To immerse in the atmosphere Kayum Nasyri lived and worked in

It has become known what the restored house-museum of the Tatar educator will look like

To immerse in the atmosphere Kayum Nasyri lived and worked in
Photo: Радиф Кашапов

For the 200th For the 200th anniversary of the outstanding Tatar scientist, educator and teacher Kayum Nasyri, it is planned to carry out a large-scale restoration of the house where he lived on Parizhskoy Kommuny Street in the centre of Kazan. The building will be decorated with wooden carvings with Tatar ornaments, quotes from his books will appear on the walls, a scientific laboratory will open here, and medicinal plants, which he wrote about in his encyclopaedias, will be planted in the garden. More details about what the house-museum will look like after the restoration are in the material of Realnoe Vremya.

The interior of the scientist's house: intertwining traditions and innovations

Tatar patterns on the walls, wooden carvings with national ornaments on the doors — this is how the house will look, restored as a monument of wooden architecture of Tatarstan of the 19th century. The design team tried to preserve the spirit of the era and at the same time added modern design elements. The main task of the concept was to reflect the Tatar national style in the interior of a wooden urban-type house. Tatar ornaments are used in the decoration of the walls, furniture and decorative elements. The main thing was to convey the atmosphere of the Tatar folk house of past centuries. The interior of the building has a reference to the historical area, to the Old Tatar settlement, where the building is located.

предоставлено ГУП "Татинвестгражданпроект"

Sketches of the project for the preservation of the object were developed by Tatinvestgrazhdanproekt in collaboration with the founder of the Ali_Architect design studio Alina Akhmetzyanova, as well as with the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Kayum Nasyri Museum.

The portfolio of the design studio includes the reconstruction project of the Institute of Food Production and Biotechnology of the Kazan National Research University, the project and implementation of the interior of the new building of the Economic Security and Anti-Corruption Department on Bolshaya Krasnaya Street, the implementation of the interior of the fencing school in Kazan, as well as projects for the interiors of houses and apartments in the capital of Tatarstan, Moscow and Sochi.

Reflection of history in modern design

On the wall where the portrait of Kayum Nasyri hangs, there will be quotes from his book The Fruits of Interlocutors in Literature — the first Tatar encyclopaedia, which is considered the main achievement of the famous educator.

“This is not just a wall, but a whole story captured in the portrait of Kayum Nasyri and framed by wisdom. This is both a bright accent in the interior and a place filled with deep meaning. The gaze is drawn to the portrait, and then slides along the inserts framing it. They contain 112 instructions on education, collected by Kayum Nasyri. Each visitor can stop, choose one of them and think about eternal values, about how to cultivate the best qualities in oneself and in others. This is not just decor, but a living source of wisdom accessible to everyone,” shared Alina Akhmetzyanova.

предоставлено ГУП "Татинвестгражданпроект"

At the entrance to the main hall, visitors are greeted by an “educational screen” with additional information, but this is not just a screen, but a real work of art. Its frame is a copy of the frame of the mirror made by Kayum Nasyri himself. Visitors here will have a unique journey through time, dedicated to the life and work of the outstanding teacher. Each window here is a kind of “showcase” telling about a certain period of his life and work.

“The windows of the building will be closed and will turn into a kind of showcase, demonstrating important moments in the life and work of the scientist. This idea symbolizes the discovery of new horizons and the desire for knowledge that characterized Nasyri himself,” said director of the Kayum Nasyri Museum, Kadriya Kayumova.

In order to make the immersion in the era as complete as possible, the hall presents exhibits related to that time. They allow you not only to see, but also to feel the atmosphere in which Kayum Nasyri lived and worked.

The project also includes the improvement of the garden, which will be a continuation of the exhibition. It is planned to plant medicinal plants described in the books of the scientist Nasyri, to create all the conditions for recreation and educational activities in the open air.

“It is important to preserve historical details in the integration of modern solutions. The use of natural wood and traditional processing techniques made it possible to recreate an authentic environment corresponding to the era of construction of the house,” added deputy director of the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan, Svetlana Izmailova.

Ринат Назметдинов / realnoevremya.ru

Such a project could only be done by immersing oneself in history

As the press service of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic told Realnoe Vremya, the researchers of the Kayum Nasyri Museum and the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan are constantly studying the scientist’s legacy. This work formed the basis of the developed concept, it will allow us to present the scientist’s works and his biography in a larger volume. The memorial part of the museum will be finalized taking into account updated information that appeared during the study of the works of his contemporaries. The scientist’s scientific activity is reflected in the design project of the exhibition and will be presented on the first floor of the museum. When developing the project, the authors took into account modern methods of organizing museum spaces.

“The scientist's house has been preserved as a wooden architecture building of the 19th century, and the design team tried to preserve this atmosphere without overloading it with media content. We focused on authentic items from the collection of the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan, which reflect the era,” the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan said.

