After 21 hours on the river, we saw four minarets on the horizon. While our boat cruised further down the Volga, the picture became more complete: impressive white Kremlin walls surrounding presidential palaces, an orthodox cathedral as well as a huge modern mosque. Kazan feels a bit like Istanbul, a bit like Moscow – with some Asiatic chaos mixed in.
Tatarstan is the most autonomous region of the Russian Federation, sporting its own language, flag, capital, elections and president (who has to be approved by Moscow though) and it is certainly one of the most interesting ones. 52% of the roughly 3.8 million inhabitants are Sunnis. The city has a very international flair and lots of young people. Lenin himself studied at Kazan university, which is still one of the most renowned in Russia. And on our first day in town, there were lots and lots of wedding couples taking pictures around the city center – both Christian and Muslim. And even a non-Muslim bride chose the mosque as the backdrop for her wedding pictures!
The city was certainly worth the detour – as it lies south of the main TransSib line – but we are looking forward to getting to Siberia.
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