For Tatar culture, Kazan is the republic's capital, but not just a point on a map, but a coordinate for the assembly of the national code: a place where history, human destinies, and sacred meanings intersect. In 2026, Kazan was declared the cultural capital of the Islamic world, a move destined to bring new facets and symbols to the city's image and the shared memory of its residents and visitors. Russian researchers Ramil Sharyafetdinov and Adilya Zabirova traced the evolution of Kazan's image in the literature of Tatar writers and poets, who imbibed Islamic traditions from childhood, despite the turning points in Russian history.
The early 20th century saw a flourishing of national consciousness, and it was then that Gabdulla Tukay, the founder of modern Tatar literature, constructed the myth of Kazan as a spiritual center. In his poems, it is a "radiant city" where science, art, and education unite. This isn't just about the capital's flamboyance. For Tukay, who lost his parents early in life and endured a difficult journey, Kazan is also a personal, familiar space, the city of his childhood, a place he longs to return to, despite all its contradictions.
The poet's works evoke the image of a "sacred land," where every barn, stream, and bast shoe become symbols of a deep, unbreakable connection with the homeland. Tukay was the first to speak of Kazan as a place where the history of ancestors finds a voice: "Here are the deeds of our grandfathers...".
The Great Patriotic War radically shifted the focus. In the works of wartime poets, and above all Musa Jalil, Kazan transformed from a "city of science" into a symbol of what awaits at home. It is the Motherland, left behind but living in every heart. In Jalil's poems, Kazan is presented through details that scorch with melancholy: the Kremlin walls, a towel given to a loved one, the image of a wife on the balcony.
The poet depicts the war from two sides—through the trench reality of a soldier striving to return to his native shores, and through the hard labor of those left behind. For Jalil, Kazan is a guarantee of the future, that very land "forever free," worth fighting for.
Contemporary authors, unlike their predecessors, view Kazan through the prism of centuries. In their works, the city is presented as the guardian of a great history. Writers address its dramatic past: the fall of the Kazan Khanate, sieges, fires, betrayal, and courage.
In the work of Rabit Batulla's "Syuyumbike," Kazan is depicted during a protracted siege and battles. Using hyperbole and grotesque, the author recounts the war and its terrible calamities: tens of thousands of corpses in the streets, blood flowing like rivers, a colossal explosion, a black bird perched on a minaret. Rizvan Hamid's historical drama "The Khan's Daughter" recounts the battle for Kazan. Its fall is perceived as divine retribution and a curse for the city's residents and murzas' betrayal of their ruler. Drawing on historical facts, fiction, folk tales, and legends, researchers identify two main causes for the tragic events in Kazan's history: first, the lack of unity and cohesion among the Tatar khanates, and second, the special significance of historical retribution and divine punishment for betrayal.
In Rkail Zaydulla's story "Shah Ali," the image of Kazan preoccupies the narrator's thoughts. His interest in the history of the Kazan Khanate and the events of the city's conquest often evokes misunderstanding among those around him. At the same time, it embodies the hero's dreams: "the blue banks of the Volga, the white city on a distant hill, spacious buildings, the khan's palace, stone mosques with minarets, reaching skyward like spears..." – all appear before Shah Ali's eyes. In Rinat Mukhamadiev's novel "Bridge over Hell," Kazan is the dream city of 15-year-old Mirsaid Sultan-Galiev. The hero has heard much about this wondrous city, imagining it as the epicenter of everything progressive and enlightened: newspapers, magazines, and books are published there. Kazan is presented as the capital of education, science, and culture for all the Turkic tribes, where his father sends the boy to study.
The events of the Tatar people's history and Kazan are explored in poems by contemporary poets: "In the Land of the Bulgars" by Razil Valeev, "Return to Kazan" by Nais Gambar, "You Sleep, Kazan, Shrouded in the Darkness of Night..." by Zulfat, and many others. The poet Renat Kharis sings of the lights of Kazan, making them a symbol of the path to happiness and the spiritual health of the nation. In émigré poetry, such as that of Yoldyz Minnullina, individual districts, such as the Old Tatar Quarter, become a metaphor for the "heart of Kazan," which is sometimes neglected by its contemporaries.
A separate and important aspect of Kazan's image is its role as a symbol of Russian Islam. Literature has always portrayed the capital as a city of peaceful coexistence between different faiths and cultures, a fact supported by historical evidence. Mosques and churches have stood side by side here for centuries—not just an architectural fact, but a fundamental part of the city's mentality. This motif is particularly prominent in Russian-language Tatar literature. In Guzel Yakhina's novel "Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes," Kazan is the protagonist's cherished dream, a city she sees through ancient toponyms: the Spasskaya Tower, mosques, and the university. Muslim and Orthodox traditions are intricately intertwined, creating a unique cultural landscape.
In Tatar literature, Kazan mirrors the journey of an entire people. It encompasses the tragedy of loss, the pride of greatness, and the quiet joy of returning home. Contemporary writers see the city not only as the capital of Tatarstan, but also as a unique example of centuries-old religious tolerance and cultural synthesis, unique throughout Russia. This versatility allows Kazan to remain not just a setting but a fully-fledged literary hero whose story is far from over. Perhaps contemporaries will capture the city's unique dynamic as a cultural and business hub in their works.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"