Kazan, 3 May 2023, (GNP): On May 18-21, representatives of 72 countries will gather in the most northern point of Islamic culture distribution – the Russian region of the Republic of
Tatarstan. The XIV International Economic Forum Russia – Islamic World:
KazanForum 2023 will be held here.
The business program will be combined with an immersion in the history of the
development of Islam in the world and Russia in particular. Guests of the Forum
will see ancient Tatar cities, spiritual artifacts, the largest printed Quran and relics of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Modern Russia has the largest Muslim population in Europe, more than 20
million people, a considerable part of whom are connected with the Republic of
Tatarstan. This is a unique region, whose culture developed at the junction of two major
civilizations: Eastern and Western. Here the diversity, rich traditions, and spiritual
identity of the peoples of the Volga region have been acquired and preserved.
The guests of the Forum will find themselves at the origins of traditional Islam in
Russia. As part of the large cultural program, on May 21, the day of Ize Bolgar
zheny holiday, they will have an excursion to the ancient city of Bolgar, called
Northern Mecca.
Here, in 922, the Volga Bulgars, the progenitor of modern Tatarstan, embraced Islam. The event is traditionally held in May and brings together thousands of Muslims from Russia and abroad. This year, a special feature of Izge Bolgar zheny will be the exhibition of 11 sacred relics of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It will be held on May 21.
KazanForum participants will see the architecture of the ancient city of Bolgar:
the Cathedral Mosque, the Eastern and Northern Mausoleums, the Khan Palace, the
bathhouse and burial vault, the Small Minaret, the Black and White chambers, and visit
the Museum of Islam, where the largest printed Quran in the world is kept.
Also Read: Russia – Islamic World Economic Forum: KazanForum
The book is two meters long, one and a half meters wide and weighs 800 kilograms. The cover is made of malachite with precious metals and stones. The Bulgarian Historical and
Archaeological Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rich spiritual traditions and relics are preserved in the city of KazanForum –
Kazan, which the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has given the status of
Youth Capital of the Islamic World in 2022. Here the Forum participants will be
able to see and visit the Museum-reserve Kazan Kremlin – the only preserved
Tatar white stone fortress in Russia, the most northern point of Islamic culture in the
world.
The objects on the territory of the Kremlin had been constructed since the 10th
century, and are also on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Among them are: the main
cathedral mosque Kul Sharif, one of the largest mosques in Russia and Europe; the
central cathedral of the Republic of Tatarstan, created by architects of the main
cathedral of Moscow in the 16th century; the famous falling Suyumbike tower, one of
the 10 most famous falling towers in the world; the oldest burial vaults of the Khans. The
residence of the Rais of Tatarstan is also located here.
In the evening, the Kazan Kremlin will host an amazing light show, when
historical sketches, symbols and attributes of traditional Islam, characteristic of the Tatar
people, will appear on the walls of the fortress.
The cultural program of KazanForum also includes a sightseeing tour to the
Island-town of Sviyazhsk – a historical and cultural pearl of the Republic of Tatarstan,
where unique objects of the Middle Ages are preserved: the Dormition Bogoroditsky and
Ionno-Predtechensky monasteries with the oldest church in Tatarstan.
The peaceful coexistence of different confessions, nationalities and preserving the sacred traditions of Islam on one land for centuries is one of the peculiarities of spiritual and cultural
development of the Republic of Tatarstan and Russia as a whole. Guests of the Forum
will also be able to experience this feature in theatrical and film performances,
exhibitions and fairs, which will be held during KazanForum 2023 in Kazan.
An important task of the cultural events of the Forum, as explained by the
organizers in the Government of Tatarstan: to reflect the history of the Tatar and
Muslim peoples of the country, as well as the history of inter-confessional dialogue.
