Syuyumbike Tower (Kazan): history of creation. Syuyumbike Tower: tour of the interior

17.07.2020

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. Syuyumbika 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 ties with Moscow, which intensified in last years 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 be raised at the royal court. 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 the apple was believed to contain unknown documents dating back to the Khan's 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 passage 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, one on each. These doors lead to the internal staircases. Gulbishcha, formed by a step-tier construction of tetrahedrons, are decorated with parapets, which are decorated with simple, but also non-repeating details in each tier.

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 verse, prose and fine arts, This legend of the Proud Queen. They say that Syuyumbike was famous 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 so that honor hometown save...

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

The Leaning Tower of Syuyumbike is an architectural symbol of Kazan , known not only throughout Tatarstan, but also outside the republic. For the first time, the Syuyumbike tower received the name of the legendary Tatar queen in the 19th century. This is how one of the local patriots romantically called this building in a local history article in a popular Kazan magazine. Since that time, legends began to be made about the tower, many of which have survived to this day.
Nowadays, images of the tower are printed on souvenirs, postcards, and badges. After restoration, the tower was decorated with lighting, thanks to which it is visible from afar even at night.

Location and features of the structure

The Syuyumbike Tower is a watchtower or watchtower of the Kazan Kremlin, the main attraction of the capital of Tatarstan. From its top, the Volga, Kazanka rivers and the areas around them are clearly visible.
Syuyumbike is a leaning tower, tilted towards the northeast. It began to “fall” almost immediately after construction was completed. There are two versions of the reason for this fall: some experts believe that the tower was erected on an old foundation, not designed for such a large-scale structure; others - that the foundation was laid specifically for the tower, but was not deep enough.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the deviation was 128 centimeters. Restoration work carried out in the 1990s stopped the tower from tilting. Today, the deviation of the spire from the vertical reaches 1.98 meters.
Another special feature of the tower is that it is located inside the Kremlin as a separate structure. The lower tier of the tower has a through passage with swing gates.
The top of the tower changed its decoration several times. At first it was crowned with an apple, then alternately with the coat of arms of Tsarist Russia and a crescent.

Legends

The Syuyumbike Tower was originally a lookout tower located at the entrance to the courtyard of the commandant's house - the former Khan's Palace. The name of the tower is associated with the name of the famous Queen Syuyumbike, and many legends have developed about the architectural monument itself.

The most popular one - about the construction of a tower at the request of Syuyumbike - is known to every resident of Kazan.
Legend says that after conquering the city, Ivan the Terrible wished for Syuyumbike to become his wife.

The queen understood that if she disobeyed, the Tatar people would be exterminated, but she could not submit to the will of the Russian Tsar. Therefore, she set a condition for the conqueror - in seven days to build a tower of seven tiers, as slender and beautiful as the queen herself.

When her wish was fulfilled, Syuyumbike climbed to the very top of the tower and jumped down.

The archive of documents from the time of the Kazan Khanate has not survived, and the city's urban planning plans of the 16th-17th centuries were destroyed during the Moscow fire of 1701. This beautiful legend is debunked by modern theories about the time of construction of the tower, based on research of the foundation. It turned out that only in places it reaches the layer of cultural deposits from the times of the Khanate. Most of the foundation penetrates into layers corresponding to more later periods than the conquest of Kazan.

In addition, in the drawings of many foreign travelers who visited Kazan in the 17th century, there is no image of the tower. And on the city plan, the now famous structure appeared only at the beginning of the 18th century. Also, there is documentary confirmation the fact that Queen Syuyumbike lived to old age and died in the city of Kasimov.

Another legend is less romantic - the tower was built by order of Syuyumbike herself in honor of her deceased husband. This version is confirmed by fragments of the ancient foundation. But only in the part that the Syuyumbike tower was built on the site of another structure from the times of the Kazan Khanate.

Legends about the Syuyumbik tower contain some historical facts, but completely far from reality.
Most researchers are of the opinion that the first tower, which was located on the site of the modern one, was a wooden building erected in the 11th-15th centuries. The stone one was erected in the 17th century in its place.

