The adventure of Tsar Peter the Great in the town of Kasimov.
There is the town of Kasimov in the Ryazan region which used to be the capital of the Kasimov Tatar Kingdom. A Tatar minaret of the 15th century has been preserved to the present there. One legend of the Ryazan region is connected with it. In 1722, Peter's army went on a Persian campaign to Astrakhan. The travelers sailed along the Oka River past Ryazan Pereyaslavl, approached the town of Kasimov and stopped there. Peter's company settled down on one of the ships to have a snack. Traditionally, they feasted long and loudly. The Tsar went on the deck to admire the surroundings. He saw a snow-white church on the other riverbank. Seeing such beauty Peter took off his hat and crossed himself three times at the sight of the church according to Christian religion. Suddenly he heard the laughter of one of his servants. It turned out that Peter crossed not at the church, but at the minaret. Peter looked at the snow-white building and saw that there was no cross on it. The Tsar got upset and ordered to demolish the minaret the next day. In the morning Peter went out for a walk and saw people in green clothes and white turbans on their heads lying on the riverbank. Everyone had a rope around their necks. "What kind of people are there?" Peter asked. He was informed that local Tatars had gathered here and they asked to stop the destruction of the minaret. If the Tsar refused, then let him strangle them all with prepared ropes. Peter had already forgotten about his yesterday's order. He ordered to stop the destruction of the minaret. After that the Tsar corrected his unintended mistake. He went ashore and visited the nearest Yegoryevskaya church, where he prayed hard. So unusual and memorable was Peter's stay on the Ryazan land.