On Paris Commune Street in Kazan, the Chak-Chak Museum, a symbol of Tatarstan and the main Tatar dessert, is comfortably located. Here, tourists are offered a cup of fragrant tea from a Tula samovar, traditional Tatar sweets baursak and chak-chak, as well as stories about the history and peculiarities of preparing this beloved treat, customs, and traditions of the Tatar people. Visitors can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of past centuries and enjoy the coziness and warmth. The museum recreates the setting of a prosperous Tatar house from the late 19th century using authentic photographs, historical documents, and interior items, most of which are original, while others are precise copies. Here, one can see antique furniture, household utensils, tools, and much more.
The museum also hosts workshops where anyone can prepare their own chak-chak and taste it right away. The groups for the workshops are small, with 6-7 people, and the session lasts an hour. At different times of the year, the museum organizes special events that attract many tourists. In summer, there are "Tatar Wedding Rites," which tell about ancient matchmaking and wedding traditions. In autumn, during the event "Hay Market and Merchants," one can learn about trade and crafts, in winter the program "Bulgars' Calendar and Mythology" introduces legends of the Bulgars and their calendar, and in spring, the event "Costume and Decorations of Kazan Tatars" is dedicated to traditional clothing and style.
The museum opened in September 2014 thanks to the initiative of Dmitry Polosin and Ravshana Suleymanova. In 2015, it moved to the old merchant house of Wafa Bigaev from the early 19th century in the Old Tatar settlement. According to the founders, more than 7,500 people from Russia and other countries visited the museum in 2014-2015. During this time, the museum also became a finalist in the all-Russian competition "Souvenir of the Year."
Tours are conducted in the format of a heartfelt tea party, where different types of chak-chak made with milk, vodka, or cognac, without eggs, and the large chak-chak "tosh" are discussed. Visitors learn about the traditions of the Tatar people and the history of chak-chak from the times of Volga Bulgaria to the present day, with a focus on the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as detailed by Kayum Nasiri.
The tour lasts exactly one hour and ends after the chime of an antique clock. Although official sources indicate that prior registration is required, the museum can be visited without it; tours take place every hour and a half: at 11:30, 13:00, 14:30, 16:00, and 17:30. Usually, tours are conducted in Russian, but they can also be in English and Tatar.
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