The Legend of the Gilded Ball

Eat interesting story about the gilded ball that crowns the tower. According to legend, the Kazan khans kept their chronicles in a ball, and it was made of pure gold. But upon a thorough examination of the ball in 1830, no chronicles were found in it, and it was made of brass. At the same time, eyewitnesses claimed that the ball was rusty and full of holes, and the documents may have been stolen.

Architectural characteristics

The Syuyumbike Tower in Kazan has seven tiers; red brick was used for its construction. The three lower tetrahedrons decrease in height and width, and two octagons are installed on them. The tower is completed by a faceted tent in the form of a truncated pyramid, and the guardhouse located above it is decorated with a spire with a gilded crescent on an apple.

The lower tier is decorated with two pylons connected by a barrel vault.
The facades of the tower are decorated with various decorative finishes: flies, belts with a simple overlap or curb.
The edges are highlighted with thin ridges or blades.
Door and window openings end in three-centered arches.

The foundation of the tower is built on oak piles. Inside there is a spiral staircase that leads to the watchtower. The total height of the building is fifty-eight meters.

The Syuyumbike Tower is made in a strict architectural style, reminiscent of Moscow Baroque, but with elements of Kazan-Tatar art - a minaret-like completion, stalactite capitals, three-quarter columns.

How to get to the Syuyumbike Tower

You can get to the famous Kazan landmark:

by metro – Kremlevskaya station;
by trolleybus No. 7 – stop “Central Stadium”;
by buses No. 1, 15, 35, 47, 75, etc. – stop “Central Stadium”.

The falling Kazan tower Syuyumbike is two meters higher than the falling tower of Pisa.
In the eighteenth century, the tower provided an excellent overview of more than 50 kilometers, thanks to which the city was always aware of the danger that threatened it.
In Soviet times, excavations were carried out near the Syuyumbike tower - the remains of a mosque and khan’s tombs, fragments of tombstones with inscriptions, and coins were found.
In 1994, the territory of the Kazan Kremlin, where the leaning tower is located, was declared a cultural museum-reserve.
The Syuyumbike Tower is depicted in the Russian film “Treasures of O.K.” In the story, the main characters sneak into the tower in search of treasure. To shoot close-ups in the Moscow pavilion, a fragment of the Syuyumbike tower was rebuilt in natural size.
Since 1991, the tower has served as a minaret - memorial prayers are read in it for compatriots who died in 1552 during the capture of Kazan by Ivan IV.
If you believe the local old-timers, the wish you make while climbing the stairs to the tower gate will certainly come true.

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, but by one attribute: the Syuyumbike tower belongs to the leaning towers with a deviation in the projection of the spire ( highest point towers) by almost 2 meters (1.98 m). Thanks to this, the Syuyumbike tower is popular not only among Russian tourists, but also extremely famous all over 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 is 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 associated with the disputed history of the construction of the tower, however, none of them are believed to be 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 could exterminate the entire Tatar people in anger, but not marrying the conqueror of Kazan was of principle for her. Therefore, she asked the conqueror to build a tower of seven tiers in seven days. However, after her condition was fulfilled, she climbed to the seventh tier of the tower and jumped from 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-Girey 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.

History of the construction of the Syuyumbike tower: XVI or XVIII century?

In 1701, a fire raged in Moscow, the consequences of which also affected the Syuyumbike tower. Almost the entire archive of the Order of the Kazan Palace, which contained documents describing the process of building the Kremlin watchtower, was lost in the fire. It is because of this accident that modern researchers are still unable to determine the exact date of construction of the Syuyumbike tower. For example, the once famous local historian N.P. Zagoskin argued that the structure was erected during the time of the Kazan Khanate, by order of the ruler Muhammad-Amin. The progressive ruler spent his youth in Moscow, where he made friends with the Russian Tsar in order to protect himself from assassination attempts by other heirs to the Kazan throne. Historians believe that it was during this period that the future khan witnessed the construction of the Borovitskaya Tower in the Moscow Kremlin.

