Almış
| Almış | |
|---|---|
| Ruler of Volga Bulgaria | |
| File:Almush.jpg Modern portrait of Almış | |
| Reign | 9th century – beginning of 10th |
| Father | Şilki |
Almış iltäbär (Almysh Elteber, Almish Yiltawar, pronounced [ʌlˈmɯʃ], fl. end of 9th century – beginning of 10th) was the first Muslim ruler (emir) of Volga Bulgaria.
Almış was a son of Şilki ([ʃilˈki]). He was a ruler of one of the Bulgar duchies, probably, the Bolghar Duchy. Initially, a vassal of the Khazars, he struggled for independence and unification of all Bulgar tribes and duchies. He sent ambassadors to the Baghdad caliph. In 922, the caliph Al-Muqtadir's ambassador Ibn Fadlan appeared in Bolghar. The Abbasid caliphate became an ally of Volga Bulgaria. Almış adopted the Islamic name Jaʿfar ibn ʿAbdullah (Latin Tatar: Cäğfär bine Ğabdulla, Arabic script: جعفر ابن عبدالله).
During the reign of Almış, Volga Bulgaria developed to a united, strong and independent state.
Ibn Fadlan, an Arab traveller, referred to Almış as "the king of Saqaliba".
References
- "Almış/Алмыш". Tatar Encyclopaedia (in Tatar). Kazan: The Republic of Tatarstan Academy of Sciences. Institution of the Tatar Encyclopaedia. 2002.