The history of archaeological studies on the Bulgar fortified settlement site is briefly reviewed in the article. The first excavation on the site of the monument was made by V. G. Tiesenhausen in 1864. For more than 70 years to follow, the settlement was only sporadically worked on separate sites and objects. The systematic archaeological study of Bulgar headed by A.P. Smirnov started in 1938, and is going on at present. The stratigraphic scale of Bulgar has been developed, which is successfully applied to the study of all Volga Bulgaria monuments. Excavation materials are reflected in various publications, including five books of essays “The City of Bulgar” and in the collection of maps entitled “The Great Bulgar” (2013). Starting 2010, a program for the preservation of the Bulgar fortified settlement site as a museum complex came into effect. Recent studies are conducted using modern technologies, in particular, non-destructive geophysical and aerospace methods.