Söyembikä Tower

This leaning brick tower stands at the heart of the Kazan Kremlin and has become the visual emblem of the city. Rising in seven receding tiers to about fifty-eight metres, it noticeably inclines from the vertical, a tilt corrected in the twentieth century to halt further movement. Its exact date is debated, spanning the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Legends tie it to the Tatar queen Söyembikä, lending it a poignant place in local memory. Visitors circle its base within the fortress.