This assemblage of historic timbered buildings, dating mainly from the 17th and 18th centuries, marks the quarter where ethnic Tatars were forced to live following the siege of Kazan in 1552. Little of the old settlement remains, though many houses still exhibit colourful, traditional decorations. The most significant building here is the Mardzhani Mosque (ul Kayuma Nasyri 17), dating from 1767. It was the first stone mosque permitted to be built within the city limits.
![Old Tatar Settlement in Kazan.](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2023-04/shutterstock_487405552.jpg?w=1920&h=640&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cedges&auto=format&q=75)
Shutterstock / den781
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.24 MILES
Kazan’s striking kremlin is home to government offices, pleasant parks, museums, the enormous Kul Sharif Mosque and other religious buildings. Among the…
0.25 MILES
Interactive museum dedicated to traditional Tatar food and drink, particularly sweet 'chak-chak', balls of dough that are baked in honey and served on…
0.5 MILES
Kazan's most unusual museum, packed with Soviet knick-knacks, is proof that Russia's socialist epoch fostered a lively contemporary cultural scene –…
1.43 MILES
The Kul Sharif Mosque was completed in 2005 and is named after the imam who died defending the city against the troops of Ivan the Terrible in 1552. The…
1.46 MILES
The attractive Annunciation Cathedral, built on on the foundations of a razed eight-minaret mosque, was designed by Postnik Yakovlev, who was also…
National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan
1.15 MILES
Opposite the kremlin’s main entrance, the National Museum occupies an ornate 1770 building and has a worthwhile archaeology collection as well as…
House of Zinaida Ushkova/Tatarstan National Library
0.83 MILES
This small but extraordinary library dates from the early years of the 20th century, when several mid-19th-century houses were united and restyled to give…
0.59 MILES
This impressive bell tower, standing some 74m high, is visible all along the pedestrian promenade of ul Baumana. The tower dates from the late 19th…
Nearby attractions
0.25 MILES
Interactive museum dedicated to traditional Tatar food and drink, particularly sweet 'chak-chak', balls of dough that are baked in honey and served on…
0.27 MILES
The Nurullah mosque, one of the most historic of the 41 surviving mosques in Kazan, has been rebuilt several times since 1849. A shop sells Islamic…
0.44 MILES
The Soltanov mosque, dating from 1867, is located near the central market in the Tatar quarter of town. The colourful interior has a rustic feel. Remove…
0.5 MILES
Kazan's most unusual museum, packed with Soviet knick-knacks, is proof that Russia's socialist epoch fostered a lively contemporary cultural scene –…
5. Epiphany Cathedral Bell Tower
0.59 MILES
This impressive bell tower, standing some 74m high, is visible all along the pedestrian promenade of ul Baumana. The tower dates from the late 19th…
6. House of Zinaida Ushkova/Tatarstan National Library
0.83 MILES
This small but extraordinary library dates from the early years of the 20th century, when several mid-19th-century houses were united and restyled to give…
0.95 MILES
This is Kazan’s most attractive Orthodox church, built between 1723 and 1726 to commemorate Peter the Great’s visit in 1722.
8. National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan
1.15 MILES
Opposite the kremlin’s main entrance, the National Museum occupies an ornate 1770 building and has a worthwhile archaeology collection as well as…