Astrakhan (English) Астрахань (Russian)
Ascension Cathedral in the Kremlin (1700–1710)
Astrakhan Oblast on the map of Russia
Coordinates 46°21′N 48°03′E / 46.35, 48.05Coordinates: 46°21′N 48°03′E / 46.35, 48.05
Coat of Arms	Flag
Administrative status
Federal subject In jurisdiction of Administrative center of	Astrakhan Oblast
Local self-government
Charter	Charter of Astrakhan
Municipal status	Urban okrug
City Head	Sergey Bozhenov
Legislative body	City Duma
Area
Area	500 km² (193. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. A flag is a piece of Cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used Symbolically for signaling or identification Russia is a Federation which consists of 83  subjects. These subjects are of equal federal rights in the sense that they have equal Astrakhan Oblast (Астраха́нская о́бласть Astrakhanskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an Oblast) A charter is the grant of authority or rights stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified Being the largest country in the world spanning a large percentage of Eurasia, and one of the most populated Russia is divided into several types and levels of A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. 1 sq mi)
Population (as of the 2002 Census)
Population - Rank - Density	502,800 inhabitants 1,005. Russia 's area is about 17 million square kilometers (65 million sq Russian Census of 2002 (Всеросси́йская пе́репись населе́ния 2002 го́да was the first Census of the Russian Federation carried This is a list of cities and towns in Russia with population over 50000 grouped by federal subject and sorted by population Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 6/km² (2,604. 5/sq mi)
Events
Founded	1558
Town status	1717
Other information
Postal code	414000. A postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a . 414057
Dialing code	+7 8512
Official website
n/a

Astrakhan (Russian: А́страхань; Tatar: Ästerxan; from an Old Turkic-Hun word: As-Tarkhan Persian: حاجی‌ترخان Haji-Tarkhan) is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. All Country calling codes for the European Union countries start with +3x or +4x A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages The Tatar language (,, Татар теле, Татарча) is a Turkic Language spoken by the Tatars. This article is about Tarkhan an ancient Turkic title For other uses see Tarkan (disambiguation Tarkhan, Tarkhaan, or Tarqan The classification system of the types of inhabited localities in Russia, the former Soviet Union, and some other post-Soviet states has certain peculiarities compared Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Astrakhan Oblast (Астраха́нская о́бласть Astrakhanskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an Oblast) The city lies on the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged Sea. Population: 502,800 (2004 est. ); 504,501 (2002 Census); 509,210 (1989 Census). Russian Census of 2002 (Всеросси́йская пе́репись населе́ния 2002 го́да was the first Census of the Russian Federation carried The 1989 Soviet Census was the final and most comprehensive census taken within the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Medieval history

Astrakhan' was originally called As-Tarkhan, which is another name for Ras Tarkhan (meaning "Lord of the Alans", a Scythian tribe. Khazar general of the mid 700s sometimes referred to as As Tarkhan, who led an invasion of Abbasid territories in Armenia, Azerbaijan and northwestern The Alans or Alani (occasionally but more rarely termed Alauni or Halani) were an Iranian nomadic group among the Sarmatian people The Scythians or Scyths (Σκύθες Σκύθοι were an Iranian speaking people of horse-riding Nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic ) Astrakhan' is situated in the Volga Delta, rich in sturgeon and exotic plants. The Volga Delta is the largest inland River delta in Europe, and occurs where Europe's largest river system the Volga River, drains into the Caspian Sturgeon is the Common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, The fertile area formerly contained the capitals of Khazaria and the Golden Horde. "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər. This article refers to the medieval Turkic state For the Irish rock band see The Golden Horde (band. Astrakhan' itself was first mentioned by travellers in the early 13th century as Xacitarxan. Xacitarxan or Hajji Tarkhan, alternatively called "Hashtar Khan" Actarxan or Astrakhan, was a medieval city at the right bank of Volga Tamerlane burnt it to the ground in 1395. Timur also written Emir Timur or Amir Temur ( Chagatai: تیمور - Tēmōr " Iron " (1336 – 19 February 1405 among From 1459 to 1556, Xacitarxan was the capital of Astrakhan Khanate. The Khanate of Astrakhan ( Xacitarxan Khanate) was a Tatar Feudal state that appeared after the collapse of the The ruins of this medieval settlement were found by archaeologists 12 km upstream from the modern-day city. In 1556, the khanate was conquered by Ivan the Terrible, who had a new fortress built on a steep hill overlooking the Volga. In 1569, Astrakhan' was besieged by the Ottoman army, which had to retreat in disarray. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish A year later, the Sultan renounced his claims to Astrakhan, thus opening the entire Volga River to Russian traffic. In the 17th century, the city was developed as a Russian gate to the Orient. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar Many merchants from Armenia, Persia, India and Khiva settled in the downtown, giving it a multinational and variegated character. Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Khanate of Khiva (Xiva Xonligi was the name of a Central Asian state that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm from 1515 to 1920 except Persian occupation by

Modern history

Monument to Peter the Great in Astrakhan' (2007)

Catholic church (1778). The Astrakhan' church was the third on time of the basis a Catholic temple in Russia (after Peterburg and Moscow). The initiator of construction of the building was pater Romuald.

