Söyembikä Tower, Kazan (must see)

Söyembikä Tower is probably the most familiar landmark and architectural symbol of Kazan. Once the highest structure of that city's Kremlin, it used to be one of the so-called leaning towers. By the early 20th century, its inclination was estimated at 194 cm (76 in). Diverse stabilization methods were used to straighten the tower in the 1930s and 1990s. The tower's construction date is enshrouded in mystery. Several scholars date its construction to the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, when the tiered towers were exceedingly popular in Russia, but others date the tower to the 16th century, probably before 1552. In the Imperial period, the tower used to be topped with a double-headed eagle, which the Bolsheviks replaced with a red star. It is currently crowned with a Muslim crescent.