Today’s thoughts continue those of yesterday. So, I’m back in Kazan, Russia. Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan, which is a Russian Republic. Tatarstan is semi-autonomous, governed by its own elected officials, yet under the scrutiny of the Kremlin.

I arrived in Kazan was after dark, and gasped when I laid eyes on the Kazan kremlin. Most large cities in Russia have a kremlin (fortress). But this kremlin contained both a Russian Orthodox cathedral (Annunciation Cathedral) AND a Muslim Mosque (Kul Sharif Mosque). (The majority of Tatars are Sunni Muslims.) In all of my travels throughout Russia, I had not seen a mosque inside a kremlin. Ever. But here, followers of Russian Orthodox and Islam get along. And nothing symbolizes that better than the dual structures inside the kremlin.

The first picture above shows the Annunciation Cathedral in the foreground with the mosque in the background, while the second image is of the Kul Sharif Mosque. Two and a half years have passed since I captured those images. And they fill me with questions and longing. Questions about whether divisiveness has infiltrated Tatarstan life, whether visitors to Kazan are still amazed at the sight of the kremlin. Longing to see these places again that have such a fond place in my heart.