External features of the structure. Syuyumbike Tower: tour of the interior

The Syuyumbike Tower is one of the most popular attractions in Kazan, along with the entire Kazan Kremlin and the Kul Sharif Mosque. However, its popularity is caused not so much by its historical past as by one attribute: the Syuyumbike tower is one of the leaning towers with a deviation of the projection of the spire (the highest point of the tower) by almost 2 meters (1.98 m). Thanks to this, the Syuyumbike Tower is popular not only among Russian tourists, but also extremely famous throughout the world.

The Syuyumbike Tower is a seven-tier conical building, built of red brick with a total height of 58 meters. It is located inside the Kazan Kremlin complex on Kazan Hill.

Architecture of the Syuyumbike tower

The Syuyumbike Tower is recognized as the architectural symbol of Kazan, and its outlines are recognizable, perhaps, throughout the world. All this is thanks to the successful structure of the tower, which delights even the most demanding aesthetes.

As was written above, the Syuyumbike tower is leaning - it is tilted towards the northeast. However, unlike the Leaning Tower of Pisa - the world's first largest tower of inclination - Syuyumbike continued to fall slowly but surely until the 1990s. It was strengthened only after the slope exceeded one and a half meters.

The tower itself is a seven-story building and a spire with a gilded crescent. The first, lowest tier is the widest with an arch in the middle. The second tier is also quadrangular and smaller in height and width than the first. The third, also a quadrangular tier, is smaller in width than the second and has small windows. The fourth and fifth tiers also decrease in width, but, unlike the lower three, are octagonal in shape. The sixth and seventh tiers are a watchtower (seventh tier) with a “stand” for it. All this ends with a green spire and a crescent moon on it.

Inside the tower there is a spiral staircase leading to a watchtower.

In general, the architecture of the Syuyumbike tower is made in a fairly strict style, mostly reminiscent of Moscow Baroque.

History of the Syuyumbike Tower

The history of the tower's construction is the biggest mystery surrounding it. There are still numerous disputes among archaeological specialists not only about the specific year of construction of the Syuyumbike tower, but even about the era when it was erected, as well as about its original belonging to the Tatar people or the Russians during the reign of Ivan the Terrible.

If we adhere to the first hypothesis - that it originally belonged to the Tatar people - then it is generally accepted that it was built in the period from the 12th to the 15th centuries as a watchtower fortress during the time of the Kazan Khanate and was then called “Khan Manarasy” (“Khan’s Minaret” ). In this case, the Syuyumbike Tower is the last surviving monument of Tatar architecture in the city of Kazan.

According to the second version, the most popular hypothesis today remains the construction of the tower immediately after Ivan the Terrible’s conquest of Kazan. Then the king gave the order to build it within 7 days. It is because of the great rush in construction that it is believed that a number of gross construction errors were made, the main one being that the foundation was too shallow (no more than one and a half meters), as a result of which the tower tilted today.

One of the latest excavations shows that in reality the tower was built much later than the existence of the Kazan Khanate - in the 17th century. However, other excavations made it possible for archaeologists to see an earlier time of its construction - the 12th - 15th centuries. Many historians are also inclined to believe that before the construction of the Syuyumbike tower, already in the 17th century another structure stood in its place, and the tower was built on part of the foundation of this old building. That is why, according to the same historians, the tower leaned in the direction where there is no old foundation, and the soil does not support the weight of the tower.

In any case, guidebooks and most tour guides in Kazan today are of the opinion that the construction of the Syuyumbike tower was dated in the 17th century.

Who is Syuyumbike?

Syuyumbike was the daughter of Khan Yunus. In 1533, she was brought to the city of Kazan, where she was married to Khan Jan-Ali (1533-1535). Then, as a result of the uprising in 1535, Jan-Ali was killed by the people, and Syuyumbike, after not waiting long, married Safa-Girey (1535-1549), living with him longer than with other husbands. After the death of Safa-Girey, Syuyumbike formally became the regent (mother of the young king) of the Kazan Khanate. Her son Utyamysh was too young to rule the Khanate, so power passed to Syuyumbike. However, in fact, the khanate was ruled by the Crimean angler Koshchak, a supporter of the independence of Kazan.

