Kasimov - unity and identity of two cultures, Two days program

1 day

• Sightseeing tour of the ancient city. Immersion in the unique history, architecture and atmosphere of an ancient county town.

• Visit to the St. Nicholas Church with the removal of the miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God. This temple is the only one in Kasimov, which practically did not close in Soviet times. Behind the fence of the church, in the chapel, the elder Peter the Hermit, who was 8 years a novice in the Sarov desert, was buried in the chapel, where the Monk Seraphim began his exploits. For many years, becoming a hermit on the advice of St. Seraphim, an ascetic lived in a dungeon in dugouts dug in Kasimov ravines. In his declining years, Peter moved to a ravine near the poorest Kasimov church, Nikolskaya, in order to attract parishioners to it with his presence. An old man died at the age of 134.

The icon of the Kazan Mother of God (Prayer of the Old Lady Justinia) became the temple shrine. Its history goes back to the 17th century, when in the city of Kasimov the pious old woman Justinia, seven years old suffering from foot disease and constantly praying to the Mother of God for healing, appeared in a dream the Heavenly Queen and commanded to go to Kazan for the image deducted from the miraculous icon of the Kazan God’s newly acquired in 1579 Mothers.

The old woman fulfilled the command of the Queen of Heaven and found the coveted icon in the shop of the merchant indicated to her in a dream. To her surprise, she found out that the Blessed Virgin Mary also appeared to him in a dream and ordered that the icon be given to the supplicant for free. The old woman Justinia reverently accepted the icon and at the same moment was healed of a long-term serious illness. Returning to the city of Kasimov, she and her children founded a convent in Kasimov in honor of the revealed Kazan Icon.

• Lunch in a Tatar restaurant with a master class on cooking the favorite delicacies of the Kasimov Tatars - “lavash”. You will have a delicious lunch in the best Tatar traditions. (Option 1. Chicken noodle soup, vegetable salad, Tatar azu, census, lavash, kosh tele, bread, herb tea; Option 2. Shulpa, YaZ salad, vak byalesh, lavash, kosh tele, bread, tea on herbs). The interior of the restaurant will immerse you in the cozy home atmosphere of the Tatar house. The hostess of the “house” during lunch will share some of the secrets of her kitchen and will be happy to answer questions about the traditions and culture of the Kasimov Tatars.

• Tour of the Tatar settlement. Ascent to the minaret of the XV century (from May to October).

• Visit to the Tatar center of culture and art named after Ahmed Ishimbaev. A fascinating tour that tells about the life, traditions and rites of the Kasimov Tatars. Arabic script writing workshop.

• Check in to a hotel. Dinner.

2 day

• Breakfast.

• Visit to the private museum-apartment “Butterflies and Dragonflies”. The exposition presents the world's largest collection of brooches in the form of butterflies and dragonflies, as well as paintings, watches, caskets, vases, coins, stamps, thimbles and even fragments of fossils with butterfly prints.

• Visit to the Kasimov historical and cultural museum-reserve, located in the house of the merchant Alyanchikov. In the century before last, the most prominent house on Cathedral Square spoke to the townspeople and visiting visitors about the wealth and wealth of its former owners, the merchants Alyanchikovs, and today he tells tourists about the centuries-old history of the Kasimov Territory. It has unique exhibits, among which there are interesting artifacts: a polychrome wooden sculpture “The Crucifixion with the Coming” (XVII century), art and utilitarian iron castings of Batashevsky factories, Muslim warrior equipment, a collection of Kasimov bells, paintings of the 19th century, and Tatar jewelry. beauties and more.

• Visit to the Russian Samovar Museum, created on the basis of the private collection of Mikhail Petrovich Silkov, an honorary resident of the city. A huge, incredible collection of samovars was collected by Mikhail Petrovich. Here is the Baba Yaga samovar, and the steam locomotive samovar and the Imperial samovar. The collection even has a station samovar from the Siberian station Zanzur, which was used in 1920 by the supreme ruler of Russia Alexander Kolchak. Hundreds of samovars of all time. You will find a fascinating story of the guide about the different types of samovars, secret symbols that are applied to them.

• Visit to the private “Museum of Bells”. The museum also belongs to collector Silkov Mikhail Petrovich. That's really where you marvel, so many different bells are rare, where you will see! And many with a whole exciting story! Here you can see the bells, Orthodox bells, the ship market, the Italian campan, ancient Chinese bells, a Buddhist wind bell and other interesting specimens. In the museum you will have a unique opportunity to master the belfry and feel how something in the soul changes to the pure and reverent ringing of bells.

• Interactive blacksmith craft workshop. You are waiting for a photo session on the background of humorous forged works, initiation into the help of a blacksmith, the opportunity to try yourself in blacksmithing and even master the profession of a blacksmith mage. And of course, it will not do without tasting the famous tincture of a blacksmith.

• Lunch at the blacksmith with a tour of home brewing with tasting. A delicious lunch in Russian traditions. And during lunch you will find an exciting excursion on moonshine brewing, during which you can learn the known and unknown secrets of making this drink in Kasimov style.

• Free time to buy souvenirs. A visit to a local chocolate branded store “Loyalty to Quality”, a visit to the Tatar pastry and meat products store “Tatar Sloboda”, a tasting of Kasimovhleb LLC locally made gingerbread.

• Departure.

Accommodation options:

• hotel: «Kasimov»,
• hotel «Dilizhans»,
• hotel «Leis»,
• Recreation center «Dinamo»,
• Recreation center «Kasimovskiye zori».

The cost of the program is calculated on request and depends on the total number of tourists in the group.

The tour price includes: 

• Transfer Moscow-Kasimov-Moscow (the distance from Moscow to Kasimov is approximately 300 km);
• meals according to the program;
• guide services;
• entrance tickets and excursion service