Description
"Kazan's Central Marketplace": The gostinnyi dvor was the primary marketplace in the city. Burned in 1774 and rebuilt with imperial support at the end of the 18th century, the market housed hundreds of shops. Most were owned by the city, and rented to finance the local government, but a minority were owned by prosperous private individuals. The merchants in the market included Muslims, Russian Orthodox, and Orthodox dissenters; and spanned a range of social estates.
Source
Perspectivnye vidy gubernskogo goroda Kazani, risovany c natury (Perspective views of the provincial capital of Kazan, drawn from nature)