In 1996, a project began in Kazan to rebuild the Qolşärif Mosque as true to form as possible. Funded partly by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the final project was finished in 2005 and is a splendid wonder. With soaring teal-topped minarets and whitewashed arches, the new mosque connects the old Kazan Khanate with modern Russian and Islamic architecture, and serves to keep the memory of the 16th century mosque alive.