At the end of the 13th century, one of the largest towns of the Golden Horde – Hashtar Khan, was founded on the right bank of the Volga River, 12 km from present-day Astrakhan. Hashtar Khan was a major center of trade, being strategically located on the trade running from India and Persia to Russia and Western Europe.

Tamerlane’s army devastated the Golden Horde’s lands in 1395 and Hashtar Khan fell into decline. Other Golden Horde towns were to face a similar fate. By the end of the 14th century the Golden Horde had dissolved into a number of smaller kingdoms, including the Khanate of Astrakhan.

In 1556, the Russian Tsar Ivan IV (aka Ivan the Terrible) brought the Astrakhan Khanate under Russian control. In 1558 the old town was moved downstream the Volga River to its left bank, in order to better protect it from would-be assailants. Most historians consider this move to mark the founding of modern-day Astrakhan. In 1717 Peter the Great created the Astrakhan province, which reflected the growing importance of the region for the Russian Empire.

Located near the Volga Delta leading into the Caspian Sea, Astrakhan plays a major role in the culture, economy, and politics of the Caspian Sea region. Astrakhan also serves as a major tourist destination for Russian and foreign tourists alike. Well-known for its variety of wildlife in the Astrakhan Nature Reserve (whose crown jewel, the lotus flower, can be seen in bloom during the summer months), the city is a favorite for fishermen and sportsmen.

Having a population of more than 500,000, Astrakhan has always been proud of its multi-ethnic heritage. With more than a hundred different ethnic groups and a number of major world religions (Russian Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism), Astrakhan serves as a unique "melting pot" for the various peoples native to Southern Russia and Central Asia. More than 15 cultural societies operate in the region, including Tartar, Kazakh, Kalmyk, Armenian, and others. Several museums are located in Astrakhan, including one dedicated to Velemir Khlebnikov, the famous Futurist poet.

ASTRAKHAN STATE UNIVERSITY

The mission of the Astrakhan State University (ASU) is to train specialists and researchers in a wide range of disciplines. The university is also active in exporting its educational services and sharing new technologies, developed at ASU, with industry and business communities. ASU is a global university, which is proud of its strong collaboration with numerous institutions of higher education in Russia and abroad, including Germany, the USA, China and many other countries.