Rysunek Mosque in Bohoniki, photo Culture.pl
Tatariada was created with the initiative of the Muslim Religious Union (Muzułmański Związek Religijny - MZR) in Poland, and the proceeds of its release will finance the Ministry of Administration and Digitization, which deals with national minorities and religious beliefs. 500 Polish copies of the book will be released.
Tatariada will present a collage of archival and contemporary images and graphics available of the Tatar community. The book will deliver the story of Tatar customs and traditions that have been orally perpetuated over centuries. Barbara Pawlic-Miśkiewicz of the MZR adds that the publication will also encourage young Tatars to cultivate these traditions.
The comic will cover holidays on the Muslim calendar, including the two most important - Ramadan Bajram and Kurban Bajram. Tatariada will also include information on azan (Islamic call to prayer) and other rituals associated with weddings and funerals. The practices of everyday life, culinary habits, as well as how to prepare traditional Tatar dishes will also be among the various curiosities featured in the book.
The Tatars are one of the smallest ethnic groups in Poland, but their history in the lands of the former Republic spans more than 600 years. Specifically known as the Lipka Tatars, Tatars in Poland are a Turkic-speaking group who originally settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the beginning of 14th century and their origins can be traced back to the descendant states of the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan. Polish Tatars brought with them Islam, however, by the sixteenth and seventeenth century, they began to unite their religious and cultural traditions and customs with that of the Christian Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The exact number of Tatars currently living in Poland is unknown, but the first wave of Polish Muslims, mostly of Tatar origin, were estimated at about 5 thousand. The current Polish Tatar minority is represented by the Muslim Religious Union (Muzułmański Związek Religijny). Slavs and Tatars - the contemporary Polish-Iranian artist duo – also represents the Tatar community through several media, disciplines, and a broad spectrum of cultural registers (high and low) focusing on an oft-forgotten sphere of influence between Slavs, Caucasians and Central Asians. Their most recent work is on view at the Istanbul Modern Museum in Istanbul, Turkey.
Sources: PAP; slavsandtatars.com
Edited by E.M. 07/01/2014