Actually, I went to the observation deck in Kazan, which is located on the roof of the "Family Center". Coming closer, I saw amazing creatures on pedestals. They looked very impressive, but I did not know at all who it was and why. Well, I think, probably in the Tatar culture and mythology there is something like that, and therefore they occupy important places on the pedestals here.
Having rummaged on the Internet, I found out that not everything is so simple here and in general very many Kazan citizens were "frightened" by these sculptures and they collected signatures not so long ago for their removal.
What are these creatures and why are they at the "Family Center" in Kazan?
The sculptural installation "He and She" is located at the entrance to the central registry office of Kazan. Its author, Buryat sculptor Dashi Namdakov, is widely known for his mythological works. Zilants are interpreted as dragons - modern, fantasy, and therefore not associated with the negative symbolism of the medieval monster. “He and she” represent the custodians of family values. The male stands guard, while the female sits with the babies. Their size is impressive ("He" reaches a height of 7.8 m, "She" - 6 m).
On the other side of the building there is another pair of mythical creatures - winged leopards with their children. The Kazan Family Center, designed by Dashi Namdakov, opened in 2014, but without sculptures. Bronze sculptures in the avant-garde style were created later: they were cast according to the author's sketches in the artistic casting workshop of Massimo del Chiaro in the Italian city of Pietrasanta. The opening ceremony in Kazan was held on June 26, 2016 with the participation of President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin and the author Dashi Namdakov himself.
Promotional video:
Bright and unusual, dragon zilants sparked a heated discussion both before and after their appearance in Kazan. Many strongly objected to them, considering Namdakov's work inappropriate for one reason or another. The main objections were of a religious nature: the inhabitants of the capital of the Muslim republic considered the zilants to be symbols of another faith - Tengrianism. Marya Leontyeva, coordinator of the Center for Applied Urban Studies of Kazan, researcher of the CPA at the MSSES, noted the animalistic forms of Namdakov's creations, related more to the pagan, Mongolian style, and questioned their relevance in a republic where the main religions are Islam and Christianity.
The artist Ilgizar Khasanov believes that the image of the zilants is a mixture of the author's personal fantasies with fantasy, and he has a place in the personal collection of the owner of the castle. Tatar architect and local historian Sergei Sanachin saw Chinese motives in Namdakov's style, which he considered inappropriate in Tatarstan. It was also believed that the monsters near the registry office were inappropriate, aggressive and would frighten children.
If you focus on Dasha's past works, then the Sinification of our land is not very cool. Every person has a predisposition to something. Someone upstairs in our Kremlin fell in love with him, so they pull him. I believe that 80 percent of our population does not recognize him, - said the Tatar architect, local historian Sergei Sanachin.
Immediately, as usual, "toads rushed through the network":
Feedback from Kazan residents:
- Barsik is even more or less, but this pumped up zilant-bodybuilder … There and then children go! In fact, Zilant has two legs, according to historical sources. And this one has four, what a story there is. Who is this dragon? If so, why on earth is there a dragon in Kazan? I think this monster would look best in some cemetery. Or at the zoo: there will be a new zoo in Kazan - let it be there.
- I like sculptures, of course. Good, beautiful, normal. As they finish, be sure to come to see everyone. This is our Russian symbol.
- Bulky, frightening. To be honest, I don't understand their meaning - why exactly they, why exactly here? They do not look like Bars and Zilant from the emblems, only they will scare the visitors. On the other hand, they are better than nothing, because the "Chalice" requires some kind of design, composition around it. In general, if I was asked whether to leave the sculptures or remove, I would rather leave. And if they gave me a choice, I would install it either here or at the entrance to the Millennium. Such sculptures nearby need something tall, large, and iron. The main thing is not to touch the old center - let it be as low and wooden as possible.
- I don't understand yet. The money has nowhere to go, so they probably make sculptures. This is a snake from a fairy tale? So we live in a fairy tale. Probably the meaning is this.
- Gorgeous, huge. They are cute! Most of all I like the leopard boy - he is powerful, muscular. And the dragon … Of course, if you imagine it live, it's scary. And so it is even funny. The sculptures probably symbolize our strength. It seems to me that they would look good at the entrance to the city - so that everything was clear to everyone at once. And also in the place of a flower leopard on Bulak, opposite the university building. Or where is the old "Akcharlak". But in these places it is better to put a leopard. And the dragon - what is he … Handsome, of course, but still a dragon.
- Since we put the figure with kittens, the crowd has not left it - everyone is photographed. Gopniks who shout that this is disgrace and ugliness, in the evening, when the guards leave, also climb on the leopard and take pictures. And on the Internet they write: "Why was the hookah banned, and they put the badgers ?!" Still, our people have not yet matured to art … But if I could put these sculptures anywhere, I would, of course, take them to my dacha.
However, there are also many people who liked the sculptures. “Proud, strong and invincible He and She. Wonderful associations in fact,”write the supporters of the zilants. It is assumed that the mythical animals installed at the entrance to the family center will protect newlyweds from hardships.
Who are these zilants?
