Kazan Kremlin has undergone renovations in recent years which help to extend its significance beyond a historical place marker from the time of Ivan the Terrible and the Kazan khanate. The Kul-Sharif mosque was built to replace the mosque that served the Kazan khanate before it was destroyed.
The Annunciation Cathedral, one of the Kazan kremlin's oldest structures, has also been restored.
Kazan is sometimes referred to as "Russia's Third Capital" (following Moscow and St. Petersburg). It is located on the Volga River east of Moscow.
