Kazan is a city of about 1.1 million people, 500 miles east of Moscow. It's a very historical city--while St. Petersburg, Russia celebrated its 300th anniversary in May of 2003, Kazan will be celebrating its 1000th anniversary in 2004. It is the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, named for the Tatars.

Kazan has a large Moslem population. The combination of Moslem and Russian architecture side-by-side made it a place I was eager to visit. Unfortunately, I had not been able to see it on my previous visits to Russia so ... (more)