Merchant in the first guild, benefactor Suleiman Mukhametzyanovich Aitov

Merchant in the first guild Suleiman Mukhametzyanovich Aitov (01.02.1862 – 1922) continued the family business of selling raw materials and furs in Kazan, Siberia, Central Asia. The annual gross income of S.M. Aitov Kazan commercial enterprise alone exceeded 1 million rubles. The social status of the entrepreneur was correspondingly high­. From the beginning of the 1890s until 1917, he was elected as a councillor of the City Duma, ­he was an honorary member of children’s orphanages of the Kazan provincial trusteeship (1897-1917).
The merchant’s unresting public activity was repeatedly encouraged by the authorities. On January 30, 1897, he was awarded a dark bronze medal for his assistance in conducting a general census of the Tatars, and on January 9, 1898, he was awarded a gold medal on the Stanislavsky ribbon with the inscription “For Diligence”. For his donations in favor of the poor, on July 4, 1913, the entrepreneur earned the gratitude of the Empress; on February 21, 1913, he received the right to wear a light bronze medal honoring the 300th anniversary of the Romanovs’ dynasty reign.
The high credibility that the entrepreneur enjoyed in the trading community, allowed him to work actively in the banking structures. He was a member of the Loan and Discount Committee of the Kazan branch of the State Bank for commercial and industrial loans from 23.12.1898-1917. On January 1, 1904, he was awarded the gold medal on the Anna ribbon ­with the inscription “For Diligence”; on January 1, 1908, he was awarded the gold medal on the Vladimir ribbon with the inscription­ “For Diligence”; on January 1, 1916, he was awarded the gold medal “For Diligence” on the Aleksandr ribbon. He was also a member of the Kazan Merchant Bank board.
 S.M. Aitov was married to Fatiha Abdulvaleyevna Yausheva (1866 – 1942), the daughter of a trinity merchant millionaire. ­This woman is known in the history of the Tatar people because in 1916, she created the first national female grammar school in Kazan. S.M. Aitov built a beautiful brick construction especially for this educational institution and provided it with everything it needed. In general, the businessman held rather progressive views for his time. He strongly advocated the reform of the Tatar madrassas, participated in the creation of the first Muslim political party in Russia, the Muslim Union, and tried his best to finance all progressive initiatives in the life of the nation. S. M. Aitov was also a great benefactor, who did not spare money for God-pleasing causes. In 1898, he built the 2nd cathedral mosque in the Admiral settlement of the city of Kazan.
After the revolution, family members were persecuted. The merchant’s son, Ibrahim Suleimanovich Aitov, was twice sentenced to prison in 1929 and 1940. Another son, Yusuf, was also sent to the camps under a political article in 1937.