It is assumed that after ascending to the Kazan throne, Muhammad-Amin wished to acquire an improved copy of the Moscow archer, and to implement his grandiose plan, he invited the elderly Italian architect A. Fioravanti to the court. The main argument in favor of the hypothesis put forward is the bricks from which it is made architectural monument. Their dimensions fully correspond to the standard introduced by the Italian genius (before that, a different form of bricks was used in Rus'). However, modern historians considered this fact unconvincing, since the Syuyumbike tower does not appear in the drawings depicting the Kazan Kremlin during the era of the Khan’s rule.

After many years of archaeological excavations within the walls of Syuyumbike, researchers came to the conclusion that the structure was erected no earlier than the end of the 17th century. The architecture of the tower in the style of the so-called “Moscow Baroque” clearly hints at this. In addition, the upper part of the building clearly copies the tents of the towers of the Volokolamsk Monastery and the Beklemishevskaya Tower in the Moscow Kremlin.

origin of name

The first mention of the Syuyumbik tower appeared in 1832. The poetic name flashed in one of the literary essays of the Kazan magazine “Zavolzhsky Ant”. Syuyumbike is the ruler of the Kazan Khanate, the daughter of the Nogai biy Yusuf and the great-great-great-granddaughter of the founder of the Nogai Horde dynasty Edigei. Until now, the structure was simply called the tower “with a spitz”, the “commandant” and even the “Tatar” tower. Residents of Kazan changed the name in their own way, christening the building Khan-Machete (from Tatar - Khan's Mosque).

Architecture of the Syuyumbike tower

The Syuyumbike Tower is located on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin, but at the same time removed from the fortress walls. This location is explained simply: initially the structure served as a watchtower.

Within the walls of Syuyumbike there is a wide passage through which carts of townspeople and military wagons could pass into the fortress. The building is supported by a two-meter foundation supported on oak piles. The tower itself consists of 7 tiers. The first three have the shape of regular cubes of varying areas. Along the perimeter of each tier there are special galleries (walking grounds). Another architectural feature of the Syuyumbike tower is the Corinthian columns located at the level of the first tier, and the so-called blades (rollers) decorating the tier edges.

The next two “floors” of the tower are brick octagons or octagons, on which the tent and watchtower are located. The structure is crowned by an elegant spire with a gilded ball, on which is attached a crescent - a symbol of the Islamic religion. Initially, the top of Syuyumbike was a double-headed eagle, but in 1918, at the request of the Muslim part of the population of Kazan, the royal emblem was removed, replacing it with a religious sign. Today the height is the most recognizable tower The Kazan Kremlin is 58 meters.

In the 19th century, strange rumors spread around the city that ancient Tatar manuscripts were hidden in a metal ball on the Syuyumbik spire. There was only one way to confirm or refute the local stories - by examining the internal space of the sphere, which was done. No historical documents were found inside, but holes were found on the surface of the ball, which served as the basis for new rumors. Allegedly, valuable manuscripts simply fell through the holes and were picked up by one of the residents of Kazan.

At the beginning of the 20th century, it was discovered that the spire of the Syuyumbike tower had significantly deviated from its base. In addition, the brickwork at the bottom of the structure began to move apart, threatening to completely block the passage. To protect the unofficial symbol of the city, it was necessary to “compress” it at the level of the first tier with a metal hoop. The iron ring worsened appearance ancient building, but its destruction stopped for some time. Several decades ago the hoop burst, but was never dismantled.

Legends of the Syuyumbike Tower: an ode to eternal love and the suicide queen

Outstanding architectural characteristics are, of course, wonderful, but completely uninteresting for the average tourist, so the safest way to attract attention to an ancient monument is to attribute some fascinating story to it, preferably with a tragic ending. As for the Syuyumbike Tower, the structure is an ideal example of how organically myths can be woven into real historical facts, giving birth to such legends adored by travelers.

The building owes its name to the daughter of the Nogai biy Yusuf, the ruler of the Kazan Khanate, Syuyumbika. Actually, this is the only reliable fact, which formed the basis of the myths associated with the construction of the tower. For example, one of these stories claims that the building became a kind of monument to the first husband of the Tatar heiress, Safa-Girey. The inconsolable widow thus expressed her love for her untimely deceased husband. What’s interesting is that in fact this marriage was unsuccessful and in fact Syuyumbike could not stand her betrothed.