In 1552, after the conquest of Kazan, Tsar Ivan the Terrible forcibly married Syuyumbike to Khan Shah-Ali, the brother of her first husband, who took her to Moscow. Some historians today talk about the difficult subsequent life of Syuyumbike: Shah-Ali constantly abused her with physical torture, however, there is no written evidence of this.

Syuyumbike lived with her last husband until the end of her life.

Until recently, there were other spellings of the name Syuyumbike: Syuyumbek and Syuyumbek. However, the dispute was resolved by the Tatar Encyclopedic Dictionary, which designated the name in its current form.

Legends about the Syuyumbik tower

There are several legends, one way or another connected with the Syuyumbike tower. All of them are connected with the controversial history of the construction of the tower, however, as it is believed, none of them is true.

The most popular and beloved among tourists coming to Kazan is the legend about the origin of the tower at the request of Queen Syuyumbike. According to legend, when Tsar Ivan the Terrible conquered Kazan, he forced Syuyumbike to marry him. The queen, in turn, understood that in case of refusal, Grozny, in anger, could exterminate the entire Tatar people, but it was important for her not to marry the conqueror of Kazan. Therefore, she asked the conqueror to build a tower of seven tiers in seven days. However, after her condition was met, she climbed onto the seventh tier of the tower and jumped off it, as a result of which she fell to her death. After this, the Tatar people nicknamed the tower in her honor.

According to another legend, the reason for the construction of the Syuyumbike tower is more prosaic: it was built under the leadership of Syuyumbike herself after the death of her second husband Safa Giray and in honor of him.

There is also an interesting legend regarding the gilded ball at the peak of the tower that was there originally. According to legend, the chronicles of the Kazan Khanate, written by the khans themselves, were kept there. However, when examining the ball, nothing was found in it, although eyewitnesses talk about holes in it, suggesting that the documents may have been stolen.

Address: Kazan Kremlin

Slender silhouette of red brick Syuyumbike towers has long become the architectural emblem and calling card of Kazan. Located in the northern part of the Kremlin territory, it is its most mysterious and legendary structure.

Its silhouette directed upward is clearly visible from everywhere - from the Kirov and Lenin dams, from the territory of the Embankment, and from Zarechye. And the noticeable tilt of the “leaning” tower to the northeast makes it the most unique and original landmark of Kazan. The tower looks especially impressive when illuminated at night.

Origin of the tower

No written sources indicating the time of construction of the tower and its original purpose have been found. Tentatively, its construction is associated with the late 17th - early 18th centuries. In any case, on the city plan dating back to the 18th century, the tower is already indicated as entrance gate the commandant's courtyard, where the former khan's palace was previously located.

Built from large red baked bricks, the Syuyumbike tower is considered by many historians lookout. Its similarity with the Borovikovskaya Tower, located in the Moscow Kremlin, indicates, as some researchers believe, the Moscow authorship of this structure. However, other historians recognize the tower's Tatar origin, relying mainly on Muslim traditions. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, Muslims could often be seen kneeling to pray at the foot of the tower. It is unlikely that they would pray near a structure of Russian origin.

Famous Russian historian N.P.Zagoskin suggested at one time that the first three quadrangular tiers are of Tatar origin, and were probably the entrance gate to the khan's courtyard, and the upper octahedrons could have been completed much later.

Queen Syuyumbike

Who is she - this famous Syuyumbike, whose name is the most mysterious tower of Kazan? The famous ruler of the Kazan Khanate dates back to Edigei, creator Nogai Horde- She was his great-great-granddaughter. Syuyumbike was destined to be the wife of several successive Kazan khans, thus finding herself at the epicenter of the political struggle between opponents and supporters of connections with Moscow, which intensified in the last years of the existence of the Kazan Khanate.

