At the XIII Conference of Ministers of Culture of the Islamic World, which took place in Jeddah, Kazan was declared the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World in 2026.

Kazan has become a centre of attraction for Muslim countries, and in recent months alone it has hosted: the BRICS leaders' meeting in Kazan for the XVI BRICS Summit in October 2024; this significant event was preceded by the “Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum” - the main platform for economic interaction between the Russian Federation and the countries of the Islamic world.

Among many others, the 5th International Conference ‘Spiritual Silk Road: the Importance of Religious Values in Greater Eurasia’, held on 25-26 July 2024 in Kazan, which included the BRICS Holy Quran Award, had a great resonance in Russia and in the Muslim world, was organised by the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation and the Muftis Council of the RBMRF.

Kazan's application for the status of the Cultural Capital was put forward during the forum in Jeddah by Tatarstan's Minister of Culture Irada Ayupova, where she made a report on the republic's cultural heritage.

‘We are proud that our region is one of Russia's centres for the preservation of Islamic culture. Our land is the northernmost region of Eurasia, where Islam was recognised as the official state religion in Volga Bulgaria more than a thousand years ago, and this fact is confirmed by the ancient manuscript ‘Risale’ by Ahmad Ibn Fadlan,’ Irada Ayupova noted.

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