Sights in Kazan
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A
Syuyumbike Tower
Nearby, the slightly leaning 59m-high Syuyumbike Tower is named after a long-suffering princess who was married to three successive khans. Ivan the Terrible launched his siege of Kazan as a result of Syuyumbike's refusal to marry him - according to legend. To save her city, the princess agreed to marry the tsar, but only if he could build a tower higher than any other mosque in Kazan in a week.
Unfortunately for Syuyumbike, the tower was completed, driving her to jump to her death from its upper terrace shortly thereafter. Today, the tower competes with a rival landmark inside the kremlin.
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B
Lenin State University
At the foot of Kremlyovskaya ul, you can't miss the overbearing classical façade of the main building of Lenin State University, where Vlad Ilych himself was a student. Across the street, the statue of a young Lenin looks like he's on his way to class. However, the plaques don't tell us that he was actually expelled from the university for revolutionary activity and questionable connections.
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C
Annunciation Cathedral
Completely renovated for the 2005 celebrations, the Annunciation Cathedral was originally designed by the same architect responsible for St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The new iconostasis - designed in the Pskov style - is similar to that of the Assumption Cathedral inside the Moscow Kremlin.
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D
SS Peter & Paul Cathedral
Of Kazan’s several Orthodox churches, the most attractive is the SS Peter & Paul Cathedral, whose unusual architecture and heavily decorated facade defy style classifications. Built between 1723 and 1726, it commemorates Peter the Great’s visit in 1722.
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E
Theophany Church Belfry
Another landmark is the huge redbrick Theophany Church Belfry. A small chapel inside is dedicated to Russia’s first musical idol – the early 20th-century opera singer Fyodor Chaliapin, who started his career in the church’s choir.
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F
National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan
Opposite the kremlin’s main entrance, the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan occupies an ornate 1770 building. The museum has a range of exhibits, from Tatar history to water and wildlife to local artists.
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G
Kul Sharif Mosque
The enormous Kul Sharif Mosque (town centre) was constructed on the site of a mosque by the same name, which was burnt and destroyed after Ivan the Terrible captured the city in 1552.
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H
Soltanov Mosque
Near the central market is the Soltanov mosque, dating from 1867.
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I
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J
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