Ilikaev A.S. The Cult of Sultan Keremet among the Peoples of the Ural-Volga Region: An Analysis of a Religious and Cultural Tradition

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Original article

https://doi.org/10.15507/2076-2577.018.2026.01.074-091
https://elibrary.ru/zddclw
УДК / UDC 27-788:2-5(574.11)(470.4)

The Cult of Sultan Keremet among the Peoples of the Ural-Volga Region: An Analysis of a Religious and Cultural Tradition

A. S. Ilikaev
Ufa University of Science and Technology, Ufa, Russian Federation

Abstract

Introduction. Sacred groves (keremets) continue to play a significant role in the religious and cultural life of Finno-Ugric and certain Turkic peoples. One of the most prominent and actively maintained cults today is that of Sultan Keremet among the Eastern Mari. However, no comprehensive study has yet examined this religious and cultural phenomenon at the scale of the Ural-Volga region. The present study aims to identify similarities and differences in the tradition of venerating Sultan Keremet in order to elucidate its essence and its role in sustaining ethnic identity and interconfessional relations.

Materials and Methods. The study of this religious and cultural tradition is grounded in the author’s field materials, data from ethnographic literature, and oral consultations with specialists in the field (R. R. Sadikov, L. A. Taymasov, A. A. Izilyaev, V. A. Kamilyanov). The application of structural-functional and comparative-historical methods, in conjunction with theories of the sacralization of space and collective memory, has enabled an analysis of the key aspects of the Sultan Keremet cult and an examination of their development within a historical perspective.

Results and Discussion. The author substantiates the proposition that the cult of Sultan Keremet originally emerged as a result of the syncretism between local ethnic beliefs and the Bulgar-Islamic tradition of venerating saints’ graves. Within the cult of Sultan Keremet among the studied peoples (Mari, Mordvins, Udmurts, and Chuvash), a number of shared features can be identified: the use of an Arabic-Islamic theonym, the classification of these figures among the “principal keremets,” as well as similarities in the structure of sacred groves and sacrificial rituals. Differences are observed in the attributed divine status and the timing of prayer practices. At present, the performance of ritual worship dedicated to Sultan Keremet (Vylem Khuzyа) serves not only to preserve vestiges of clan-based kinship relations but also to regulate norms of behavior within the sacred locus and to sustain the national identity of the ethno-territorial groups of the Mari, Udmurts, and Chuvash. Overall, the religious and cultural tradition under consideration, while retaining its foundation in a complex synthesis of local ethnic beliefs alongside elements of Islam and Christianity, remains subject to the influence of myth-making processes shaped by representatives of the national intelligentsia.

Conclusion. The analysis of the Sultan Keremet cult systematizes previously uncorrelated source materials. The author’s conclusions may serve as a foundation for further research not only on Sultan Keremet itself, but also on a range of typologically and functionally related cult figures among the peoples of the Ural-Volga region, including Surtan Kugyza, Sultan Aktash, Vylčry (Sultan) Irzam, Vylem Khuzya, and others. The study demonstrates considerable scholarly potential through its comprehensive examination of the corpus of Mari legends associated with the image of Sultan Keremet, as well as through its incorporation of recent academic data concerning a newly identified cult among the Udmurts.

Keywords: Sultan Keremet, cult, sacralization of space, collective memory, natural spirit, patron-spirit

Conflict of interest: The author declares no conflict of interest.

For citation: Ilikaev A.S. The Cult of Sultan Keremet among the Peoples of the Ural-Volga Region: An Analysis of a Religious and Cultural Tradition. Finno-Ugric World. 2026;18(1):74‒91. https://doi.org/10.15507/2076-2577.018.2026.01.074-091

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Information about the author:

Aleksandr S. Ilikaev, Cand.Sci. (Polit.), Associate Professor of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ufa University of Science and Technology (32 Zаki Vаlidi St., Ufa 450076, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6773-9053, SPIN-code: 4932-1144, jumo@bk.ru

The author has read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 22.07.2025; revised 13.10.2025; accepted 21.10.2025.

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