The System of Muslim Education in Astrakhan Province (Guberniya) Before 1917

Abstract

Astrakhan province (guberniya) within the Russian Empire was a region with a significant Muslim population. In the pre-revolutionary period, a third of the region’s population were Muslims who were part of the OMDS structure. The system of Muslim education in the region has passed a long way, and since the second half of the XIX century it began to play a huge role in the education of Muslim children. In the counties and in Astrakhan itself there were mektebes and madrasas operated, in which could study male as well as female children. Based on archival documents, the article presents an analysis of the state of development of the primary Muslim education system in the Astrakhan province before the Russian Revolution of 1917. The author considers problems of its formation and development, the history of the spread of Jadid education, its quantitative and qualitative characteristics.