The Heavenly tigers of Kük Tengri (2009)

Umay (2011)

The Hounds of Erlik (2015)

Sabantuy (?)

For Azat, the canvas was a shamanic drum, and the brush was his drumstick. Rejecting frames, he believed they confine the energy of his creations. His graphic works span from sketches to illustrations for books like Qol Ğali’s "Qıyssa-i Yosıf" and the Tatar epic "İdegəy."

Azat Minnekaev's art goes beyond boundaries, inviting viewers to explore ancient cultures, mystical landscapes, and the spiritual essence of the Turkic and other indigenous peoples.

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#tt_newbie
Days and months

📅 Kazan Tatar names of days of the week:

düşəmbe – Monday
sişəmbe – Tuesday
çərşəmbe – Wednesday
pənceşəmbe – Thursday
comğa – Friday
şimbə – Saturday
yəkşəmbe – Sunday


📅 Mishar Tatar names of days of the week:

başken – Monday
buşken – Tuesday
çərşəmbe – Wednesday
atnakiç / keçatna – Thursday
atnaken / yoma – Friday
atnaras – Saturday
bazar ken / ursatna / başkiç – Sunday


📅 Names of the months in Tatar are very similar to the ones in English:

ğinwar – January
fevral – February
mart – March
aprel – April
may – May
iyün – June
iyül – July
avgust – August
sentyabr – September
oktyabr – Oktober
noyabr – November
dekabr – December

Most of these are borrowed from Russian preserving its pronunciation. There are also historical Tatar names that we will talk about in the next advanced post.

#tt_intermediate
Confusing words II

You liked our post on confusing words – we’re bringing them back! Check out part I if you haven’t yet, and here are more similar words sorted out.

🟡 ğazaplanu – to suffer
ğәcәplәnü – to be surprised, amazed

Keşeneñ ozaq waqıt ğazaplanğannan soñ da keçkenә genә yaxşılıqlarğa ğәcәplәnüwe qızıq. – It is interesting how a person can suffer for so long and still be surprised by the smallest acts of kindness. 

🟡 kiçə – yesterday
kiçen – in the evening

Kiçə kiçen oçraşuğa bardıq. – Last night (lit. yesterday in the evening) we went to a meeting.

🟡 qapqaç – lid
qaplaw – to cover
qapqa – gate, goal (in sports)
qapqaçı – goalkeeper

Qapqaçı qapqa aldında tup östenə sikerep, anı banka qapqaçı kebek qapladı. – The goalkeeper leaped in front of the goal, landing on top of the ball like a lid covering a jar.

🟡 ğələm – space
ğalim – scientist
ğilem – science 

Ğalim ğələmne öyrənügə üz ğömeren bağışlap, ğilemgə zur öleş kertte. – The scientist dedicated his life to studying space, making a big contribution to science.

🟡 misal – example
məsəl – fable
məsələn – for example

Qısqa xikəyələr yəki məsəllərdən misal ezləp bula, məsələn, “Aqqoş, Çurtan həm Qısla”. – You can look for an example in short stories or fables, for example, “Swan, Pike and Crawfish”.

🟡 bülek – chapter, part
bülək – gift
bülem – department, division 
bülmə – room

Kitapnıñ berençe bülegendə qaharman kibetneñ bülək bülemendə ber serle bülməgə iltә torğan işekne taba. – In the first chapter of the book, the character finds a door leading to a secret room in the gift department of a store. 

#tt_advanced
Historical names for months and days of the week

Turkic peoples in the Volga-Ural-Siberian regions used the ancient Egyptian solar cycle, and used to calculate the years based on the periodicity relative to the movement of the sun in order to perform cattle breeding, farming and other household activities. More on that in the upcoming #tt_culture post.

🗓 Ay isemnəre:

Yañarış ayı – March (21.3-21.4)
Saban ayı – April (21.4-21.5)
Çereşmə ayı – May (21.5-21.6)
Peçən ayı – June (21.6-21.7)
Uraq ayı – July (21.7-21.8)
Indır ayı – August (21.8-21.9)
Bilek ayı – September (21.9-21.10)
Qaraköz ayı – October (21.10-21.11)
Kerəw ayı – November (21.11-21.12)
Qırlaç – December (21.12-21.1)
Aqman – January (21.1-21.2)
Buşay – February (21.2-21.3)

🗓 Atna könnəre:

Tuğan – Monday
Atlağan – Tuesday
Qankön – Wednesday
Atnakiç – Thursday
Comğa – Friday
Atnartı – Saturday
Bazar – Sunday

#tt_culture
The significance behind the Tatar month names

As already discussed in the previous post, the old Tatar month names hold cultural significance. Let’s go through a year of a Tatar villager together:

🌱 21.3-21.4
Yañarış (Renewal):
Marking the New Year, it involved the "Qarğa botqası" ritual, aiming to ease the yearning felt after the Turko-Bulgarian state's collapse, when the sons of Kubrat Khan dispersed to different regions. People went to fields, greeting birds and awaiting news from separated relatives.

🌱 21.4-21.5
Saban (Plough):
In Tatar, Saban signals the start of spring field work. From April 21, Tatars and Bashkorts in the Volga-Ural-Siberian regions celebrated the Saban tuyı, marking the start of spring field work. In the 1930s, the Bolsheviks merged this tradition with the holiday of Cıyın in the month of Peçən.

🌱 21.5-21.6
Çereşmə (striving, aspiration):
A month representing spring and vegetation growth, when the meat of domestic cattle and wild deer is inedible due to its leanness. In this period, cattle rejuvenate by grazing on fresh grass. The youth of the Volga-Ural-Siberian Turkic peoples engaged in evening meadow activities, including games, dances, and singing.

☀️ 21.6-21.7
Peçən (Hay):
In early Peçən, the Volga-Ural-Siberian Turks traditionally celebrated the Cıyın holiday, marking the voluntary and official conversion to Islam in Bilər-Bolğar. In the 1930s, Bolsheviks banned this holiday, citing "religious content," replacing it with the Saban tuyı that used to be celebrated in April.
Since 1989, there have been efforts to revive the Oluğ Cıyın ceremony. On the 22nd day of the Peçən month (today’s July 12), women held a flower festival, coinciding with cattle fattening and abstaining from consuming meat in that period.

☀️ 21.7-21.8
Uraq (Harvest):
Harvesting of ripe crops began in the Volga-Ural-Siberian regions in this month. Summer was a good time to start eating the meat of cattle fattened by grazing.

☀️ 21.8-21.9
Indır (Threshing):
The period of processing grains in the “ındır ​​tabağı” (threshing floor) by Turkic peoples of the region.

🍂 21.9-21.10
Bilek (expresses being wealthy like a “bi”):
The Turkic peoples of the Volga-Ural-Siberian region celebrated that year's yield this month.

🍂 21.10-21.11
Qaraköz (Dark Autumn):
indicates the middle of autumn.

🍂 21.11-21.12
Kerəw (denotes entering into winter):
In the Volga-Ural-Siberian regions, this term indicates the transition from autumn to winter. In this month, cattle are usually slaughtered to create a winter meat supply.

❄️ 21.12-21.01
Qırlaç (Hunting):
Considered the coldest month of winter. People go hunting wild ungulates during this month.

❄️ 21.01-21.02
Aqman:
It's the middle of winter, and the whole land is covered in white snow.

❄️ 21.02-21.03
Buşay (Free month):
It is the season of livestock breeding, representing free time before spring field work.
These terms reflect cultural practices, seasonal activities, and historical events in the Volga-Ural-Siberian region.

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