Almış

Almış
Ruler of Volga Bulgaria

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".

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