A 12-year-old girl, daughter of the Nogai biy - Syuyumbike becomes his wife for the first time Jan-Ali. This was the Kazan Khan, a protege of Moscow, instead of the previously ruled Safa-Girey, who was overthrown from the throne. This political marriage did not bring happiness to the young spouses. Moreover, Jan-Ali did not please the majority of the Kazan government. And in 1535, a political coup occurred, as a result of which Jan-Ali was killed. Returns to the vacated throne Safa-Girey, who received as a challenge prize the young queen Syuyumbike, who becomes the fifth wife of the ruler. This marriage was more successful and harmonious, marked by the birth of a son, Utyamysh.

But the unexpected death of Safa-Girey in 1549 turns Syuyumbike into the regent of their minor son. So she becomes queen of the Kazan Khanate. Her reign did not last long; already in 1551 she and her son were forcibly taken from Kazan. These events are described in the Kazan chronicle.

Arrived in Kazan by order of Ivan the Terrible Prince Silver announced to the queen that she was henceforth a captive of the Moscow sovereign. Everything is the will of Allah, said Syuyumbike and fell unconscious. After remaining in custody for 10 days, Syuyumbike, her son and the Khan’s treasury were transferred to Moscow.

On the eve of her departure, she visited the grave of Safa-Girey, her untimely deceased husband. About desperate crying Syuyumbike, who brought tears even to her guards, there were legends about her appeals to her deceased husband and protector. The whole city came to see her off to the pier. The queen bowed low to the people and the city, regretting the former greatness and power of Muslim Kazan.

A protege from Moscow again became the Tsar of Kazan Sheikh Ali, but he left the throne at the beginning of 1552, even before the siege of the city by the troops of Ivan the Terrible. It was to Sheikh-Ali that Queen Syuyumbike was forcibly given away for the third time in 1553. They lived in Kasimov- Sheikh Ali estate. The former queen did not live long with her unloved husband. She died in 1557 and her burial place is unknown. But Sheikh Ali lived until 1566 and was buried in the mausoleum he had built in advance.

Son of Queen Syuyumbike Utyamysh was taken to the royal court for education. He was baptized at the Chudov Monastery and named Alexander. He took part in the campaign against Polotsk in 1563. In the chronicles he was called Tsar Alexander. At the age of 20, he died and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin with worthy honors.

Tower architecture

The five-tiered (or seven-tiered) Kazan tower soars upward, distinguished by its exquisite proportions and impeccable architectural completeness of strict forms. It is compositionally built from three different heights tetrahedrons, which rise in ledges. Two confidently rest on them octagon. And the composition is completed by a slender faceted tent with a watchtower topped with a spire.

The spire in turn ends golden apple. For a long time it was believed that the apple contained unknown documents dating back to the Khan period. In the 30s of the 19th century, the apple was removed and studied, but there were no documents in it. Brick tent And watchtower often considered the sixth and seventh tiers of the tower. And the entire height of the structure is about 60 meters. From the windows of a small watch room there is a magnificent panorama of Kazan, its environs, Kazanka and the Volga.

Most likely, the tower was built after all as travel card. Its lower tier has a travel arch, decorated with beautiful swing gates, decorated with a half-sun and a half-moon.

The lower tier is decorated with columns on both sides of the arch. The side facades are equipped with small doors, located one on each. These doors lead to the internal staircases. Gulbishcha, formed by a stepped-tiered construction of tetrahedrons, are decorated with parapets, which are decorated with simple, but not repeating in each tier, details.

In 1730, the tower spire was decorated with the country's coat of arms - double headed eagle, which after the revolution was replaced by crescent. The fact is that in 1918 the Syuyumbike Tower was officially given to Muslims as a national historical monument. But, in the 30s, at the height of the anti-religious struggle, the crescent was removed. Only in the late 80s was it returned to the spire.

