A competition on the recitation of the Holy Qur'an with the participation of reciters from 20 countries of the BRICS countries, as well as the Arab-Muslim world - the CIS, Asia and Africa - has started in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. The winner will receive a cash prize of $7,000.

The city of Kazan has been declared the cultural capital of the Islamic world in 2026. This decision was made at a meeting of the ministers of culture of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Quran recitation competition held in Kazan amazed not only ordinary spectators, but also the jury, says Ilnur Vafin, imam-khatib of the Ravza mosque. According to him, the competition was held for the second year in a row, and the participants have achieved great success over the year. For example, those who memorized 10 surahs last year have now managed to memorize half of the 30 surahs, and some have even managed to memorize the entire surah.