Lake Kaban is an enigmatic place in the very center of Kazan. Legend has it that the treasury of the last Kazan khan lies at the bottom, sunk before the city fell in 1552. Treasure hunters have been searching for five centuries, but the lake guards its secrets. While fortune seekers come away disappointed, locals enjoy the embankment, fountains, and views of the Old Tatar Quarter.

The Legend of the Treasure

When Ivan the Terrible's troops besieged Kazan in 1552, the defenders knew the city was doomed. To keep the treasury from falling into enemy hands, the khan ordered it sunk in Lake Kaban....