[28] When people of the Abashevo culture started settling here, they possessed high skills in manufacturing bronze tools, weapons and decorations.

In the 10th century, Al-Balkhi wrote about Bashkirs as a people, divided into two groups, one of which inhabited the Southern Urals, while the other lived near the Danube River, close to the boundaries of Byzantium.

His contemporary Ibn-Ruste described the Bashkirs as "an independent people, occupying territories on both sides of the Ural mountain ridge between Volga, Kama, Tobol and upstream of Yaik River".

After the early-feudal Mongolian state had broken down in the 14th century, the territory of modern Bashkortostan became divided between the Kazan, the Siberia Khanates and the Nogai Horde.

After Kazan fell to Ivan the Terrible in 1554–1555, representatives of western and northwestern Bashkir tribes approached the Tsar with a request to voluntarily join Muscovy.

Starting from the second half of the 16th century, Bashkiria's territory began taking shape as a part of the Russian state.

After the Russian Revolution of 1917 were the All-Bashkir Qoroltays (conventions), which required a decision on the need to create a national federal republic within Russia.

In December 1917, delegates to the All-Bashkir (constituent) Congress, representing the interests of the population edge of all nationalities, voted unanimously for the resolution (Farman #2) of the Bashkir regional Shuro for the proclamation of national-territorial autonomy (of the Republic) Bashkurdistan.

The congress formed the government of Bashkurdistan, the Pre-parliament—Kese-Qoroltay and other bodies of power and administration, and decisions were made on how to proceed.

In March 1919, based on the agreements of the Russian Government, the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed.

The administrative structure of the Bashkir ASSR was based on principles similar to those of other autonomous republics of Russia.

On 11 October 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the Republic adopted the declaration on state sovereignty of the Bashkir ASSR.

Many rivers are part of the deep-water transportation system of European Russia; they provide access to ports of the Baltic and Black seas.

Other major resources are natural gas, coal, ferrous metal ores, manganese, chromite, and more.

This lignite can be used for obtaining a variety of different chemical products like resins, surface-active substances, gummy fertilizers, and other stimulants for plant growth.

The Asselian Age at the start of the Permian Period of geological time is named after the Assel River in Bashkortostan.

[33] As of 2013, Republic of Bashkortostan is divided into 54 districts, 21 cities or towns, 2 urban type settlements and 827 selsoviets.

According to the Constitution, the Head of the Republic of Bashkortostan guarantees rights and liberties to the country's people and citizens, protects the economic and political interests of the Republic of Bashkortostan, and secures legitimacy, law, and order within its territory.

The Republic of Bashkortostan is a full-fledged subject of the Russian Federation on equal and agreed bases.

In full accord with universally recognized principles of international law, articles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Bashkortostan ensures in its Constitution that local self-government is recognized and guaranteed within the republic's territory.

Bashkortostan produces more oil than any other region of Russia, about 26 million tons annually, and provides 17% of the country's gasoline and 15% of its diesel fuel.

There are 13,000 Jews in the republic, with a historic synagogue in Ufa, and a new Jewish Community Center built in 2008.

In addition, 4% of the population declare to be "spiritual but not religious", 5% are atheist, and 7% follow other religions or did not give an answer to the question.

The country's system of popular education took shape over many centuries and reflects the Bashkir people's folklore, national customs, and traditions.

When Islam spread in Bashkiria in the 10th century, an educational system began to emerge gradually—primarily religious schools operated under the supervision of mosques (maktabeh and madrasah).

In addition, many institutions of higher education operate in the republic, including branches of 16 leading Russian universities and colleges.

[66] Bashkortostan is home to song and dance companies, a network of national theaters, museums, and libraries, and a number of annual folk festivals.

The Bashkir School of Dance is well respected,[citation needed] with many students receiving international awards at competitions in Russia and other countries.