Kazan railway station

Kazan is not a well-known city outside of Russia, but this special autonomous region is actually the third capital of Russia, after Moscow and St Petersburg. The architecture and culture of Kazan are distinctively different from the rest of Russia, due to the ethnic Tatars. They don’t look very much different from ethnic Russians, but they have their own traditions and food. The origins of Tatars are closely related to Turks and Mongolians, who later formed their own territory in Tatarstan, a region in Russia, of which Kazan is the state capital.

Kazan kremlin

My first impressions of Kazan is that it is a beautiful city along the Volga river, the longest river in Europe. It flows through Central Russia to the Caspian Sea. The most prominent landmark in the city has to be the Kazan Kremlin, a whitewashed walled fortress in the middle of the city. Instead of a palace of cathedral in the Kremlin that is representative of the kremlins in other Russian cities, the one is Kazan is home to Qolsharif mosque. The Qolsharif Mosque located in Kazan Kremlin is among the most beautiful and biggest masaajid in Europe. Named after the Tatar imam who sacrificed his life while saving the city, the Qolsharif Masjid is located inside the walls of the kremlin. The inside of Qolsharif mosque was beautiful, filled with mosiac tiles and a roof that allowed some light to penetrate the building.

inside Qolsharif mosque

I met a group of Russian people who were visiting Kazan on their own and after asking them to help me to take a photo with the kremlin, they kindly invited me to join them to explore the city. I agreed as I had no plans for the afternoon and I do not mind meeting new people. There was one guy in the group who spoke better English and I could see that he was eager to practise English with me. He explained about the mosque, traditions of Muslims and a little history of the region. He is Azerbaijan-Russian, and is staying in Saratov which is about 700km away from Kazan. Saratov is still in Tatarstan region, and it was their first time visiting Kazan.

other buildings in the kremlin

After the kremlin, we took a walk around the surrounding area. The downtown area is easily accessible on foot. Kazan’s main shopping street is Bauman street, a pedestrainised street between the kremlin and Tokai square,  a place for cafe hopping or to get souvenirs. Around Tokai square, you can enjoy the view of Kaban lake and the fountains in front of the theatre. On a hot summer day when I visited, people were lazing around the lake on the grass, taking in the sunshine or renting a paddle boat to explore the lake. It is a very laidback place to people watch and spend a tranquil afternoon.

Kazan hosted the Universiade games in 2013, so there are many signs in English, including the metro, which is helpful for visitors. For the metro line, there is only one line with seven stations. I guess the metro is not really necessary within the city centre as everything is within walking distance. Since I stayed near Pobedy park across the bridge, I can take either a bus or a tram to the city centre.

A day well spent with my new Russian friends