 47 10.5 E47 26.214.

Interesting solutions

Of course, to reproduce as accurately as possible the atomosphere of that time is assisted by skilful modern scenery, which gives the complex "Saray-Batu - the capital of the Golden Horde" a shade of antiquity and attractiveness. This idea was prompted by the employees of the film "Horde" who were sent here in 2010, commissioned and patronized by Patriarch Kirill. After their end, the scenery was left, and now give a maximum of reality to the city of Saray-Batu. Photos presented in large numbers give an idea of this harsh beauty that has arisen in the desert. Scenery so fit into the surrounding reality, adding the charm of the complex, that the flow of tourists has increased significantly. And this contributes to the recoupment of the facility, the possibility of allocating more money for the continuation of excavations on the shores of Aktuba, as well as helping to restore the capital of the Golden Horde, Sarai-Batu, in a span. On the map of the region you can clearly see that the complex is located one hundred and twenty kilometers from Astrakhan. The ride to it is just over two hours, which allows excursionists from the regional center to get acquainted with the sights during the day, although several inexpensive mini-hotels operate near the Saray-Batu itself.