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Its popularity is due to its interesting history and legends, as well as the fact that it is falling. The Syuyumbike Tower attracts the attention of not only Russian, but also foreign tourists.

Syuyumbike Tower - from history

Historians still argue about the time of its construction and we are not talking about the exact date, but about the historical era:

According to one version, its construction dates back to the heyday of the Kazan Khanate, to the 12th-15th centuries, when it was a sentinel and was called the Kazan Minaret. If you follow this version, then it is the only surviving monument of Tatar architecture of those times in Kazan
There is also an opinion that it was built after the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible, who gave the order to build the structure in seven days. It was because of the haste that the foundation was made shallow, which explains the continuing slope.
The results of recent excavations show that the construction was carried out in the XVII century. At the same time, some facts testify to its construction in the XI-XV centuries. Therefore, some scientists have suggested that a wooden tower was originally built on this site, and later it was rebuilt into a stone one. In the place where the old foundation is missing, the structure slopes.

Most historians are still of the opinion that the landmark was built in the 17th century.

Syuyumbike tower architecture

The height of the structure is 58 meters, and the slope is almost two meters. And though she leaned less than the famous leaning tower of pisa, in height it is more than two meters. In contrast to it, the foundation of Syuyumbike was not strengthened until the deviation from the vertical was 1.5 meters.

The building has seven tiers:

The first is the widest, it is a travel tier with an arch in the middle
The second tier has, like the first, a quadrangular shape, but smaller in height and width.
The third tier is built similarly to the second, but has small windows.
The fourth and fifth tiers are octagonal
The sixth and seventh tiers are the sentinel tower.

At the top of the structure is a green spire with a crescent.

The name Syuyumbike is a composite name - Syuyum in the old Tatar means beloved, and bike - mistress. The name Syuyumbike is translated as "beloved queen" of the Kazan people in the 16th century. Indeed, Syuyumbike was a beautiful and noble educated woman, the widow of a khan who was killed in the struggle for the throne.
There are several legends about the name:
- The most popular of them says that after the capture of Kazan, Tsar Ivan the Terrible wanted Tsarina Syuyumbike to marry him. In case of her refusal, the tsar could punish the entire Tatar people. In order to save her people from troubles, the tsarina accepted the proposal of Ivan the Terrible, but put forward the condition that a seven-tiered tower would be built in seven days. When her wish was granted, she went upstairs and threw herself on the ground. Since then, the tower has been named after her.
- The second legend is more prosaic. It is believed that the tower was built under the leadership of the queen herself in honor of the deceased second husband Safa Giray
A gilded ball was previously installed at the top of the tower. According to the legend, the chronicles of the Kazan Khanate, written by its khans, were stored in it. At the same time, studies have shown that the ball is empty, although there were holes in it, which indicates a possible theft of historical documents.

The Syuyumbike Tower, along with the Kul Sharif Mosque and the Spassky Tower of the Kremlin, is a symbol of Kazan, known not only in Russia, but also in foreign countries.

The leaning Syuyumbike tower 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. So romantically called this building one of the local patriots in the local history article of a popular Kazan magazine. Since that time, legends began to be composed about the tower, many of which have survived to this day.
Nowadays, images of the tower are printed on souvenirs, postcards, badges. After the 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 and 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 the completion of construction. There are two versions of the reason for this fall: some experts believe that the tower was built 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 roll of the tower. Today, the deviation of the spire from the vertical reaches 1.98 meters.
The peculiarity of the tower is also that it is located inside the Kremlin as a separate structure. In the lower tier of the tower, a through passage with swing gates is provided.
The top of the tower changed its decoration several times. 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 watch 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 there are many legends about the architectural monument itself.

The most popular - about the construction of the tower at the request of Syuyumbike - is known to every inhabitant of Kazan.
The legend says that after the conquest of the city, Ivan the Terrible wished Syuyumbike to become his wife.

The tsarina understood that in case of her disobedience, 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 granted, 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 been preserved, and the town planning plans of the city of the 16th-17th centuries were destroyed during the Moscow fire of 1701. This beautiful legend debunk modern theories about the time of the construction of the tower, based on the study of the foundation. It turned out that only in some places it reaches the layer of cultural deposits from the time of the Khanate. Most of the foundation penetrates into layers corresponding to 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 plan of the city, the now famous building appeared only at the beginning of the 18th century. And yet, there is documentary evidence 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 building from the time of the Kazan Khanate.

The legends about the Syuyumbike tower contain some historical facts, but are 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

There is interesting story about the gilded ball that crowns the tower. According to legend, the Kazan khans kept their chronicles in the ball, and it was made of pure gold. But during a thorough examination of the ball in 1830, no annals 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 are reduced in height and width; two octagons are installed on them. The tower is completed by a faceted tent in the form of a truncated pyramid, and the sentinel guard 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 cylindrical vault.
The facades of the tower are decorated with a variety of decorative finishes: fly, belts with a simple overlap or curb.
The edges are marked with thin rollers or spatulas.
Door and window openings end with 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.

