Communities of Nizhny Novgorod Tatars in the west of the Russian empire: genesis of urban Muslim communities in the context of the historical period

The article deals with development of the western territories of the European part of the Russian Empire by Nizhny Novgorod Mishar Tatars starting from the XVIII century. The author considers the reasons of this phenomenon: from the forced participation of Tatars in the construction of St. Petersburg to the trade and economic motivation. The paper describes formation of communities patronized by imams from among the Nizhniy Novgorod Tatars, and building of mosques in St. Petersburg, Moscow, other cities of the European part of Russia, Finland, and Estonia.