At the end of the 13th century, a powerful Gold-Horde Tatar kingdom arose in the Volga region. The Tatars built several cities on the Volga, of which the main ones were Saray on Akhtuba (near Tsarev, Astrakhan province) and Uvek, near present-day Saratov. At the same time, on the left bank, 10 versts up from the place where Pokrovskaya Sloboda now stands, a Tatar settlement was formed under the name "Sara-tau."