Syuyumbike Tower is made in strict architectural style, reminiscent of the 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 sights:

by metro - Kremlevskaya station;
by trolley bus No. 7 - stop "Central Stadium";
on buses No. 1, 15, 35, 47, 75, etc. - stop "Central Stadium".

The falling Kazan tower Syuyumbike is two meters higher than the falling Leaning tower.
In the eighteenth century, the tower provided a magnificent view 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 O.K. Treasures. The main characters in the story make their way into the tower in search of treasure. To shoot close-ups in the Moscow pavilion, a life-size fragment of the Syuyumbike tower was rebuilt.
Since 1991, the tower has functioned as a minaret - prayers for compatriots who died in 1552 during the capture of Kazan by Ivan IV are read in it.
If you believe the local old-timers, the wish made while climbing the stairs to the gates of the tower will certainly come true.

One of the most notable architectural monuments The Kremlin and Kazan is the legendary Syuyumbike tower, which has become a kind of symbol of the city. Legends of Kazan about Queen Syuyumbika are associated with her.

Syuyumbike Tower is one of the sights of Kazan. Syuyumbike is a kind of symbol of the city, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Statue of Liberty in New York. The tower is 58 meters high and consists of seven tiers. And at the very top of the head there was once a gilded spire with an apple ball strung on it.

For a long time there was a legend among the Tatars that this apple is made of pure gold and keeps ancient Muslim documents. To test this theory, in 1830, guided by the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the gilded ball from the Syuyumbike tower was removed. It turned out that it was made of ordinary brass. They opened the apple in the presence of the chosen Tatars, but inside the legendary apple turned out to be empty.

Syuyumbike legend - myths of ancient Kazan

The history of the Tatar queen Syuyumbike is full of legends and legends. After the death of her second husband, Khan Safa Giray, she became the sole ruler of the Kazan Khanate. Syuyumbike was considered a wise ruler, the time of construction of the tower that received her name is not known for certain, according to some sources, the tower was built at the beginning of the 17th faith as a sentinel.

Other legends claim that this tower is a mausoleum erected in honor of Syuyumbike's husband Safa Giray. Although there are those who see the minaret of the Muraleyeva mosque in the Syuyumbike tower.

Syuyumbike tower - an ancient symbol of Kazan

There is another legend, which is considered the most poetic legend about Khansha Syuyumbik. The legend says that the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible saw a portrait of the wise Syuyumbike and fell in love with a beautiful Tatar woman. Ivan the Terrible decided to marry her, take her to Moscow and make her the queen of All Russia. But Syuyumbike refused the king.

It was this refusal, according to legend, that caused the campaign of the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible against Kazan. The king, at all costs, wanted to take possession of the beauty. The strength of his love did not allow to back down. And after a long siege, the city was taken by the Russian army. Proud Syuyumbike now had to agree to become the wife of the Russian Tsar.

The legend mentions Syuyumbika's cunning and intelligence many times, which helped her more than once. And now, not wanting to betray her people, the former Tatar ruler agreed to become the wife of Ivan the Terrible only on one condition, if the formidable king builds a tower as slender and tall as Syuyumbike in just one week. The king complied. For seven days and nights, the masters worked on the creation of a majestic tower and every day they erected one tier.

Finally the tower was built, Queen Syuyumbike proudly climbed to the very top of the tower, looked at her possessions and rushed down. It was after this that the tower began to bear her name.

Syuyumbike, Queen of the Kazan Khanate

Many legends of Kazan tell about Syuyumbik, but something is known with certainty. Syuyumbike was the daughter of Murza Yusuf, she was married twice, from her second husband Safa-Girey she had a son, Utyamysh-Girey, who, as a hostage, was taken to Moscow and baptized at the court of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, giving him the name Alexander. But the prince did not live long, he died at the age of twenty and was buried in the Moscow Kremlin.

The truth about Syuyumbik

After the expulsion from Kazan, Safa Giray, who was deprived of the khan's throne, was occupied by Shah Ali, the former brother of Jan Ali, who was the first husband of Syuyumbike.

Queen Syuyumbike married Shah Ali for the third time, who took her to the city of Kasimov, where she lived to old age in a quiet and peaceful life. And judging by the scribe books, all these events took place before the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible, which means that the beautiful romantic legend about Ivan the Terrible and Syuyumbik is just a beautiful legend.

These are the legends about Syuyumbik in Kazan!

Syuyumbike Tower (Russia) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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The pearl of the Kazan Kremlin is poetically called the architectural symbol of Kazan - the Syuyumbike tower, which, in addition to its historical significance, is also known as an object of urban mythology. This is one of the so-called leaning towers, because it has a strong vertical slope to the northeast.

