Yelabuga (Russian: Ела́буга; Tatar Cyrillic: Алабуга, Latin: Alabuğa) is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the right bank of the Kama River and 200 kilometers (120 mi) east from Kazan. Population: 70,728 (2010 Census);[3] 68,663 (2002 Census);[5] 53,537 (1989 Census).[6]
The former name of the city was Alabuga. Its history dates back to the 10th century, when a Volga Bulgarian border castle, the so-called Alamir-Sultan castle was built by Bulgarian Khan Ibrahim in 985 CE. The castle was built on the place of the legendary tomb of Alamir-Sultan (Alexander the Great «Macedonian»). The name ‘Alabuga’ originally referred to the tower of the castle, later the whole city was named Alabuga.[7] The castle was later abandoned, and its remains are now known as Şaytan qalası (Shaytan’s castle). In the second half of the 16th century, a Russian village was founded on the same spot.
