Built on an ancient site, the Kazan Krem­lin dates from the Mus­lim peri­od of the Gold­en Horde and the Kazan Khanate. It was con­quered by Ivan the Ter­ri­ble in 1552 and became the Chris­t­ian See of the Vol­ga Land. The only sur­viv­ing Tatar fortress in Rus­sia and an impor­tant place of pil­grim­age, the Kazan Krem­lin con­sists of an out­stand­ing group of his­toric build­ings dat­ing from the 16th to 19th cen­turies, inte­grat­ing remains of ear­li­er struc­tures of the 10th to 16th cen­turies.