The history of the Kazan city foundation was uncertain for a long time. As far as we know, scientific debates on the date of the city foundation had been continued for more than one hundred years. In 1894 the State Duma attempted to determine the age of Kazan, so did the city officials and scientists 25 years ago. But there were no undeniable scientific evidences and facts in both cases.

Careful researches of the last years, which have been done in 32 archaeological digs, 62 libraries and archives, including 46 overseas, literally exposed new layers of history.

Scientists admitted that they had made an important discovery, finding out the V cultural layer, which contained unique things. Among them there is a gilded cover, which is believed to date from the middle of the X century according to similar analogues, being at the disposal of Hungarian scientist. A part of a silver Arabic dirham, which had been minted, referring to the scientists from Cairo, at the first half of the X century, could have been in circulation up to the period from late X to early XI centuries. This time is considered to be the epoch of the Semanids. Glass beads, founded there, caused a sensation in the Scandinavian countries owing to their origin. A St. Vatslav denarius dated the end of the X century, helped Czech scientists to discover, that minting coins in their country started one hundred years earlier.

Scientific examination of finds and decisions were made by the Numismatics Department of the State Hermitage, National Museums of Hungary and Czech Republic as well as specialists from Moscow, Berlin and Cairo.

Taking into consideration the frequency of coincided experts’ opinons and using the method of mathematical approximation, scientists determined the year of 1005 as the date of the Kazan city foundation. The results of investigations were discussed at three international forums with participation of scientists from 21 countries.

As a result five institutes of history and a bureau at the Academy of Sciences of Russia declared the time of Kazan foundation, and, more over, admitted that a new method of dating ancient cities’ foundation was opened. By the orders of the presidents of Russian Federation and the republic of Tatarstan, the 1000 anniversary celebration was the state ceremony. Kazan was blessed with its birthday, and celebrated that great jubilee on August 30, 2005.

The Cultural Heritage Committee of the European Council passed a resolution to hold the International Congress of Businessmen and the Symposium of European Historical Cities and Regions in Kazan in 2002, European Conference “Cultural Heritage of the Great Volga Way” in 2003 and the European Heritage Days and International Forum “Cultural Heritage of Islamic Cities” in 2004. The International Round Table “The Great Volga Way” was held in Kazan, where they decided to hold annual scientific conference in all the cities, situated along the whole length of the Great Volga Way from Teheran to Oslo in order to renew cultural, economical and trade connections.

There are no so many cities in the world, which have many-centured history. Today Kazan is entering a new epoch, the epoch of renaissance of the greatest ancient values of mankind.  Kazan is a centre, opened to the whole world, a city of infrastructure and the richest cultural and historical heritage.