There are several versions regarding the time of construction of the Suyumbike Tower. Most sources indicate the late 17th to early 18th century. Disputes about the date may be linked to archaeological studies showing that the tower was built on the site of khan mausoleums and a mosque.

Some believe that the foundation of the tower dates back to the khanate period of the 15th-16th centuries, when Muhammad Amin took the throne in Kazan after the civil wars. The khan studied in Moscow, where he could have seen the construction of the Borovitskaya Tower of the Kremlin, designed by the Italian Aristotele Fioravanti. There are suggestions that Muhammad Amin might have invited an Italian architect or his student to build the tower in Kazan.

Proponents of this theory point to the architectural similarity of the Suyumbike Tower with Fioravanti's works in Bologna. Additionally, the size of the bricks used in the construction does not correspond to Russian standards but fits Italian ones.

Those who believe that the tower was built by Russian architects note that it is absent from images of Kazan from the 17th century. They also refer to architectural features characteristic of Moscow Baroque. The tower only appears on city plans in 1717-1718, and the first written mention dates back to 1777.

At the top of the tower, a two-headed eagle was installed in 1730. In 1918, it was replaced with a crescent moon in honor of the transfer of the structure to Muslims. In the 1930s, the crescent was removed, but it was returned during the reconstruction.

The tower has a pointed shape and a stepped composition, located at a distance from the Kremlin walls. It consists of 7 tiers: the first three are quadrangular with open galleries, followed by two octagonal and two upper polygonal tiers. At the top, there is a spire with a sphere called an 'apple' and a crescent moon.

The tower's decor is strict, with flat projections on the edges of the tiers. Corinthian columns are located on the lower level. The gates are on the first tier, which is a through passage. The architecture of the tower reflects the influence of both Russian and Tatar traditions.

The tower is often referred to as the 'Leaning' due to its visible tilt to the northeast. The cause may be a construction error and the settling of the foundation at a depth of 2 meters. The fall is stopped by the frame on the lower tier and the concreted foundation. The tilt is not always noticeable, but it can be seen from a distance near the doors of the president's palace.