Kazan dates back to medieval times, but was conquered by Ivan the Terrible in 1552. Unfortunately, the city from that point on has had an on-going struggle between the Russian population and the Tatar population -- who were originally there. A suppression of the Tatar way of life, culture, and even the Islamic religion continued, although Catherine the Great did allow the Tatars to rebuild their mosques, as those were destroyed when the city was originally conquered. In the beginning of the 20th century, the Tatars were given permission to revive their culture, religion, and language within the city and under the Soviet Union, Kazan became the central city of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Of course, the Islam religion, as well as the Christian religion, were both suppressed by the communists, but have since seen a revival, due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today, there are just a few more Tatars in Kazan than Russians, but both languages are actively used. The city has beautiful cathedrals and mosques and its spectacular citadel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.