Administrative Centers of Russian Federal Subjects - Capitals of Republics of Russia, Yakutsk, Grozny, Ulan-Ude, Abakan, Izhevsk, Kazan (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 118. Not illustrated. Chapters: Capitals of Republics of Russia, Yakutsk, Grozny, Ulan-Ude, Abakan, Izhevsk, Kazan, Petrozavodsk, Cheboksary, Saransk, Nalchik, Ufa, Vladikavkaz, Elista, Kyzyl, Syktyvkar, Yoshkar-Ola, Makhachkala, Maykop, Cherkessk, Gorno-Altaysk, Magas. Excerpt: Kazan - The origin of the name is uncertain. The Tatar word qazan means 'boiler' or 'cauldron'. Alternately, it may have been derived from the Tatar qazan, 'dug' (with reference to ditches). Qazan is originally a name for a special cooking pan, similar to the wok, but heavier. The belief that the city of Kazan is named after this object comes from the terrain's similarity to a qazan: the city is situated in a U-shaped lowland. Another, more romantic legend tells a story of a Tatar princess Soyembika, who dropped a golden dish (golden qazan) into the river while washing it, and that the city was founded at that site. Additionally, legends of the Chuvash people refer to the Bulgarian Prince Khusan () (this being the Chuvash rendering of the Muslim name Hasan) and that is the Chuvash name for the city. Bauman StreetThere is a long-running dispute as to whether Kazan was founded by the Volga Bulgars in the early Middle Ages or by the Tatars of the Golden Horde in the mid-fifteenth century, as written records before the latter period are sparse. If there were a Bulgar city on the site, estimates of the date of its foundation range from the early 11th century to the late 13th century (see Iske Qazan). It was a border post between Volga Bulgaria and two Finnic tribes, the (Mari and the Udmurt). Another vexatious question is where the citadel was built originally. Archaeological explorations have produced evidence of urban settlement in three parts of the modern city: in the Kremlin; in Bibalta at the site of the modern Zilantaw monastery; and near the Qaban lak...