Lake Nizhny Kaban (Kazan)

Nizhny Kaban, also called Lower or Near Kaban, is the closest to the historic centre of the three Kaban lakes in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan. It lies beside the Old Tatar Quarter along Marjani Street, a few minutes' walk from Tukay Square, and the Bulak channel flows out of it into the Kazanka river.

The Kaban lakes

Kaban Lake in Kazan is really three bodies of water: Lower (Near), Middle (Far) and Upper (Boriskovo) Kaban. Together they cover about 186 hectares, the Middle lake being the largest. Lower Kaban is separated from the Middle lake by an isthmus, and water passes between them through the Botanical channel, about 750 metres long; the two joined lakes stretch for roughly 5.5 kilometres. Upper Kaban has no connection with the others. Before the Kuybyshev Reservoir was filled, the lakes were linked by channels to the Volga and the Kazanka, and the summer water level stood at about 49.5 metres; today it is kept at 51.5 metres. The water is fresh. At the head of the Middle lake it often stays unfrozen in winter because of warm discharge from the Kazan CHP-1 power plant.

History

The town began to reach the shores of Lower Kaban in the 16th century, and by the mid-18th century its banks were fully built up with houses. The Old Tatar Quarter, with its mosques and merchant houses, grew up on the western shore and has been a protected historic area since 1992. From the second half of the 19th century, factories were built along the lake.

In 2015 an international competition was held for the Kaban embankments. It was won by the Russian-Chinese team Turenscape and MAP with the concept "Elastic Ribbon: the Immortal Treasure of Kazan". Work began in 2016; the first stage of the Lower Kaban embankment opened in 2018 and the second in 2020. In 2022 the embankment received a gold diploma of the Gold Trezzini award for landscape architecture.

What to see

The embankment runs all the way around Lower Kaban and is more than 3.5 kilometres long. It has wooden boardwalks over the water, an amphitheatre, a floating stage and a playground built around water mechanisms. At the northern end of the lake, in front of the Galiaskar Kamal Theatre, a tall fountain is lit up in the evening. The embankment hosts concerts, festivals, runs and open-air yoga. The streets of the Old Tatar Quarter and the Bulak are right next to it.

Legends

Several stories are tied to Kaban. One traces the name to a Bulgar prince, Kabanbek. Others tell of khan's gold and treasure supposedly hidden in the lake; nothing has ever confirmed them, but the tale of the Kazan khans' treasury is still one of the best known in the city.

Getting there

The nearest metro station is Ploshchad Tukaya; from Kremlyovskaya it is about a kilometre and a half on foot along the Bulak. By bus or tram, get off at Kamal Theatre, Altyn Trading Rows or Kayum Nasyri Street. The embankment is open around the clock and free to visit.