The Karon dragon Zilant is the official symbol depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Kazan, which was adopted in 2004. Earlier, during the time of the Russian Empire, the coat of arms with the image of a dragon was officially used for 145 years (1781-1926) according to one version, and according to another version - 187 years (1730-1917). However, in Soviet times, a ban was imposed on the use of coats of arms. The dragon got its name Zilant from the Tatar word elan-djilan (snake). This name is associated with the foundation of Kazan at the place where, according to legend, a winged dragon-serpent lived.
Some of the townsfolk believe that despite the fact that the image of the dragon bears sublime symbolism, its appearance has something of an ordinary earthly rooster: its paws and crown are painfully reminiscent of rooster legs and a comb. Nevertheless, this image looks pretty pretty. The golden crown over the head of this mythical creature means, according to the official interpretation, the achievement of a high stage of development. And the Kazan hat with precious stones and sable fur, crowning the shield with the image of a dragon, symbolizes both the current and, apparently, the former status of the Tatar territories and states.
After the conquest and annexation of the Kazan Khanate to the Moscow principality in 1552, the Kazan cap was taken by Ivan the Terrible to Moscow. Now it is kept in the Moscow Kremlin. Some consider this tsarist headdress, previously intended for the enthronement ceremony of the Tatar khans in the Golden Horde and the Kazan Khanate, as a direct prototype of the golden pointed cap of Monomakh, a symbol of Russian autocracy, which is also kept in the Moscow Kremlin.
According to some sources, the cap of Monomakh was presented to the Russian princes by one of the most powerful khans of the Golden Horde, Uzbek Khan, as a symbol of patronage and the conclusion of the Moscow-Horde union, which was regarded as a sign of the political rise of Moscow at the beginning of the XIV century …
After the collapse of the Union and the declaration of state sovereignty by Tatarstan, it became necessary to self-identify Tatarstan in state symbols. Proposals were made to make the symbol of the dragon republican, indicating it on the coat of arms of Tatarstan. Some of the arguments were both the historical coat of arms of Kazan with the symbol of this creature, approved by Empress Catherine II in 1781, and another coat of arms, approved by Tsar Alexander II in 1856. Another argument was the historical traditions of the ancestors of the Tatars, who portrayed the dragon in both everyday and political life. Among the opinions of the supporters of this symbol was the fact that in the works of the Dutch geographer of the 18th century Karl Allard it is argued that the image of a dragon appeared on the flag of the Tatar kingdom.
In turn, opponents questioned the facts of the use of the dragon symbol among the ancestors of the Tatars. One of their counterproducts was also the fact that various reptiles, among which are snakes and dragons, always carried a negative meaning in Tatar legends, fairy tales, and folklore. In addition, these creatures cause disgust and fear in most people … As a result, after long discussions, not a dragon, but a white leopard was approved as a republican symbol.
However, the symbol of the dragon in Kazan intellectual circles returned again in the early 2000s. Opinions were again given about the continuity of traditions, in particular, the fact that objects with the image of this mythical creature were found on the historical territory of the Tatar khanates.
Some experts argued that earlier this symbol was used on the seals of the Kazan Khanate (however, not a single document confirming this has survived). It is believed that after the capture of Kazan, Ivan the Terrible transferred this symbol to the state symbolism of office work. The seal of the Kazan Territory of the Russian Empire began to depict the symbol of the dragon. For example, the foreign diplomacy of that period, according to the researchers, was surprised by this symbol, so familiar to Europe and so not characteristic of Russia …
The modern Tatar historian R. Khakimov believes that much of the Tatars can be traced back to some of their ancestors - the Western Huns-nomads, who, according to the Chinese historiographer Sima-Qian, had their own dynasty in China, and their representatives were emperors of this country, during in any case, in the Tang era (X century AD). The dragon symbol was borrowed from China by these ancestors of the Tatars. According to the anthropologist A. Boyarov, other ancestors of the Tatars - the Sarmatians, who are inextricably linked, on the one hand, with the steppe Aryan civilization, and on the other, with the Western Iranians (Persians), also had the custom of depicting a winged dragon, as was customary in the ancient Iranian world. The famous Türkologist Lev Gumilev, in turn, argued that the dragon was considered a guardian totem among the ancient Türks, who are also part of the ethnogenesis of modern Tatars …
The dragon symbol is associated with the test that must be passed in order to receive the treasure, as well as with the concept of immortality, well-being, knowledge, energy, wisdom, strength and eternity. This symbol was widely used in East and Southeast Asia, in late European culture and, most likely, among the ancestors of the Tatars. As a result, thanks to the great work of historians, ethnographers, philologists, archaeologists, in 2004 the dragon symbol was nevertheless approved, but already on the coat of arms of the capital of Tatarstan - Kazan.
It must be admitted that the zilants turned out to be ambiguous. Someone calls them “stylish”, someone “ugly”, someone “sinister”, and someone - “protecting the family”, because “zilants cannot look pacifying by default”. However, the sculptures are unusual and impressive - and, therefore, will definitely leave their mark on history.
I don't know how the locals mostly relate to these sculptural compositions, but I liked it. Very effective and interesting. There are many different details that are immediately invisible, then you examine them. In general, I enjoyed wandering around this beautiful place in Kazan.