Bilar State Historical, Archaeological and Natural Museum-Reserve

Many generations of scientists on the territory of the Alekseevsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan discovered about 500 archaeological sites, starting from the Stone Age to the late Middle Ages. Some of them are unique.

In 1977, on the initiative of Professor A. Khalikov, the Bilyar Archaeological Museum was created. It was placed in a 2-storey building of the end of the X1X century. On the second floor, a museum exposition was built, where archaeological materials from the excavations of the Bilyarsk archaeological expedition and historical and household items were presented.

In 1992, on the basis of the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tajikistan of 14.08.1992, the Bilyar State Historical, Archaeological and Natural Museum-Reserve was established. The total area of the reserve was 2392 hectares.

The reserve includes the historical and archaeological museum, the Bilyarsk settlement, the Balynguz settlement, the Gorkin and Nikolsk-Baran settlement, natural landscape and historical and cultural monuments, the cemetery with the chapel-crypt of the famous organic chemist A. M. Butlerov, the House-Museum of Academician A. E. Arbuzov, the architectural and cult complex "Holy Key".

The largest museum object of the reserve is the Bilyarsk settlement - the archaeological remains of the capital of the Volga-Kama Bulgaria X-nach. XIII century, one of the largest monuments in Europe. This is the pride of the city and the whole country. The huge size of the city is what strikes not only tourists, but even professional archaeologists who find themselves on the Bilar land. Bilar is a whole complex of monuments, which includes, in addition to fortified parts, extensive suburbs, necropolises, country estates, etc. The whole complex occupies about 800 hectares.

One of the most attractive monuments for tourists of the Bilyar Museum-Reserve is the tract "Holy Key", covered with legends and legends, located at the foot of the mountain "Khujalar Tava".

For many centuries, the tract was the object of pilgrimage. In 1997, on the initiative of the General Director of TATNEFT JSC R.G. Galeev and the Head of the Administration of the Alekseevsky District of the Republic of Tatarstan A.I. Demidov, with the active participation of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, scientists of the S. Marjani Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan, works were carried out on the reconstruction and improvement of the ancient place of pilgrimage.

Currently, the Bilyar Museum-Reserve is one of the most famous places of recreation and tourism in the republic. It is difficult to find a person who would not have heard of Bilyar - the Great City, the famous "Holy Key", "Khujalar Tava", Balynguz