The architectural form of the tower, which is a symbol of Kazan, was completely reproduced by the architect Shchusev during the construction of the Kazan station in Moscow.

Tower Legends

Many legends and tales tell about the Syuyumbik tower. One of them says that a pious Muslim is buried here, from whose skull flows Tainitsky spring, this legend attracts numerous pilgrims.

Another version says that in this place there was the grave of one of the last khans of the Kazan Khanate Safa-Gireya, who died in 1549. Queen Syuyumbike, his wife mourning him, ordered the construction of a grandiose mausoleum over her husband's grave. And when Russian troops besieged the city, she committed suicide by throwing herself down from the tower.

But the most famous legend, sung in poetry, prose and fine art, is legend of the Proud Queen. They say that Syuyumbike was famous for her amazing beauty, intelligence and pride. Hearing about her, Ivan the Terrible sent envoys to her with a marriage proposal. The proud beauty refused the offer of the Russian Tsar. And then Ivan went with a detachment to Kazan to take the city and the queen by force. Saving the city from ruin, the queen gave her consent to the Russian Tsar, but with one condition - that the tallest tower in the city be built within seven days. The craftsmen worked day and night and met the time required by the queen. But in the midst of the wedding festivities, Syuyumbike wanted to admire her beloved city from the height of the new tower and say goodbye to it. Rising to its highest platform, the proud queen threw herself down onto the stones.

But we know that the queen died in Kasimov much later than the indicated time. Where did such a legend come from? We are not destined to know this. Maybe, as one Tatar poet wrote, people invented the legend in order to preserve the honor of their hometown...

In any case, the Syuyumbike tower glorious symbol and the famous monumental landmark of Kazan.

The Syuyumbike Tower in Kazan is one of the “leaning” towers existing in the world, 2 meters higher than the Pisa Tower (58 m). It is as much a symbol of the city as the Kremlin itself and the recently built Kul Sharif Mosque.

The peculiarity of the tower is in its architecture. It consists of three rectangular tiers with galleries and parapets and four octagonal tiers. Once upon a time, its spire was crowned with an “apple” - a golden ball, as it was believed, where ancient Muslim documents were kept. To check this legend, in 1830 the ball was removed, and it turned out that it was made of brass and empty inside - this is how the most popular myth was debunked.

The history of the Syuyumbike tower still causes heated debate among experts. Most often, the year of construction is called 1645-1650. Professor S. Shpilevsky, one of the authoritative local historians and archaeologists of the 19th century, believed that it was of Tatar origin, while his contemporary Tatar ethnographer Kayum Nasyri was sure that it was erected after the conquest of Kazan. In the 70s. In the 20th century, under the leadership of archaeologist Alfred Khalikov, excavations were carried out near the foundation of Syuyumbike, as a result of which the scientist came to the conclusion that it appeared no earlier than the last quarter of the 17th century. Nearby they discovered an older foundation dating back to a watchtower of the 12th-15th centuries, on which a new one was partially erected, which is why the tilt occurred. A special set of measures made it possible to prevent further “fall”.

The decorative appearance of the tower corresponds to the spirit of the Moscow school, but its facade and silhouette corresponds to the traditions of Kazan-Tatar art - stalactite capitals, minaret-like completion, decorative three-quarter columns.

The Legend of the Syuyumbik Tower

Every resident of Kazan knows the legend about the Tatar queen Syuyumbika. Ivan the Terrible, seeing a portrait of the beautiful Khansha, fell in love with her and decided to make her his queen. To which he received a refusal, which became the reason for the campaign against Kazan. After a long siege, Russian troops took the city, and the Tsar demanded consent to the marriage. The cunning Syuyumbike set one condition: that in seven days he build a tower as beautiful and slender as the Khansha herself. On the same day, the craftsmen erected one tier at a time and completed it on time. Syuyumbike rose to the very top, looked around at her native expanses and rushed down. After this, the tower received the name of the brave Khansha.

