Nameless Tower (Kazan Kremlin)

The Nameless Tower is one of the towers of the Kazan Kremlin in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan. It stands in the western part of the fortress wall, between the Tainitskaya and Preobrazhenskaya towers, on the high bank above the Kazanka River, and is among the most modest yet well-preserved defensive structures of the Kremlin.

History

The tower was built at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, when the wooden walls of the Kazan fortress, taken by Ivan the Terrible's army, were being replaced with stone ones. It was built by local craftsmen, most likely under the guidance of Moscow architects. The name of its designer has been lost, as has the tower's historical name, which is where its present name comes from.

The Kuraish passage gate, dating back to the khans' fortress, once stood on this spot; according to one version, it was also known as the Nur-Ali gate. Later the passage lost its importance, and a closed tower remained on this section of the wall.

The tower was restored in the 1970s and 1980s: the lost sections of the wall masonry and the wooden tent roof were rebuilt.

Architecture

The Nameless Tower is about 14 metres tall. It has four tiers and is topped by a conical wooden tent roof. It resembles the Kremlin's South-West Tower, but differs from it in shape and in the number of openings. It does not stand out among the towers of the Kazan Kremlin for size or decoration, yet it gives a good idea of an ordinary defensive tower of the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Together with the whole Kazan Kremlin ensemble, the tower is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Getting there

The Kremlin is in central Kazan, near Bauman Street; the nearest metro station is Kremlyovskaya. Visitors enter through the Spasskaya Tower, open around the clock, or through the Tainitskaya Tower, open during the day (check the hours on the museum-reserve's website). The Nameless Tower is close to the Tainitskaya Tower and is easy to see from inside the Kremlin and from the Kazanka embankment.