The legend of the falling tower, or the unofficial guide to Kazan

The majestic Qolsharif Mosque, the famous Queen Sujumbike falling tower, the Bulak Canal and, of course, the Kazan Kremlin, are included in the sightseeing tour of Tatarstan’s capital prepared by the participants of the “You be the Reporter” project.

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© Photo : Yelena Safonova

The Kazan Kremlin is Kazan’s crown jewel. It’s all about the history, the soul and the throbbing heart of the city.

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© Photo : Yelena Safonova

The Qolsharif Mosque in the Kazan Kremlin was built in 2005 on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the city. It is now Tatarstan’s main mosque. It was built in place of the old mosque. Qolsharif was the name of the chief mullah in the Kazan Khanate, a Muslim religious scholar and enlightener. Qolsharif died during the campaign against Kazan undertaken by Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1552.

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© Photo : Yelena Safonova

There is a monument to the Russian and the Tatar architects in a public park located off the south side of the Annunciation Cathedral. The composition was designed by sculptors Alexander Golovachyov and Vladimir Demchenko and architect Rustem Zabirov as a monument to the architects who built the Kremlin. The monument was unveiled in 2003.

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© Photo : Yelena Safonova

The famous Queen Sujumbike falling tower was built in the late 17th century and is 58 meters tall. As legend would have it, Tsar Ivan the Terrible found out about the beauty of the Kazan ruler Sujumbike and proposed to her. Sujumbike refused. Outraged, Ivan the Terrible besieged the city threatening to destroy it unless Sujumbike agreed to become his wife. To save the city, Sujumbike agreed on the condition that a seven-tier tower be built by the tsar within seven days. The tower was supposedly built within a week but Sujumbike couldn’t bear to marry the tsar and jumped off the top of the tower.

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© Photo : Yelena Safonova

A gate featuring the images of the sun, the half-moon and the Zodiac signs was built in the Sujumbike Tower in 2004.

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© Photo : Yelena Safonova

The Spasskaya Tower of the Kazan Kremlin is an architectural monument of the 17th century. It serves as the main entrance to the Kazan Kremlin.

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© Photo : Yelena Safonova

The northernmost Tainitskaya Tower was built by Postnik Yakovlev and Ivan Shiryay in the 16th century.

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© Photo : Yelena Safonova

The National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan is located next to the Kremlin (right side of the photo).

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© Photo : Yelena Safonova

The Bulak Canal, which used to separate uptown from downtown, was built near the Kremlin. There are six bridges across the Bulak Canal.

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© Photo : Oxana Kusova

The Petropavlovsky Cathedral is one of the city’s spiritual symbols. Abundant and brightly painted facade decorations give the cathedral a unique look.

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© Photo : Oxana Kusova

The cathedral and the bell tower were designed in the Russian, aka Naryshkin, Baroque style, which was popular in Russia in the late 17th and first half of the 18th century.

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© Photo : Oxana Kusova

At 74 meters, the Epiphany Bell Tower is the city’s highest old building beautifully decorated with regular and radial bricks.