Muslims of Central Asia in Siberia intheContextofState-Confessional Policy inthesecond half ofthe19th - early 20th centuries

The Muslim population of Siberia represented an ethnically heterogeneous community, whichincluded Tatars, as well as immigrants from Central and Central Asia, the Caucasus and other regions.Such polyethnicity and proximity to the Asian region, as one of the centers of Muslim culture,contributed to building contacts between Muslims of Siberia and Central Asia. Expansion of the terri-torial borders of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century. and the government'sspecial interest in Central Asia has influenced the development of relations between the Muslimpopulation of the two neighboring regions. The purpose of this study was to identify the main areas of interaction between the Muslim popula-tion of Siberia and Central Asia in the second half of the 19th - early 20th century, as well as to esti-mate the role of the state in regulating this process. Based on archival material, the author found thatone of the areas of interaction of the Muslim population was organizing spiritual life. Despite the factthat the government, in an effort to extend its influence to the Asian region, provided supporttotheMuslim population in the second half of the 19th century, the same building codes were appliedto the construction of religious buildings for Bukharans, as for all other Muslims. The closest contactsbetween the Muslims of Siberia and the Bukharians were built within the framework of pilgrimagetrips, since often the way to Mecca for them lay through the territories of Central Asia. In addition,there were holy places in the region, which the Muslims of Siberia aspired to. This fact was of partic-ular concern to the Government. The reforms initiated in the country aimed at limitation of the rightsof the Muslim population have reduced the migration flow from the Asian region to Siberia.Thegovernment paid special attention to the missionary activities of the Russian Orthodox Churchasa tool for involving Muslims of Siberia and Central Asia in the socio-cultural space of the empire.