Mintimer Shaimiev: "Times are hard, but the culture is above all"

On February 19, at the Hermitage-Kazan Center Tatarstan State Counsellor, Chairman of Board of Trustees of the Revival Foundation Mintimer Shaimiev, Director of State Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Iraq to Russia Shafiq Muhsin Ismail, Chairman of the Spiritual Directorate of the Muslims of Russia, Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia Ravil Gainutdin, Chairman of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the republic Kamil Samigullin, Minister of Culture of the republic Airat Sibagatullin and other officials took part in the opening of a unique exhibition "Ibn Fadlan’s journey: Volga route from Baghdad to Bulgar”.

Opening the official part, Director of the Kazan Kremlin Museum-Reserve Zilya Valeeva noted that this is the 15th exhibition that has been organized at the Hermitage-Kazan Centre since its foundation.

Speaking at the event, Shaimiev said that the Hermitage-Kazan is the only full-fledged branch of the world famous Hermitage Museum.

He thanked Piotrovsky for his attention to Tatarstan, noting that each time an exhibition opens at Kazan Hermitage, he comes personally.

Shaimiev noted the great importance of the book "Notes about Ahmad Ibn Fadlan’s journey to the Volga River" in recognition of Bolgar the global universal value by the World Heritage Committee. "Without this historical material of that time, we could not prove the fact of the adoption of Islam in Bolgar in 922," he said.

Shaimiev also thanked the Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the Russian Federation. "I am very pleased that you have come. Ibn Fadlan, being the second person of the embassy reached Bolgar, and you, Mr. Ambassador, continuing the tradition, maintain excellent relations with our country and our people,” he said.

"Times are hard, but the culture is above all. We pay particular importance to the balance of interests. We are now at the Kazan Kremlin in the shadow of the Kul Sharif Mosque, opposite the Annunciation Cathedral, the revival of which was performed under the Decree of Tatarstan President," State Counsellor pointed out.

He reminded that on November 4, 2015, the National Unity Day, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov signed a decree “On creation of the Bolgar Islamic Academy and reconstruction of the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God."

Summing up, he thanked all the participants of the project of this unique exhibition, which will be open till September 18, 2016.