Kul Sharif Mosque

Where it is & how to get there

• Metro: Kremlyovskaya station, then walk up into the Kremlin.
• Dress code: Women cover their hair, arms and legs; scarves and robes are available at the entrance.
• Visiting: Tourists use the upper gallery; visits pause during Friday prayers.

The story of Kul Sharif

The mosque is named after Kul Sharif, the imam who died defending Kazan during the siege of 1552, when the original great mosque of the city was destroyed. For more than four centuries no mosque stood in the kremlin.

The new mosque opened in 2005, for the 1,000th anniversary of Kazan, built with donations from across Tatarstan and the Muslim world. Its interior has marble, granite, a huge chandelier and stained glass. The Museum of Islamic Culture is on the ground floor.

Best time to visit

Tips before you go

• Visitors can go to the gallery; dress modestly.
• Visit the Museum of Islamic Culture downstairs.
• Photograph it from the Kremlin walls with the river behind.
• Speak quietly and keep to the visitor areas.

What's around Kul Sharif

• Annunciation CathedralA few steps away inside the Kremlin.
• Söyembikä TowerThe leaning tower next to the mosque.
• Kremlin wallsViewpoints over the Kazanka River.
• Bauman Street10-minute walk.

Questions travellers ask