For seventeen months in 1670–1671 Astrakhan' was held by Stenka Razin and his Cossacks. For the place in Azerbaijan see Stepan Razin Azerbaijan. Stepan (Sten'ka Timofeyevich Razin ( Russian: Степан (Стенька The Cossacks (Каза́ки́ Kazaki; Козаки́ Kozaki; Kozacy are a group of martial people living in the southern Steppe regions of Eastern Early in the following century, Peter the Great constructed a shipyard here and made Astrakhan the base for his hostilities against Persia, and later in the same century Catherine II accorded the city important industrial privileges. Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships These can be Yachts military Catherine II, called Catherine the Great (Екатерина II Великая Yekaterina II Velikaya;) reigned as Empress of Russia for 34 years

The city rebelled against the tsar once again in 1705, when it was held by the Cossacks under Kondraty Bulavin. The Bulavin Rebellion is the name given to a violent civil uprising in Imperial Russia between the years 1707 and 1708 The Bulavin Rebellion is the name given to a violent civil uprising in Imperial Russia between the years 1707 and 1708 A Kalmuck khan laid an abortive siege to the kremlin several years prior to that. The Republic of Kalmykia (Респу́блика Калмы́кия Kalmyk: Хальмг Таңһч is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a In 1711, it was made a capital of a guberniya, whose first governors included Artemy Petrovich Volynsky and Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev. Guberniya (губе́рния) (also gubernia, guberniia, gubernya) was a major administrative subdivision of Imperial Russia, usually Artemy Petrovich Volynsky ( Арте́мий Петро́вич Волы́нский in Russian) (1689 &ndash 1740 was a Russian Statesman and Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (Васи́лий Ники́тич Тати́щев April 19, 1686 - July 15 Six years later, Astrakhan served as a base for the first Russian venture into Central Asia. Prince Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky (Александр Бекович-Черкасский was a Russian officer of Circassian origin who led the first Russian In 1702, 1718, and 1767, it suffered severely from fires; in 1719 it was plundered by the Persians; and in 1830 the cholera swept away a large number of its people. Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium

Astrakhan's kremlin was built from the 1580s to the 1620s from bricks pillaged at the site of Sarai Berke. View01jpg|thumb|right|250px|Remains of the Kolomna Kremlin]] Kremlin (Кремль Kreml) is the Russian word for "fortress" "citadel" or "castle" Sarai Batu ( Old Sarai, Sarai-al-Maqrus, also transcribed as Saraj or Saray) was a capital city of the Golden Horde and one of Its two impressive cathedrals were consecrated in 1700 and 1710, respectively. Built by masters from Yaroslavl, they retain many traditional features of Russian church architecture, while their exterior decoration is definitely baroque. Yaroslavl (Яросла́вль is a city in Russia, the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, located north-east of Moscow. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc

In the autumn of 1942, Astrakhan' became one of the easternmost points in the Soviet Union reached by the invading German Wehrmacht, during Case Blue, the offensive which led to the Battle of Stalingrad. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 Case Blue ( Fall Blau) was the German codename used by the German Armed Forces ( Wehrmacht) for its 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern The Battle of Stalingrad is a commonly used name in English sources for several large operations by Germany and its allies and Soviet forces conducted with the Light armored forces of German Army Group A made a brief scouting mission to the city before withdrawing.

Today, Astrakhan' is a lively city, home to dozens of different ethnicities and languages. The city will celebrate its 450th anniversary in 2008, with a large festival in October.

Notable people

• Boris Kustodiev, a Russian art deco painter
• Joseph Deniker, French naturalist and anthropologist. Boris Mikhaylovich Kustodiev (Бори́с Миха́йлович Кусто́диев ( March 7, 1878 &ndash May 28, 1927) was a Russian Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939 affecting the decorative arts such as Architecture, Interior design, and Industrial Painting (pān'tīng in Art, is the practice of applying Color to a Surface (support base such as e Joseph Deniker ( March 6, 1852, Astrakhan &ndash March 18, 1918, Paris) was a French naturalist
• Ilya Nikolayevich Ulyanov, public figure in the field of public education, father of Aleksandr Ulyanov and Vladimir Lenin. Ilya Nikolayevich Ulyanov ( Илья Николаевич Ульянов in Russian) (&mdash Simbirsk) was a Russian Public education is education mandated for or offered to the children of the general public by the Government, whether national regional or local provided by an institution Aleksandr Ilyich Ulyanov ( Russian: Александр Ильич Ульянов 1866 &ndash May 8, 1887) was a Russian Revolutionary
• Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky, Russian poet. Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky ( Василий Кириллович Тредиаковский (Тредьяковский in Astrakhan &mdash in Sankt Petersburg
• Rinat Dasaev, USSR goalkeeper. Rinat Fayzrakhmanovich Dasayev (Ринат Файзрахманович Дасаев (born June 13, 1957 in Astrakhan, Soviet Union Football legend. The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé 's choice of the "greatest living footballers"
• Marziyya Davudova, Azerbaijani actress
• Velimir Khlebnikov, a Russian poet, Silver Age of Russian Poetry

Sister Cities

• Ahmedabad, India

External links

• Website of Astrakhan region
• Modern foto of Astrakhan, history, maps.
• Satellite picture by Google Maps