 It was first explored in 1870 by A. I. Stoyanov.The settlement, graves and tumuli belonged to the Volga Bulgars or the Volga Vikings ("Rūsiyyah") in the 9th-10th centuries, and to the Golden Horde nomads in the 13th-14th centuries.It has been suggested that it was at Balymer that Ibn Fadlan witnessed the funeral of one of the Rus' chieftains (a ship burial involving human sacrifice).