The symbol of Kazan, shrouded in many rumors, secrets and legends, is Lake Kaban. Actually, this is a water system consisting of three large lakes, stretching in length, from north to south, for more than 10 kilometers and in width - about half a kilometer. The depth of the lake is from 1 to 3 meters, and in some places it reaches 5-6 meters. Although it is very problematic to accurately measure the depth of the Kaban, since its bottom is covered with a centuries-old layer of silt.
The area of the water surface of the Middle Boar (the northernmost, also called the Lower) is 58 ha, the Middle Boar is 112 ha, and the Upper Boar is 25 ha.
Once Lake Kaban was famous for its crystal clear water, many people rested on its golden beaches. However, over time, enterprises were built on the banks of the reservoir that poured their waste directly into it.
In 1980, when the level of pollution of the Boar reached a critical value, cleaning work began, as a result of which it was significantly reduced. However, the water of the lake is still unable to self-purify, as it is devoid of plankton.
Sredniy Kaban is famous for having a Rowing Sports Center on its shore. Here passedcompetitions within the Universiade 2013.
Lower Kaban is famous for its high- altitude water fountain, built near the Kamal theater and being one of the city's attractions, as well as a pleasure boat station popular among the townspeople.
The history of the lake
Several legends are connected with the formation of Lake Kaban. One of them tells about an old man named Kasym Sheikh, who brought the people here. The people who came with him began to grumble, because the area was completely overgrown with reeds and sedges, covered with thick bushes and completely devoid of drinking water. Then, having prayed, Kasim-sheikh took up the beshmet and dragged him along the ground behind him. In the place where he passed, a lake was formed with the purest drinking water.
No matter how beautiful the legend, scientists have a different opinion. It is believed that the lake is nothing but the remains of the ancient riverbed of the Volga, which, during the period of rapid melting of glaciers, flowed in these places and was many times wider. Subsequently, the river laid a new channel for itself, a few kilometers to the west, and Lake Kaban formed on the site of the former. Photos of this area from space serve as a vivid confirmation of this. According to scientists, the age of the lake system is about 25 -30 thousand years.
History of the name
There are several versions of the origin of the name of the lake - both related to myths and legends, and quite ordinary.
According to one of them, the lake got its name from the namethe last Kazan Khan, Kaban-Bek, who, fleeing from enemies, arrived in these places, making his way through dense forests and swampy swamps. The healing waters of the lake helped to heal the wounded, and then a village subsequently appeared here. The nearby reservoir got its name in honor of Kaban-Bek.
According to another version, Lake Kaban began to be called so from the Turkic "kab-kub", meaning in translation "reservoir", or "dredging in the ground". It is believed that this is how the word "boar" appeared, denoting wild pigs that dig holes.
There is also a version that the lake got its name for the reason that in the oak forests that once surrounded it, there were many wild boars.
Urban legends
Many mysteries and legends envelop Lake Kaban. Kazan, as you know, was captured by the troops of Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century. On the night before the storming of the city, the khan's treasury, which included innumerable treasures, was secretly lowered to the bottom of the lake, where it remains to this day. In support of this version, examples are given that, allegedly at the beginning of the 20th century, a certain foreign company offered its services to clean up the bottom of the lake, asking for its work only the opportunity to take all the garbage at the bottom. And in the second half of the same century, they allegedly even found a small but weighty barrel here, which they never managed to drag into the boat - slipping out of their hands, it again plunged into the muddy bottom of the Boar.
According to another legend, a witch lived on the shore of the lake and fed homeless cats. When one day she suddenly began to drown her pets,outraged people killed her. The rescued animals, oddly enough, rushed into the water and drowned. Since then, the souls of cats have been taking revenge on people, undermining the ice with their claws in order to lure the next victim.
There is also a legend that part of the city founded by Kaban-Bek, after the conquest, sank to the bottom along with its inhabitants, houses, palaces and mosques. And if you take a boat to the middle of the lake in calm clear weather, you can see this ancient city and hear the call to prayer from the underwater minaret…
