View source for Aq Bars

{{Short description|Official emblem of Tatarstan}}
{{Redirect|Coat of arms of Tatarstan|the coats of arms of Tatarstan during the Soviet-era|Emblem of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{expand Russian|topic=geo|Герб Татарстана|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox coat of arms
 | name             = Coat of arms of the Republic of Tatarstan
 | image            = Coat of Arms of Tatarstan.svg
 | image_width      = 200
 | armiger          = [[Republic of Tatarstan]]
 | year_adopted     = {{Start date and age|1992|2|7}}
 | crest            =
 | shield           =
 | supporters       =
 | orders           =
 | other_elements   =
 | earlier_versions =
}}
'''{{lang|tt-Latn|Aq Bars|italic=no}}''' ({{langx|tt-Cyrl|Ак Барс}} {{IPA|tt|ɑq ˈbɑrs|}}) or '''Ak Bars''' ({{Langx|ru|Ак Барс}} {{IPA|ru|ɐg‿ˈbars|}}) is an ancient [[Bulgars|Bulgar]] symbol, which has served as the official symbol of the [[Republic of Tatarstan]] since the dissolution of the [[Soviet Union]] in 7 February 1992. Its name is translated literally as {{gloss|White Leopard}}, and it typically refers to the [[snow leopard]].

Historically, this symbol was used in [[Volga Bulgaria]] and the [[Khanate of Kazan]] ([[Kazan|Qazan]]) – predecessors of Tatarstan – as a state symbol. The snow leopard symbol comes from the totems of one of the [[Bulgars|Bulgar]] tribes – the [[Barsil]]. According to legend, the Barsils founded [[Bilär]] in [[Volga Bulgaria]].

The creator of the current emblem is the artist Rif Fäxretdinov (Риф Фәхретдинов).

== Historical coats of arms==
The Russian coat of arms of [[Volga Bulgaria]]: a green shield with a silver walking [[Agnus Dei|lamb]], holding a red [[gonfalon]]e, divided by a silver<ref>[http://www.heraldicum.ru/russia/titul.htm Геральдикум: Титульные гербы]</ref> cross, with a golden staff.<ref>[http://www.statesymbol.ru/russymbols/history/20050413/39594136.html Госсимволика: Большой герб Российской империи (1882 г.)]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.monarchruss.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=168&Itemid=28 |title=Всероссийский Монархический Центр – Большой Государственный Герб Российской Империи |access-date=2013-09-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320180552/http://www.monarchruss.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=168&Itemid=28 |archive-date=2012-03-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<gallery class="center">
File:Russian coat of arms of Volga Bulgaria.gif|The Russian coat of Arms of [[Volga Bulgaria]]
File:Snow_Leopard_seal.png|A Russian seal, featuring the coat of arms of the [[Volga Bulgaria|Bulgarian king]]
File:Казанская эмблема, царский титулярник, 1672.jpg|Seal of the Kazan kingdom from the royal titular book of 1672.
File:Coat of arms of Kazan Governorate 1856.svg|[[Kazan Governorate]] (1856–1920)
File:Emblem of the Tatar ASSR (1920-1926).jpg|Emblem of the [[Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Tatar ASSR]] (1920–1926)
File:ТАССР 1937.jpg|Emblem of the Tatar ASSR (1937–1978)
File:Coat of arms of Tatarstan ASSR.svg|Emblem of the Tatar ASSR (1978–1992)
File:Татарская ССР герб 1991.png|Proposed coat of arms for the Tatar SSR (1991)
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Ak Bars Kazan]] - this coat of arms is the hockey team's secondary logo, used extensively on their jerseys
*[[Zilant]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Symbols of Tatarstan}}
{{Coats of arms and Emblems of the republics of Russia}}

[[Category:Symbols introduced in 1992]]
[[Category:Snow leopards]]
[[Category:Tatarstan]]
[[Category:Russian coats of arms|Tatarstan]]
[[Category:Heraldic beasts]]
[[Category:Coats of arms with leopards]]


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