But this, of course, is just a beautiful legend. In fact, after two marriages, Syuyumbike married for the third time to Shah Ali, the brother of her first husband, who ascended the khan’s throne, and went with him to Kasimov, where she died in old age. According to sources, all this happened before the conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible.

A little further from its ancient walls, there is a tower that attracts the eyes of tourists with its unusual appearance. She has a very noticeable slope, and the audience gets the impression that in a moment they will witness her crushing fall. But minutes, years and even centuries pass, and the tower remains motionless.

Death of the Tsar's Bride

An ancient legend says that, having conquered Kazan in 1552, Ivan the Terrible wished to marry the Tatar queen Syuyumbike, the beautiful widow of Khan Safa Giray, who died on the walls of the city. In case of refusal, he threatened to take out his anger on all her people. Wanting to save her compatriots, the queen gave her consent, but on the condition that a seven-tier tower would be built for her within 7 days.

Tower in a week?! Is it a joke! However, there is nothing to be done. The king gave the command, and work began to boil. Somehow we managed it on time. You can’t spoil Ivan Vasilyevich - a scaffold with an ax is always at hand, so to speak, for greater motivation. In a hurry, however, they messed up a little, but there was no time to redo it.

And then the unexpected happened. On the eve of the wedding day, the royal bride climbed to the very top of the tower, spread her white little arms and rushed down from a terrible height. She died, but did not go down the aisle by force. Since then, they began to call this tower “Syuyumbike” in honor of the beautiful widow. At first they were upset that it tilted painfully to one side, but when they heard about the world fame of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, they cheered up - and here, they say, it’s no worse. Make a mess, they say, and we are masters.

Another version of the legend

There is another legend about the Syuyumbik tower, and many consider it more plausible, although less romantic. According to this version, there was no sexual harassment on the part of the Tsar-Father (tea, not some Weinstein), but the Khan’s widow Syuyumbike simply ordered to build a tower in memory of her late husband Safa Giray.

And her beloved did not die on the battlefield, but was poisoned by his own courtiers who were trying to stage a coup. It is unknown how it happened or otherwise, but since then the “leaning” tower of Syuyumbike (it received such a beautiful name among the people) competes with the famous Pisan Tower and is one of the attractions of the Tatar capital.

Documents lost in the fire

These are legends, but what is the real story of the Syuyumbike tower? Hearing this question, the pundits just shrug their shoulders. The fact is that no historical documents have survived to this day that shed light on the appearance of such an unusual architectural monument in Kazan. All of them were once kept in Moscow and were the property of the so-called Order of the Kazan Palace. But in 1701, the capital was engulfed in a terrible fire, in which documents related to the administration of Kazan were destroyed. As for the Tatar archives dating back to the period of the possible construction of the Syuyumbike tower, they were all destroyed during the assault on the city by the troops of Ivan the Terrible in 1552.

In this regard, the question of when, by whom and under what circumstances the tower was built remains unanswered. Even its approximate dating is controversial. In discussions that have been going on for many years, the 17th and 18th centuries are often mentioned, but a number of researchers believe that this could have happened even before 1552, that is, during the period of the Kazan Khanate.

Khan who survived exile

Having started the article with the legends about the Syuyumbik tower, which are the product of popular imagination, it is appropriate to cite several hypotheses belonging to learned men. The author of one of them - the most popular today - is Professor N.P. Zagoskin, who taught at the Kazan Imperial University even before the revolution. According to his version, the construction of the tower is associated with the names of two historical figures - the Tatar Khan Mohammed-Amin and the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III.

The fact is that in the second half of the 15th century, the Kazan Khanate was engulfed in a bloody war between contenders for the khan’s throne. One of them, still young at that time, Mohammed-Amin, saving his life, took advantage of the shelter provided to him in Moscow by Ivan III. It just so happened that the young man caught the heart of the Grand Duke, and in 1487 he helped him seize power.

