5. Kazan
Where East meets West: country’s main mosque, Kul Sharif, behind the traditional Russian Kremlin wall.
It is about 150 years older than Moscow and the capital of the Tatarstan Republic (Республика Татарстан) – the land of the Volga Tatars, a Turkic people commonly associated with Chinggis Khaan’s hordes.
Tatar autonomy is strong here and is not just about bilingual street signs. Moscow has pumped vast sums into the republic to persuade it to remain a loyal part of Russia. It also ensures that Tatarstan benefits greatly from the vast oil reserves in this booming republic.
Although Tatar nationalism is strong, it is not radical, and the local version of Sunni Islam is very moderate. Slavic Russians make up about half of the population, and this cultural conflux of Slavic and Tatar cultures makes Kazan an all-the-more-interesting city.
6. TobolskLast home of the Russian tsar family during the communist revolution.
7. Tomsk
Home to some of the best preserved examples of Russian wooden architecture and a pretty university town.
