© The authors. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to create a more complete picture of the conversion of the nomadic peoples of Eurasian steppes, namely, the Volga Bulgars living in VIII-X centuries, to a strict sedentarization while statehood was being formed and new religion - Islam was being spread. The objective of the article is to analyze the available sources, enabling to specify the chronological framework of sedentarization of Bulgars, which at the end of IX - beginning of X centuries resulted in the emergence of stationary settlements, including cities. The multidisciplinary approach to the problem is the leading one in this article. It involves synthesis of data provided by a number of sciences in order to obtain complete information. The article presents the results of the analysis of written sources contained in the works of Oriental authors dated back to X century, archaeological and numismatic materials. The article submissions may be worthwhile in studies conducted by scholars researching Bulgars and scientists involved in researching the general issues of the history of nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples of medieval Eurasia.