KAZAN KREMLIN

Inscribed on the UNESCO list of cultural heritage, the Kremlin is the jewel of Kazan. Built on a hill overlooking the Kazanka River, it was built to defend the Bulgarian state of Volga. It is at ^{XIIe siècle} that the first stone walls were built, before being destroyed 50 years later by the assault of the Golden Horde. When Ivan the Terrible took Kazan in 1552, the Kremlin underwent a complete metamorphosis, abandoning its oriental face with its mosques and minarets for a typically Russian architecture with its procession of cathedrals and domes. The last works were undertaken on the occasion of millénaire : the Church of the Annunciation was restored and a mosque was rebuilt. Today, it is the symbol of the model success story of Tatarstan, which has preserved its identity while integrating perfectly into the Russian Federation, even though the beginnings were chaotic (or at least, this is the official discourse).

The red brick tower of Suyumbike is among the most symbolically charged buildings of the place. With its 58 m, and its 7 floors, it is the highest tower in the Kremlin, but also the most emblematic. Legend has it that Ivan IV sent its emissaries to the Tatar Princess Syuyumbike to offer her the opportunity to become Tsarina of Moscow. She refused because of Moscow's numerous military raids on Kazan. Then, when the troops laid siege to the city, Syuyumbike accepted the marriage, provided that the Tsar was able to build a seven-storey tower higher than all the minarets in Kazan in seven days. The prince rose to the challenge and had the 58-meter high tower built. In the middle of the wedding feast, the bride expressed the desire to see her city one last time before leaving for Moscou : she climbed to the top of the tower and threw herself into the void. Less well known than the Tower of Pisa, the Syuyumbike tower is also 1.8 m high.

When Russia conquered Kazan at ^{XVIe siècle}, many mosques, including that of the Kremlin, were razed to the ground. The Qol Sharif Mosque, rebuilt in 2005, tried to follow the plan of the original mosque by erecting many minarets. Tulips, a motif inherited from Bulgarian traditions, symbolize rebirth and prosperity. This mosque is not strictly speaking reserved for worship. It is above all a research centre and a centre culturel : it houses a museum of the Islamic Culture of the Volga, a library and a museum of ancient manuscripts.