Mullanur Vakhitov was a Tatar Bolshevik and revolutionary, a prominent public and political figure, a participant in the Civil War.

Vakhitov’s studentship years in St. Petersburg were the time when revolutionary ideas were spreading fast. Vakhitov took part in various demonstrations, set up a club of Marxist literature studies, and became close to Bolsheviks.

Vakhitov’s convictions were shaped by both revolutionary ideals and Muslim progress ideas. He was confident that his mission was to launch a united Muslim socialist movement not confined to Russia. He wrote articles, worked as editor for several newspapers, covered scientific development and Islam revival issues, condemned the bourgeoisie, and supported revolutionaries.

After the events of 1917, Mullanur Vakhitov joined the Military-Revolutionary Committee of Kazan. Soon, Soviet government established there, and Vakhitov was elected a member of the Constituent Assembly. He went to St. Petersburg, already renamed into Petrograd, met with Vladimir Lenin, and, following his advice, became head of the Commissariat for Inner Russia Muslim Affairs. He supported the set-up of local Soviet authorities, campaigned against White Guards, proposed dissolution of anti-Soviet Muslim organizations and re-instatement of educational and research institutions. It was Vakhitov, who signed a regulation of the formation of the Tatar-Bashkir Soviet Republic, initiated the convocation of the first All-Russian Conference of Muslim Workers, and chaired the Executive Board of the Central Muslim Socialist Committee.

The sculptural portrait of Mullanur Vakhitov displayed here was made by Vasil Malikov, a Tatar sculptor, Merited Culture Activist and People’s Artist of the Tatar Autonomous Republic, a Merited Artist of the Russian Federation, a winner of the Musa Cälil Prize of the Tatar Regional Committee of the Komsomol and the Gabdulla Tukay Tatar Republic State Prize. He portrayed Vakhitov wearing a Cossack hat and a felt cloak, with a waist belt.