The relevance of the problem is defined by the value of the cultural and historical experience of interaction between Islamic and Christian civilizations in the Volga region to form the cultural dialogue at the present stage. Besides, the reference to the historical experience of the cultural dialogue is dictated by the need to design a concept of the cultural development of multinational Russia. The purpose of the article is to show the role of education and enlightenment in the formation of inter-ethnic and inter-faith dialogue in the Volga region. Objectives of the study and features of the studied material -was what determined the choice of a comparative and historical method and the concrete analysis as the main research methods which most completely reveal the methodological principle of historicism. The article emphasizes the main stages of the cultural dialogue in the Volga region and reveals that at the traditions revival stage the experience of cross-cultural interaction of the second half of 19 th -the beginning of the 20 th centuries, including in the field of education and enlightenment is used. The materials of the article can be useful for creating-generalizing works on Russian history and cultural history of the people of Russia, for students` educational work as well as for administrative decision-making in the social and cultural spheres.