The functioning of the institution of abistayhood among the Tatars until the beginning of the 20th century

The institution of abistayhood known today, in one form or another, had been formed and had been functioning among the ancestors of the Tatars for hundreds of years. For centuries, the abistays played the role of mugallims, that is, teachers and spiritual mentors for Tatar women. The relevance of the topic of this work is due to the fact that it is an important component of such a problem as the history of female and Islamic education among the Tatars. Field materials collected by the author in the period from 2022 to 2024 are introduced into circulation. This article is the first study to provide a comprehensive description of the abistay phenomenon in terms of historical transformations. The work analyzes in detail the state of the institution of abistayhood in different historical periods before the beginning of the XX century. The contribution of the institution of abistayhood to the development of the education system of the Tatar people is understood. The features of the activities of the abistays and the versatility of their role in the life of Tatar society until the early twentieth century are revealed. The article also notes the merit of the abistays in preserving the national and cultural identity of the Tatar people.