Kazan brainchild of an Italian architect

Remembering the prince's beneficence, the khan decided, by building a mosque, to perpetuate in stone the peaceful alliance concluded during his reign between Kazan and Moscow. For this purpose, Mohammed-Amin again turned to his benefactor with a request to send at his disposal an Italian architect who lived in Moscow and was known to him for the construction of the Kremlin, which was carried out during his stay in the capital.

Thus, the author of the Syuyumbike tower project could be the famous Italian architect, who decorated many European cities with his works, or one of his students. This hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that its architectural appearance is in many ways similar to other creations of the master, and if it is correct, then the construction of the tower should be attributed to the end of the 15th century. At the same time, the upper part of the structure was rebuilt in the 18th century, due to the fact that the former mosque, built by Khan Mohammed-Amin and called Nur-Ali, was turned into an Orthodox church.

Hypothesis about the Russian roots of the Kazan tower

However, this point of view is disputed by those who believe that the history of the Syuyumbike tower (Kazan) began a century and a half later. They are supported by data obtained as a result of archaeological excavations carried out in the period 1941-1978. Having studied the cultural layers of soil into which its foundation went deep, and the artifacts discovered, researchers date the construction of the tower to the Russian period and place it at 1640-1650.

"Beloved Lady"

What to do in this case with the Khan’s widow, whose name the tower bears, because in both cases it turns out that she not only did not jump from it, but even had nothing to do with its construction? Linguists answered this question. As it turned out, Syuyumbike is not a proper name at all, but a noun, the first part of which - “syuyum” - translated from Old Tatar means “beloved”, and the second - “bike” - is translated as “mistress”.

In other words, it turns out that the people called the tower, erected in the very heart of the Kazan Khanate, “Beloved Lady.” It is possible that, based on the legend about how the Khan’s widow chose death over marriage with the Orthodox Tsar, her image was idealized in the popular consciousness and took on the features of a certain national heroine. Further, fantasy attributed to her unearthly beauty and statesmanship. So the “Beloved Lady” is ready - Syuyumbike. However, other options are not excluded. Perhaps, in different eras, this name meant other khan's wives. It is even suggested that real women have nothing to do with it at all, and its name is just a beautiful poetic metaphor.

Twenty Leaning Towers

As for the distinctive feature of the tower - the tilt, as a result of which, with a total height of 58 m, its spire shifted from the center line by 1.98 m, the reason lies in the error of the architectural design, made without taking into account the characteristics of the local soil. All over the world, “leaning towers”, and there are currently about two dozen of them, are the product of soil erosion, which played a detrimental role in this case as well.

The only world-famous among them was only one, which is part of the architectural ensemble of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. The rest of her sisters, with rare exceptions, remain in obscurity. How many, for example, can answer the question about in which city the Syuyumbike Tower or, say, the Great Lavra Bell Tower (Kyiv) is located? Nevertheless, all these buildings are unique architectural monuments, and using modern technologies, work is underway to preserve them and protect them from possible destruction.

Russia has its own leaning tower and it is located in the capital of Tatarstan. This is the Syuyumbike watchtower. The spire of the structure deviates from the vertical by 1.98 meters. Historians still argue about the period of construction, agreeing that it was built between 1645-1650. The tower is located in the northern part of the territory of the Kazan Kremlin. The total height of the building is 58 meters.

Tower Syuyumbike

The tower is a unique symbiosis of Tatar and Russian architecture of the XIV-XVII centuries. The design is reminiscent of the Borovitskaya and Spasskaya towers of the Moscow Kremlin, but with oriental elements. They are manifested in the spire, through gates, semi-oval windows and graceful semi-columns on the front side. Capital guests of Tatarstan can see similar architecture in Moscow at the Kazansky railway station, which the architect Shchusev built in exact accordance with the leaning tower.

