Introducing Kazan
Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan, home to the descendants of the nomadic Turkic tribe that wreaked particular havoc in ancient Rus. The atmosphere of this intriguing autonomous republic is redolent of Central Asia. The spires of many mosques dot the skyline - including the grand Kul Sharif Mosque inside the historic kremlin.
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Nationalism is strong here - as evidenced by the bilingual signposts and the ubiquitous green, white and red of the Tatar flag. Ethnic pride was particularly passionate in 2005, when the city celebrated 1000 years since its founding. Many parks and buildings received a massive makeover in anticipation of the celebration, so the city centre is looking better than ever.
Last updated: Mar 24, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Help Needed to Plan our trip
by EddyV 18 May 2012
I'd agree with most of the advice here. Forget Ekaterinburg and Nizhny Novgorod, try adding in Veliky Novgorod, Kazan, Tobolsk or Tomsk,…
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RE: Help Needed to Plan our trip
by jaoto 18 May 2012
>am curious as to why you chose Nizhny Novgorod as a place to stop. I would second the idea of visiting Kazan 4 reasons are the excurtion…
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RE: Help Needed to Plan our trip
by celticbhoy7 17 May 2012
Its possible to do absolutely everything yourself, it just depends on what you want. I've been to Russia three times and only used a company…
