The Kul Sharif Mosque is one of the most interesting sights of the Kremlin, is the Main Cathedral Mosque of Tatarstan and the city of Kazan.
In October 1552, the Russian army of Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) captured the capital of the Kazan Khanate (modern Tatarstan). At that moment, Seid Kul Sharif was one of the leaders who failary defended Kazan Khanate from that invasion. During the attack, all of defenders and Kul Sharif himself were killed in battle. As the result of the battle a big fire spread thought all the city and the main mosque also burned down and was destroyed.
In 1995 the President of Tatarstan, Mintimer Shaymiev signed an order to recreate the mosque.
The opening of the mosque took place on June 24, 2005, on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of Kazan. The new mosque is named after Seid Kul Sharif - the very same defender from Ivan IV.
The internal space of the mosque is designed for one and a half thousand people, and also there is a square for another ten thousand prayers in front of the mosque.
From Russia with , Sergey
Thanks for your attention, don’t forget to push on if you like my post here.
Es impresionante lo que compartiste, @SergeySud , la belleza de la mesquita me deja con la boca abierta. Lograron un efecto y una belleza que muy pocas veces se puede apreciar en construcciones modernas de sitios del pasado. Tienes un video del lugar para apreciarla desde otro ángulo ?.
La ciudad de Kazan cuenta con algún museo para visitar. Siempre me sorprendo, cuantas creaciones y bellos edificios existen en esa parte del mundo, hay ir a visitar esos lugares.
Saludos Farid, desde la Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Thank you for your appreciation. I am not shooting a video, but I want to share some more photos that allow you to see this amazing building from other angles.
Thank you for sharing this location and those amazing photos with us. Was this your first time there? What did you enjoy the most?
Congratulations for the photos, they are really breath-taking! The architecture, the colors, everything is incredible! The style and the richness of the ornaments, reminded me a bit of the ones of the mosques in Turkey.
Thanks for your attention. Indeed it was my first time visit there. What I enjoyed the most? The hospitality of local people. And almost freedom for traveling, means very secure day and night, all public open spaces (Kazan Kremlin territory, as an example) are open 24 hours. I liked local cuisine, as well. And architecture, both modern and antique are really beautiful.
By the way, it’s not too expensive place for traveling. Tatarstan is a part of Russian federation, so is not necessary to make a different visa for visiting. It’s just less than a 1.5 hours flight from Moscow, cost me just a 50€ for two ways ticket (it’s low-cost Pobeda airline). Accommodation is quite cheap as well. Hostel prices starts from 10€ and up. Airbnb prices starts from approximately 20€.
The view of the Volga river in Google Maps is impressive.
Thank you also for the additional information you gave at @BorrisS about the accommodation.
So I decided to check for the flight: Despite the length and the two stops (Venice - Vienna - Moscow - Kazan, in 10:50’) the price is incredibly at a low 350 €.
In summer ,some years ago I visited this nice city.I spent there 3 days. I had a lot of excellent impressions. Kazan is the third beautiful city in Russia after Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
I’ve been in depth of How-tos these days and unfortunately missed your post, which is amazing.
Thank you for sharing with us how cities in Russian Federation are looking now, and Kazan in particular. I am impressed of your photos.
When looking into your photos they remind me of how Grozny changed during the last years. May be I have mentioned that my family used to live there before. And I have seen photos from there taken by them during their “back to roots” vacation.
Russia is a multinational federation. Different peoples and different cultures and religions living together for many centuries. About 10% of Russia’s population practices Islam.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a topic in which I published photos of another beautiful mosque - The Moscow Cathedral Mosque. Therefore, taking this opportunity and the unexpected popularity of this topic, I want to re-show the magnificent Moscow Cathedral Mosque.
@SergeySud It is a nice post about the history of the beautiful Mosque. The outlook and the interior design of the mosque look different. Thanks to sharing this post with us…
This is amazing @SergeySud ! Never seen anything like this before, It took10 years to build and it is only 14 years old?
Do you have your Local Guides review link of this mosque and where is Tatarstan and Kazan in relation to where you live in Moscow to share with us here in the Connect community?
I hasten to share a link to my review of Kul Sharif Mosque. In the review, I decided not only to tell about my impressions but also to share the history of this place.
About the location.
The Republic of Tatarstan is a sovereign republic, the part of the Russian Federation. There are two official languages in the republic - Tatar and Russian.
Tatarstan is located in the center of the European part of Russia, at the confluence of two rivers - the Volga and Kama.
Perhaps the most famous brand of Tatarstan is Kamaz trucks. The Kamaz-Master team takes an active part in various rallies held in the world. Kamaz trucks became winners in the Dakar rally 14 times!
The city of Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan. Kazan is located east of Moscow at a distance of 800 km by road (720 km in a straight line). This is just over one hour flight.
Kazan is a venue for various international competitions. The city earned the right to host the 2013 Summer Universiade, a part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the 2019 WorldSkills Competition.
What an amazing post @SergeySud ! The architecture, the color, the richness of the details…everything looks just perfect. You did very good justice to your photography. Borris was right, the photos reminded me of Blue Mosque in Turkey as well. I don’t know if the mosque looks better in real, but the photos are making me want to go there right away. And the history that you have narrated is quite fascinating as well.
I understand it’s very reasonable to travel there, but only if Russia was a little less cold…
