On 8 October 2020, in the Museum-Reserve “Kazan Kremlin” took place All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference “The ninth Kremlin readings” on “National cultures in historical and museum space” devoted to the 100th anniversary of the formation of TASSR. This year, more than 80 people from Russia and other countries (USA, Belarus) participated in the conference. A research associate of Bolgar Museum-Reserve I. D. Muhametshin made a presentation on “The town of Bolgar” (to the 1100th anniversary of the first mention of the town in written sources). The report prepared jointly with D. G. Muhametshin was devoted to the early history of Bolgar.
The emergence of a strengthened village on the territory of modern Bolgar is connected with imenkovskaya culture (IV–VII centuries AD). The village occupied a cape part of “Koptelov knoll”. Later, Bulgars occupied it, and this area served as the basis for a future town. Permanent settlements identified by archaeologists on the territory of Bolgar town relate to the fourth wave of resettlement and date back to the end of IX-the beginning of X centuries. Creation of the fortified settlement on the high bank of Volga, at the confluence of this river with Kama was a result of several objective prerequisites. First of all, it was a convenient location, which allowed the control of a large area.
The emergence of the trading center Aga-Bazar provided further impetus to the establishment of settlements here. The best place to settle could be the mouth of the Small Jerusalem ravine because of its proximity to Volga. It could also be the central plateau of the town where were subsequently constructed the earliest fortifications of X century, and then the center of the town was formed. Such settlements were found at the archeological dig of P. N. Starostin on the right bank of the Small Jerusalem ravine, on a small outlier. Another settlement of the pre-Mongolian period on the northeastern edges of Bolgar was recorded on the left bank of the Small Jerusalem ravine. In 1996, it was discovered and later was explored. As a result of the work, the remnants of six dwellings were identified.
By 920, Bolgar was a town minting coins and having a mosque and a trade quay. It was the administrative centre, which in the future played an important role in the history of Volga Bulgaria and the Golden Horde.

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