Kazan

Friday 11 August

Today we arrived in the vibrant and delightful town of Kazan. Talk about a surprise: the older parts are clean, neatly painted or decorated and beautifully restored; the newer parts are modern, well appointed and stylish without being too exaggerated or overstated. Given the turbulent history of Kazan, the outcome is a wonderful credit to the people of the region to have such a happy, family friendly city that provides them a truly enjoyable lifestyle.

Kazan is the ancient capital of Tartarstan Republic and lies at the confluence of the Volga & Kazanka Rivers. There is a long and turbulent history of the relationship between the Tartars, Cossacks and Russians.

Kazan was originally inhabited by Muslim -Bulgars. They were early descendants of the current modern Muslim Tatar population and distant descendants of Genghis Khan and lived along the trade route on the Volga between Scandinavia and Baghdad.

In early times, the city bazaar was known as Taş Ayaq (Stone Leg) and was the most important trade center in the region, especially for furniture. Craft-based manufacturing also thrived, as the city gained a reputation for its leather and gold goods, as well as for the opulence of its palaces and mosques. The citadel and Bolaq channel were reconstructed, giving the city a strong defensive capacity. The Russians managed to occupy the city briefly several times.

This medieval state known as Kazan khanate[1] was making constant plundering raids on neighbouring Russia. Slavery in Kazan Khanate was legal with the number of slaves being up to 10% of the population. Most of the slaves were Russian people who were captured during raids. All captured men were forced to convert to Islam; otherwise they could be killed or sold into slavery to other Muslim countries.

In 1552, Ivan the Terrible conquered the city and massacred the majority of the population and about 8,000 slaves were set free.During the subsequent governorship of Alexander Gorbatyi-Shuisky, most of the khanate's Tatar residents were killed or forcibly Christianized the Kerashen Tatars. Mosques and palaces were ruined.

Today the population is about 1.1 million and consists of almost equal proportions of peoples of the Muslim faith (Sunni Muslim) and Russian Orthodox faith.

First we visited the city’s Kremlin. Kremlin literality means fortress.
Kazan Kremlin contains many buildings within its walls.

It was built at the behest of Ivan the Terrible on the ruins of the former castle of Kazan khans. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 2000.

This UNESCO monument with its high white stone walls is situated in the heart of the city and contains a number of large important buildings and a real model of the peaceful coexistence of two religions; Muslim and Russian Orthodox religion.

The walled Kazan Kremlin contains many building for different purposes and many unique architectural designs

The white walls and towers were constructed in 17th & 18th centuries and have renovated in the last few years

The view from the entrance to the Kazan Kremlin with the Kazanka River in the background.

The plaque is in honour of Russian soldiers from WWII who died in German POW camps

The Spasskaya Tower has the 5 pointed star at the top of its spire

The Spasskaya Tower at the southern end of the Kremlin and serves as the main entrance.

The Spasskaya Tower is named after the Spassky Monastery, which used to be located nearby. The monastery's buildings dated back to 1560 but were destroyed by the Communists during Joseph Stalin's rule.

We first visited the Kul Sharif mosque. It is the largest mosque in Europe and was recently rebuilt

Central foyer

A model of the mosque is in the foyer

A copy of a verse from the Qur'an written in gold

Windows in the central dome give lots of natural lighting

A beautiful chandelier hangs from the domed roof

The main area viewed from the upper balcony

Volunteer Iman recite the Qur'an 24 hours a day over the radio & PA system, except during Friday prayers.

The grounds surrounding the mosque have good city views.

Soyembike is a leaning tower. The apex is 1.92m off vertical. The guides claim that is still quite safe.

The Winged Snow Leopard is the Symbol of Kazan. The weather vanes wren on many towers

The Annunciation Cathedral is the leading Russian Orthodox church in Kazan.

The icon of Kazan.

The Governor's House (1843-53) was designed by Konstantin Thon who was the official Russian architect during the reign of Nicholas I. This building is now the Palace of the President of Tatarstan. The Palace is believed to be located on the site of a former Khan's palace. Tucked between Presidential Palace and Söyembikä Tower is the palace church built on the foundation of a medieval mosque.

View of Kremlin from across the Kazanka River

The Kazan Family Center - looking from the Kremlin

Kazan literarily means Bowl. The Kazan Family Center is contemporary symbol of the city in the shape of a huge bowl is a tastefully designed art form that symbolises peace and harmony; it is also a very practical building used for church & memorial services. Weddings are often held here every summer (Up to 4 at the one time).

It is located on the opposite bank of the Kazanka River, a park with original sculptures of mythical dragons said to be a legendary Tatar creature surrounds the large bowl shaped center.

Our guide Marina & Di

In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the right to brand itself as the "Third Capital" of Russia. In 2009 it was chosen as the "Sports capital of Russia" and it still is referred to as such. The city hosted the 2013 Summer Universidad, 2014 World Fencing Championships, the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, and is one of the host cities for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The sports complex looking from the Kremlin

In addition to the Kremlin and its historical areas, Kazan has undertaken extensive renovation by modernizing its airport, fixing the streets, enhancing public transport, and adopting Russian, English, and Tatar languages in all transportation, large stores, and shopping centers.

This is Carl Marx ‘s statue , situated in Freedom Square.

During World War II, many industrial plants and factories to the west were relocated in Kazan, making the city a center of the military industry, producing tanks and planes. After the war Kazan consolidated as an industrial and scientific center. This jet plane was on display in the aerospace precinct in the university grounds.

Staro-Tatarskaya Sloboda is an old Tatar settlement on the left bank of Lake Kaban. It is a well-preserved historical area with clean & colourful walking streets in one of the oldest areas in the city. Al Mardzhani mosque is stone mosque that dates from the 18^th century.

Many painted and well maintained mansions, houses and restaurants are located in the area and locals regard the area a space of Tatar spiritual and cultural traditions.

A school for talented young musicians gave an hour-long concert. They each could play a couple of different musical instruments and attended this special school where they learnt music intensively in addition to their normal curriculum. We were very impressed with the whole performance; the musical pieces they played were not only particularly difficult but also very professionally performed. Everyone appreciated the efforts they had made to provide us with such a high quality performance - especially being on their summer vacation!

This little girl was 11 and played the flute beautifully

A city park had creative displays where the gardeners gave much enjoyment to young and old.

The theater opposite the park was establishment that had entertainment for and performances children and younger people.

We spent our remaining time strolling and relaxing in Bauman St; a centrally located pedestrian only street with cafes, souvenir shops and small retail businesses. A fountain is situated at the top of the street and was sculpted by local artist, Igor Bashmakov. It portrays a Tatar folk story. Further down was the Church of Epiphany with an attractive bell tower and many of shops were quite interesting - even McDonalds was designed to not look out of place.