Kul Sharif Mosque

Circle the square. From its centre you can appreciate the symmetry of the minarets. Close up, look for the rhythm of the pointed arches.

Getting there

Spasskaya Tower › Sheynkmana Passage › Riding Hall › Mosque square

Pass through the Spasskaya Gate and follow the cobbles of Sheynkmana Passage. Turn left at the single-storey Riding Hall and go around it. Beyond the long façades of the former cadet school is the mosque square.

From the edge of the square you can see the turquoise minarets alongside the austere school buildings.

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History

Kazan had a many-minareted mosque in the 16th century. Its imam, Kul Sharif, wrote poetry and led the defence of part of the city during the assault of 1552. The mosque was destroyed. Four and a half centuries later, a new mosque honouring him rose on the grounds of the former cadet school. Built between 1996 and 2005, it opened in the year Kazan celebrated its millennium. Look at the pointed arches on its eight sides. The architects arrived at that shape by laying one square over another and turning it through 45 degrees.

Sources

55.79809, 49.10518

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