• The foundation of the tower was made of oak piles, which over the centuries sank to a depth of over 2 meters. The walls are built of bricks with lime mortar, and the edges are decorated with brick rollers. The structure has 7 tiers, the first 3 of which are square, and the rest are octagons.
• In the “cubes” of different heights on the first tiers, there are walkways characteristic of Russian architecture. The "eye sockets" of the abysses were used to inspect the surrounding area.
• The next 2 tiers - “eights” - were built this way for a reason: firstly, with such masonry from the same amount of materials, the building is built 20% higher in height, and secondly, it is less susceptible to the influence of winds, which are invariably present at height.
• Next, a cone-shaped tier was erected, on which a watchtower is located.
• This entire complex structure is crowned by a green spire with a Muslim crescent on it.

History of construction

If with architecture everything is clear and precise, then the history of construction raises many questions among scientists. This is due to the fact that during the capture of the city, chronicles from the times of the Kazan Khanate were irretrievably lost, and later documents burned in 1701 during the fire of Moscow. It is only established for certain that during the reign of Peter I, the tower was already on the city plan of 1717. This sets the upper limit for the age of the structure. There are several theories regarding the construction time:

• Until 1552, during the period of the Khanate, another watchtower stood on the site of the building, which was completed and somewhat modified.
• Between 1645-1650 - based on archaeological studies of soil layers.
• Between 1694-1718 according to the analysis of cartographic data and characteristic elements of the Moscow Baroque.

Thanks to the traveler Adam Olearius, one can also delineate the lower limit of the estimated date of construction as 1638. That year, he visited Kazan and made sketches of the capital, in which no similar buildings were found.

The history of construction is full of mysteries: officially it is not known who, when and by whose order the building was erected, but the name hides even more secrets.

Queen Syuyumbike

In the entire history of the Kazan Khanate, a woman once stood at the head of the state - the queen-regent Syuyuk, who was forced to rule for her young son after the death of her husband. The queen's dynasty, like her biography, was worthy - for example, her great-great-great-grandfather was the founder of the Nogai Horde Edigey, her father was the Nogai biy Yusuf. Syuyuk married three times, and all her husbands were the rulers of the Kazan Khanate.

The reign of Syuyuk was remembered by the people for the abolition of a number of taxes for merchants, peasants and artisans. In gratitude for the relief of the tax burden, she was nicknamed "beloved lady", translated from Tatar - Syuyumbike. And not only the sentinel building of the Kremlin was named after her, but also many streets in various cities and villages. However, such a story is not so poetic; the legend is more interesting.

Tower Legends

There are many legends and stories associated with the building:

• Story one. Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible heard about the beauty of the Kazan regent and decided to marry her. The queen was against it and then the king threatened to raze the Khanate to the ground and kill all the inhabitants. Syuyumbike agreed for the sake of her people, but on the wedding night she threw herself down from the new building and died.
• The second story. The tower was erected after the capture of Kazan in 1552 by order of Ivan the Terrible, but at the request of the Tatar queen. Its construction took seven days, one tier for each, and after construction was completed, the queen of the captured Khanate threw herself down from it.
• Story three. The structure was built by order of Syyuk in memory of her second deceased husband Safa-Girey.

The truth, however, turned out to be much sadder. After the capture of Kazan by Ivan IV the Terrible, the Murzas were paid off by the treasury, the princess and her son, who were transported to the Russian Empire and baptized. Syuyuk did not become the wife of the Russian Tsar. However, this does not diminish the beauty and mystery of the falling structure at all. The reason for the tilt of the building is of no less interest to architects and scientists. Based on the research, it is assumed that the structure began to tilt to the east due to an elementary error during construction almost immediately after its completion.

The tilt was discovered and measures were taken only in 1930. The rigid frame, elements of which can be seen on the first tier, stopped the fall and helped preserve the cultural heritage site of the Russian Federation in its original form, so that you could personally admire its splendor.

Excursion to the tower

You can look at the leaning tower, as well as take pictures against its background, on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin. The beautiful architectural structure delights tourists not only during the day, but also at night, when it lights up with bright light using powerful spotlights. On the territory of the Kremlin you can buy souvenirs depicting one of the main attractions of the capital of Tatarstan.