The second story is connected with the name of the famous tyrant Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Allegedly, after the capture of Kazan, the Russian autocrat was seduced by the beauty of the local ruler and even intended to take her as his wife. Syuyumbika did not like this prospect, and she decided to postpone the marriage, first offering Ivan the Terrible to build a tower for her. The temperamental king complied with the request, and within a week a watchtower was visible under the windows of the beautiful Tatar woman. But the autocrat failed to satisfy his passion: the proud captive climbed to the top tier of the tower and jumped down. By the way, it is customary to tell this beautiful legend to visitors to the tower, not paying attention to the fact that in fact there was no trace of suicide. After the capture of Kazan, Syyuimbike was married off (for the third time) and calmly met her old age in the city of Kasimov, where she was later buried. But the construction of the tower, as modern research has shown, was indeed carried out in great haste, which later played a major role in its “fall.” Despite the subsequent strengthening of the foundation and attempts to fix the structure in a stable position, further tilting of the structure could not be avoided.

Syuyumbike Tower: tour of the interior

Main entrance The Syuyumbike tower is blocked by openwork forged gates “Day and Night”. The black lace of the metal lattice is decorated with golden images of the month and the sun, above which the 12 signs of the zodiac are located in the form of an improvised halo.

In the lower tier of the building there is a small passage leading to the interior of the tower. A well-worn stone staircase leads visitors to the upper “floors” of Syuyumbike. Today, on the second and third tiers there are small separate rooms, although initially there were no partitions dividing the tower into floors.

In the main hall of the third tier there is a wooden staircase connecting the room with the terrace of the first octagon (the fourth tier of the tower). If during a walk you approach the stairs from the inside, you can see numerous “autographs” left on the wooden steps by visitors to the Syuyumbike tower. The oldest of them date back to the beginning of the 20th century, but there are also more modern options.

The fifth and sixth tiers of Syuyumbike are the same octagonal rooms with windows, but on the 7th the tiniest room is hidden (literally 3 steps in length). However, an ordinary tourist will not be able to get here, as well as into the other halls of the tower. Usually, all that a standard excursion to the Syuyumbike Tower offers is a walk through the Kremlin territory and an inspection of the architectural features of the structure.

Syuyumbike Tower in Kazan

During the Great Patriotic War, Kazan architects took measurements and drew up detailed plans for the Syuyumbike tower. The collected documents were supposed to help with the restoration unique monument architecture, in the event that the structure was destroyed by bombing.
The height of the Syuyumbike tower is two meters higher than its famous “falling” relative - the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
At night, electric lights turn on on the walls of the building, turning the structure into a picture from a fairy tale.
Rumor has it that the entrance to Syuyumbike was closed after one of the visitors jumped down from one of its tiers.
A unique monument of ancient architecture can be seen in the 2013 adventure film “Treasures of Lake Kaban”. However, in most episodes, the viewer does not see the Syuyumbike tower itself, but its model, built specifically for filming.
Local residents claim that if you touch the walls of the tower with your eyes closed and make a wish, it will certainly come true.
Despite Taken measures, it was not possible to completely stop the tilt of the Syuyumbike tower. The reason for this is the gradual subsidence of the soil on the Kremlin hill, so it is possible that over time the structure will literally fall.

How to get there

There are three optimal ways to get to the Syuyumbike Tower - one of the main architectural attractions of Kazan. For example, you can take the metro and get off at Kremlevskaya station. Those who do not want to deprive themselves of the pleasure of admiring the views of the capital of Tatarstan can choose a trolleybus (route 7) and take it to the Central Stadium stop. The same route can be taken by bus (routes No. 1, 15, 35, 47, 75).

The city of Kazan is famous for the fact that it is home to the Syuyumbike Tower, which is considered a symbol of all of Tatarstan. It would seem that this is an ordinary building with a history of several centuries; many of these can be found throughout the country, but everything in the architectural monument is shrouded in mystery, which is why interest in research does not fade.