Particular attention is paid to the scientist's study, which is planned to be restored with maximum accuracy. Unique interior items that have undergone restoration will create an opportunity to immerse yourself in the life and working atmosphere of the 19th century scientist.

предоставлено ГУП "Татинвестгражданпроект"

The exhibition will display the scientist's manuscripts, personal belongings, handicrafts, technical devices related to the diversity of the scientist's scientific interests. According to the museum staff, the exhibition may feature an astronomical instrument as a symbol of Nasyri's interest in this field of knowledge, as well as cartographic materials — all of this is currently in the works. Furniture items from the study and individual books are sent for restoration. For example, they plan to restore the chronometer watch — specialists are actively searching for similar models to accurately restore the original.

On the second floor, there will be an exhibition that includes the educator's scientific works, teaching aids and publications that allow a better understanding of the scientist's contribution to the development of education and science. Plans include organizing an open library where visitors will be able to get acquainted with Nasyri's scientific works, of which he wrote more than 70 during his life — from pedagogical to even culinary.

“We strive to show as much as possible the activities of Kayum Nasyri as a versatile person, teacher and linguist, ethnographer and educator, the author of the first periodical for Tatars. As a person who connected worlds, to expand knowledge about the culture of peoples living next to each other. For the Tatars, he revealed the achievements of Russian and European culture, using his knowledge to create teaching aids. Thanks to his activities, acquaintance with the rich cultural heritage of the Tatar people took place. All this will be shown through his scientific heritage, with comments and reviews from his contemporaries,” shared Svetlana Izmailova.

Who is Kayum Nasyri and why is it important to preserve his house?

The house where the scientist lived became a symbol of the era of development of national culture and education of the Tatar people. Nasyri moved here in 1887 and spent the rest of his life here until his death in 1902. It was this period that was marked by significant successes in his scientific and educational activities, thanks to which he received recognition as the founder of the modern Tatar literary language.

Предоставлено Домом-музеем Каюма Насыри в г. Казани

His numerous publications in his native language covered a wide range of sciences: mathematics, geography, botany. Among the most important achievements of the scientist are the introduction of the term “Tatars” into scientific circulation and the creation of a network of secular educational institutions for the Tatar population. Much attention was paid to the publication of annual calendars, which became an important source of cultural and educational information in the absence of their own printed press.

Nasyri's way of life itself embodied modesty and dedication to the cause. Independently engaged in household chores, the scientist created furniture, clothes and household utensils with his own hands, following the principles of simplicity and restraint. Despite the fires of the late 20th century, which destroyed many valuable artefacts, the building was restored with the efforts of specialists, preserving its historical appearance, captured in photographs and documents. Already in 1981, the object received the status of a historical monument, and since 2002, a museum has been operating here.

Nasyri's legacy had a huge impact on the formation of national consciousness and the intellectual elite of the Tatar people during the 20th century.

Interactive and popular science programmes from the Laboratory of Kayum Nasyri

Work on the future exhibition involves the preparation of interactive programs. Previously, exhibitions dedicated to such interesting areas as cooking and calendars were held here. However, the range of Nasyri’s hobbies and scientific research was much wider: among other things, he was fond of galvanic studies, made musical instruments and conducted various experiments. The name of the project remains open for now, but it will certainly reflect the versatility of the scientist and teacher’s talent. “The exhibition promises to become a kind of laboratory of Kayum Nasyri. In addition, visitors will be able to get acquainted with unique methods of teaching the Tatar language through folk tales and proverbs,” said Svetlana Izmailova.

The Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites reported that the examination revealed the extremely unsatisfactory condition of the Kayum Nasyri House-Museum. “The design documentation shows that the floors, ceilings and roof the buildings are in a state of emergency, the walls and partitions are in a limited working condition. The only elements that remained operational were the foundation and stair structures,” the department told our newspaper.

Эльвира Шарафиева / realnoevremya.ru

The upcoming repair and restoration work in the house is a comprehensive restoration that covers all aspects of the restoration of this valuable wooden cultural heritage site.

The scope of work includes a complete restoration of the building's appearance with the restoration of unique wooden elements — plank sheathing and carving. Specialists will strengthen the roof structures, completely replace the roof and insulate the walls. To increase the durability of the monument, the wooden elements will be treated with modern fire-bioprotective agents, and reliable waterproofing will be installed. The entire engineering system (electricity, water supply, heating, ventilation and communications) will be replaced with a new one that meets modern safety and comfort requirements. The area around the building will be improved: the sidewalks will be repaired, and the area will be landscaped.

The funds for all the work, as well as for the purchase of furniture and equipment, were ordered to be allocated by Rais of the Republic Rustam Minnikhanov in March of this year. The exact amount is still unknown. A tender for 40.2 million rubles for the improvement of the territory, reconstruction of external and heating networks in the building was announced in early May. The customer of the work is Glavinveststroy.

Elvira Sharafiyeva

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