The watchtower in the heart of the Tatar capital is considered an architectural symbol, a visiting card and one of the main attractions of Kazan. The slanted silhouette adorns travel brochures, websites and guidebooks. The pearl of the ancient Kremlin stands aside from the old stone walls, and its spire rises to the height of a ten-story building.
Construction history
All documents of the mighty Kazan Khanate perished during the capture of the city by the troops of the Russian Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. Written sources of a later time burned down in a severe fire in Moscow in 1701. No chronicles of the early period have survived, so historians continue to argue about the year in which Syuyumbike appeared in the Kremlin.
Bird's eye view of Syuyumbike tower
Some researchers believe that the high tower was still under the Kazan khans. Later it was rebuilt into the tower that has survived to this day. Others are convinced that the construction took place between 1645-1650s. Archaeological excavations at the base of the building speak in favor of this version.
Syuyumbike tower against the background of the Annunciation Cathedral
Some historians are convinced that Syuyumbike is a younger building. The building appeared in the late 17th - early 18th centuries. This is confirmed by the data of old maps and a noticeable influence on the architecture of the Moscow Baroque.
The lower construction limit is much easier to define. In 1638, the German traveler and historian Adam Olearius visited Kazan. The meticulous scientist carefully sketched everything that he saw in the khan's capital. However, in his sketches there is not a single building that even remotely resembled Syuyumbike.
Syuyumbike tower against the background of the Palace (Vvedenskaya) church
Where did the tower's unusual name come from?
In the history of the Kazan Khanate, there were many glorious male rulers and only one regent queen, whose name was Syuyuk. She came from a noble and wealthy family of the founders of the Nogai Horde. Syuyuk was married twice, and both her husbands ruled the Kazan Khanate.
In 1549, Suyuk's beloved husband, Khan Safa-Girey, died, and her three-year-old son Utyamysh-Girey could not become a king due to the fact that he was still an ignorant child. The woman had to break the established tradition and take on the difficult reins of the khanate.
View of the Syuyumbike tower from the Annunciation Cathedral
The reign of Syuyuk did not last long - only two years, but it was very worthy. During it, some taxes for merchants, artisans and peasants were abolished. The well-educated ruler received foreign ambassadors and did business with Armenia, Persia and Turkey... By her decree, a large library was built, books to which were delivered from different countries of Asia and Europe.
The people loved their queen and called her Syuyumbike, which is translated from Tatar as “beloved mistress”. This name was given not only to the tower in Kazan, but also to the streets in some Tatar cities and settlements.
Legends
For three and a half hundred years, the history of Syuyumbike has been overgrown with various legends. One legend connects the tower with Ivan IV the Terrible. The Russian tsar was informed about the delightful beauty of the ruler of Kazan, and he wanted to marry her. The proud Muslim queen opposed marriage to a Christian. Then the Russian sovereign ordered to raze her possessions to the ground, and kill the inhabitants of Kazan. The queen was forced to agree to save her people, but during the wedding she jumped from a stone tower and crashed.
Another legend says that the tower was built in 7 days after the capture of Kazan. Syuyuk agreed to the proposal of the Russian tsar, but asked Ivan IV the Terrible to make an unusual wedding gift - a stone tower. In just a week - one tier a day, the tower was ready, and a magnificent wedding feast began.
View of the Syuyumbike tower from the Taynitskaya tower
The Muscovites were happy, and the inhabitants of Kazan were sad that they would never see their kind mistress again. In the midst of the feast, Syuyuk climbed to the highest tier, looked at the city for the last time, jumped down and died.
According to the third legend, the tower was built at the behest of the queen herself. Syuyuk grieved so much for her dead husband that she commanded to erect a brick watch tower in his memory. The body of Safa-Giray was buried in a white-stone mausoleum, next to a tall building.
As often happens, the historical truth is much sadder than the old legends. In 1551, a few months before the fall of Kazan, the tsarina and her young son were arrested and sent to "honorable" captivity in Moscow. Syuyuk's sad farewell to the grave of his beloved husband is described in detail in Russian chronicles and Tatar folklore. The queen mourned her fate so much that the voivode who accompanied her also shed tears.
In a foreign country for her, Syuyuk did not live in poverty, but was morally depressed. She asked to let her go to her parents in the Nogai steppes, but was refused. Against the will, Syuyuk was married to the old and ugly Kasimov khan Shah-Ali. Her son Utyamysh was baptized in the Chudov Monastery, and they began to call him Alexander Safakirievich. He lived in captivity for only 20 years. The former Tatar prince found his last refuge in Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
The exact date of the death of the Kazan queen is unknown. It is believed that this happened in 1557, when the noble captive was only 38 years old. Historians suggest that Syuyuk was buried under an unnamed headstone in mausoleum her last husband, Khan Shah-Ali, who is in the city Kasimov.
Architectural features
In the old tower you can see a unique fusion of traditional Tatar architecture and medieval architecture of Muscovy. The influence of Moscow craftsmen is noticeable in the forms of construction. Outwardly, Syuyumbike resembles Borovitskaya and Spasskaya tower in Moscow Kremlin... Tatar decor elements are discernible in the half-oval windows, half-columns on the facade, an elongated thin spire and decorative design of the wrought-iron gates.
Forged gates in the Syuyumbike tower
To make the new tower stand for centuries, the builders hammered strong oak piles into the foundation. The slender multi-tiered building rises to a height of 58 m, and therefore can be seen from afar. The massive walls are lined with bricks bonded with lime mortar, and the edges are finished with graceful brick rollers. This gives the tower a soft outline.
The sight of the Kazan Kremlin consists of seven tiers. The bottom three are square, and the top four are octagonal. The cubes are of different sizes, so there are guards in the spaces between them. Through the eye sockets in the gulbische, the watchmen could watch the city day and night.
The fourth and fifth tiers are built in octagons. With this geometry, the building suffers less from winds, and the masonry can be made 20% higher. The sixth tier of the tower is occupied by a watchtower. From here the environs of Kazan were perfectly visible, the centers of fires and approaching enemies were visible. At the very top of the tower there is a green spire and a gilded Muslim crescent.
In 1910, the joint-stock company of the Moscow-Kazan Railway decided to build a new building for the Kazan railway station in Moscow. A project competition was announced, and the participants were given the task of erecting a building that would become a symbol of the strong connection between Europe and Asia. The jury chose the work of Alexei Viktorovich Shchusev. The talented architect successfully combined elements of the Moscow Baroque and decorated the facade of the new station building with a stepped tower, which is very similar to Syuyumbike.
"Leaning" tower of Tatarstan
The reason for the slope of the building could be a builder's mistake and strong soil shrinkage. For three and a half centuries, powerful oak piles sank into the ground to a depth of more than two meters. Today, the tall green spire deviates from the vertical to the northeast by 1.98 m.The "fall" of Syuyumbike is not noticeable from all angles. The slope of the tower is best seen from the doors of the presidential palace.
Useful information for tourists
You can look at the tower and take a picture of it during an independent walk or a sightseeing tour of the Kremlin. Syuyumbike is beautiful not only during the day. Thanks to the bright illumination of the floodlights, the tower looks very impressive at night. Not far away, right behind the Epiphany Cathedral, there is one of the best viewing platforms of the Kazan Kremlin.
Syuyumbike tower at night illumination
How to get there
The tower stands in the northern part of the Kremlin territory. The historical center of Kazan is easily accessible by public transport or taxi. By metro, tourists get to the Kremlevskaya station and in 10 minutes reach the tower along Bauman Street.
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