The historical mystery of the Syuyumbike tower

The main mystery for historians is that it is still unknown when the tower was created. And the difficulty lies not in the problem of determining the exact year, because even about the approximate century there are active disputes, during which each of the opinions is accompanied by an extensive list of arguments in favor of its reliability. The Kazan Tower has specific structural features that can be attributed to different eras, but supporting documents could not be found.

Chronicles from the time of the Kazan Khanate were lost when the city was captured in 1552. Later data about Kazan was kept in the Moscow archive, but it was lost due to a fire in 1701. The first mention of the Syuyumbik Tower dates back to 1777, but then it already stood in the form in which it can be seen today, so no one knows when construction work was carried out to build an observation point on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin.

There is an opinion, which most researchers adhere to, that the time of creation falls on the 17th century. In their opinion, it appeared in the period from 1645 to 1650, but in the pictures of contemporaries and the city plan drawn up in 1692 by Nicolaas Witsen in his monograph, there is no mention of this building. The foundation of the tower is more reminiscent of the construction features of an earlier period, but there is a hypothesis that previously there was a wooden structure here, which was eventually replaced with a more reliable one, while leaving the old foundation.

An analysis of the architectural features characteristic of the Moscow Baroque proves that the tower was built in the first half of the 18th century, but one cannot rely only on stylistic characteristics. For these reasons, the issue is still open, and whether it will ever be resolved remains unknown.

External features of the structure

The building is a multi-tiered structure with a spire at the top. Its height is 58 meters. The tower has a total of seven tiers, differing in appearance:

the first tier is a wide base with an open through arch. It was made so that you could drive through the tower, but most the passage is closed by gates;
the second tier resembles the first in shape, but its dimensions are proportionally smaller;
the third tier is even smaller than the previous one, but it is decorated with small windows;
the fourth and fifth tiers are made in the form of octagons;
the sixth and seventh tiers are parts of the observation tower.

The design of the building has angular shapes, so you can calculate how many floors you have yourself. In general, few decorative elements are used in the architecture, the structure is completely centered, there are columns on the pedestals, low arches and flies on the parapets.

A double-headed eagle was installed at the top of the spire from 1730, but it was later replaced by a crescent. True, the religious symbol did not appear on the top for long due to the established politics in the country. The gilded crescent returned to the spire only in the 1980s at the request of the government of the republic.

The main feature of the Syuyumbike tower is that it is leaning, like in Italy. Many people wonder why the building is tilted, because initially it stood straight. In fact, this happened because the foundation was not deep enough. Over time, the building began to tilt and today has moved from its axis to the northeast by almost 2 meters. If the structure had not been reinforced with metal rings in 1930, the landmark would hardly have stood on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin.

Interesting information for travel lovers

The surprising thing is that this building had different names, and the existing one was first mentioned in a magazine in 1832. Gradually it was used more and more often in speech and as a result became generally accepted. In the Tatar language, it was customary to call the tower Khan-jami, which means “Khan’s mosque.”

This name was also given because Queen Syuyumbike played a significant role for the inhabitants of Tatarstan. During her reign, she repealed a number of very harsh laws affecting peasants, for which she became revered by the common people. No wonder there is a story that it was she who became the “initiator” of the construction of the tower.

According to legend, Ivan the Terrible, during the capture of Kazan, was so fascinated by the beauty of the queen that he immediately invited her to become his wife. Syuyumbike demanded that the ruler build the tower within seven days, after which she would accept his proposal. The Russian prince fulfilled the condition, but the ruler of Tatarstan could not betray her people, which is why she threw herself from the building erected for her.

The address is not difficult to remember, since the Syuyumbike Tower is located in the city of Kazan on Kazan Kremlin Street. It is impossible to get confused about where this leaning building is located; it is not for nothing that not only guests from all over the country meet here, but also foreign tourists.

During the excursions you are given detailed descriptions stories associated with the tower tell what culture the building belongs to and what design details indicate this. You should definitely climb to the upper tiers and take a photo of the view, as from here you can observe the beauty of Kazan and the surrounding areas. In addition, there is a belief that if you make a wish at the top of the tower, it will definitely come true.