The height of the Syuyumbike tower is 58 m, and its location inside the Kremlin on a hill, away from the fortress walls, determined its purpose as a guard or watch tower. A panoramic view of the Volga and Kazanka, as well as the surroundings of the Kremlin, was the best suited for defensive purposes.

The question of the time of construction of the Syuyumbike tower is one of its mysteries. For neither the archive of documents from the times of the Kazan Khanate, nor the town-planning plans of Kazan of the 16-17 centuries have been preserved (they burned down in the Moscow fire of 1701). Therefore, there are several versions of the building: the 17th-18th century, the second half of the 16th century, or even the period of the Kazan Khanate, before the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible in 1552.

How is the Syuyumbike Tower connected with Queen Syuyumbike - one of the legendary women in the history of the Islamic world, the wife of the Kazan khans Jan-Ali and Safa-Girey, the great-great-great-granddaughter of the head of the Nogai Horde dynasty - Edigei, who for several years was the ruler of the Kazan Khanate?

According to one of the mythological versions, the queen built a tower in honor of her beloved husband Safa Giray, who died in 1549. According to another, the tower was built in 7 days by order of Ivan the Terrible, who wished to take Syuyumbike as his wife, but she rushed from the seventh tier out of grief towers.

In reality, recorded in the documents, Queen Syuyumbike, together with her son Utyamysh-Girey, was betrayed by her murzas and handed over to Ivan the Terrible along with the Kazan treasury. A year and a half later, against her will, Syuyumbike was married to Khan Shah-Ali, and her son was left to be raised at the royal court.

As you can see, fairy tales are fairy tales, but the life of the queen was no less tragic. Perhaps this was the reason why at the beginning of the 19th century the current name was assigned to the tower, as a memory of the Khan's time, the symbol of which was Syuyumbike.

Address: Kazan, Sheikman Ave.

We started our acquaintance with Kazan with a tour of the Kazan Kremlin. You can get to this place by metro, you need to get off at the Kremlyovskaya station and walk a little. It becomes visible immediately after exiting the subway, so do not get lost. Kremlin in Kazan- is a unique complex of historical and archaeological sites, which is on the list of the world cultural heritage UNESCO. The territory of the Kremlin is large and there are many beautiful and interesting places. I'll tell you about one- "falling" Syuyumbike tower, which is considered one of the main architectural symbols of the city and is known far beyond the borders of Tatarstan. To be honest, before I knew about only one leaning tower, which is considered the most famous- Pisa, poety was a little surprised to learn that we have similar facilities.

The Syuyumbike Tower in Kazan is essentially a sentinel (watchtower). It is tilted towards the northeast. Now the deviation of the spire of the tower from the vertical is about 2 meters so it can be seen even with the naked eye. Tower consists of 7 tiers. Her general height is 58 meters. The upper tier is decorated with a crescent (until 1918 there was a double-headed eagle in its place).

As for the date of construction of the tower, this question is still open: according to some sources, the tower was built in the 17th century.-XVIIIcenturies, according to others- at the end of the 16th century, and some even attribute the construction of the tower to the period of the Kazan Khanate, that is, to 1552. The history of the tower is shrouded in several interesting legends, about the existence of which our guide told us. According to one of them, the Syuyumbike tower was built by order of the ruler of the Kazan Khanate, Syuyumbike, in honor of her husband Safa-Girey, who died in 1549. According to another legend, the tower was built in just 7 days on the orders of Ivan the Terrible. The fact is that the Russian tsar offered the queen Syuyumbika to marry him. But when the celebration of the wedding began, the queen wanted to climb to the top of the tower in order to last time explore the city. There she did not find the strength to part with her native city and jumped down. In fact, such legends, although they include several real historical facts, but they are completely far from reality. They are based on romantic tales of the 19th century, which were written in guidebooks of that time around Kazan.

The Syuyumbike Tower was restored many times and its foundation was strengthened. I can't help but notice that for many generations local residents the tower is a sacred symbol and a place of worship. Since 1991, Syuyumbike has been performing the functions minaret, where memorial prayers are read for all those who died in 1552, when the city was taken by Tsar Ivan IV of Kazan. Many archaeological excavations were carried out near the tower, as a result of one of them, coins from the reign of tsars Alexei Mikhailovich and Mikhail Fedorovich were found at the very base of the tower.

By the way, they say that when you climb the stairs to the gates of the tower, if you make a wish, then it must come true.

The tower is a passage, in its lower tier there is a through passage, which is blocked by hinged forged gates with images of the crescent, the sun and all the signs of the zodiac.

Unfortunately, you can’t go inside the tower, so you can only look at it from the outside. I repeat that now the Syuyumbike tower is one of the symbols of the city, so its images can be seen on postcards, badges, souvenirs.

In the evening, the tower is illuminated.

Looking at the Syuyumbike tower and the Kremlin as a whole, I involuntarily imagined what the city was like in the distant past, how some khan's guards walked along the square to bow to their ruler Syuyumbike.