The chilly summer breeze greeted us as we stepped out for a morning walk. Our hotel , Cosmos hotel ,stood majestically in the background .It’s a modern hotel with sophisticated system and advanced amenities. We went down for breakfast and the dishes spread fully on both aisles.A few dishes were non- halal but the rest were halal and utterly delicious. So I was good and completely filled up.
Ekatrinburg is about death and melancholy. A deep sense of sadness that had changed Russia and global sociopolitic. People struggled to change their life for the better.it was the time when the whole world went bankrupt and people everywhere strived to survive. But when a small group of people lived in luxury (like the royal families) something went terribly wrong and revolution was inevitable. Desperation led into anger and despair.
1. Mask of Sorrow – Tempat dimana mayat mangsa-mangsa kekejaman zaman USSR di buang.
2. Monumen Sempadan Asia – Eropah.
3. Ganina Yama – Lokasi di mana mayat keluarga diraja Romanov dicampak selepas dibunuh dengan kejam.
Solat Zuhr/Asr di Masjid Albukhari.
5. Bersiar-siar di sekitar Iset River dan Yeltsin Square.
In Russia,Lenin took over and chased the tsar away. The murder of Nicholas II and his entire family happened here in Ekatrinburg. The details of the assassinations are recorded as follows:
The murder of Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, their five children, and several loyal servants marked the brutal end of the Romanov dynasty and symbolized the violent climax of the Russian Revolution.
Background: The Fall of the Romanovs
- In March 1917, after the February Revolution, Nicholas II abdicated the throne, ending 300 years of Romanov rule.
- The provisional government placed the imperial family under house arrest at the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo.
- Later, they were moved to Tobolsk, Siberia, and finally to Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains mo, where Bolshevik control was stronger.
Imprisonment in the Ipatiev House
- The Romanovs were held in the Ipatiev House (called the “House of Special Purpose”) under strict guard.
- Conditions were harsh: windows were painted over, guards were hostile, and the family was isolated.
- By mid-1918, the Russian Civil War was raging, and anti-Bolshevik forces (the Whites) were advancing toward Yekaterinburg.
The Execution (July 16–17, 1918)
- Order from Moscow: Fearing the Whites might rescue the tsar, the Bolshevik leadership (likely including Lenin and Sverdlov) approved their execution.
- Execution Squad: Led by Yakov Yurovsky, a group of Bolshevik secret police (Cheka) and local soldiers carried out the killing.
- Midnight Massacre:
- The family was awakened and told they were being moved for safety.
- They were taken to a basement room under the pretext of taking a group photo.
- Yurovsky read a brief execution order, and the firing squad opened fire.
- Nicholas II was shot first, followed by Alexandra and their children (Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei).
- Some of the children, protected by hidden jewels in their clothes, initially survived but were later stabbed and shot at close range.
- The family doctor (Eugene Botkin) and three servants were also killed.
Aftermath & Burial
- The bodies were taken to the Koptyaki Forest, stripped, burned with acid, and dumped in a mine shaft.
- In 1979, amateur archaeologists found the remains, but they were only officially exhumed in 1991 after the USSR collapsed.
- DNA testing confirmed the identities, and in 1998, the remains were reburied in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
- The Russian Orthodox Church canonized the Romanovs as passion-bearers in 2000.
Controversies & Conspiracies
- For decades, rumors persisted that Anastasia or Alexei survived, inspiring books and films (like Anastasia, 1997).
- In 2007, the remains of Alexei and Maria were found, confirming the entire family was killed.
- The assassination remains a highly politicized event—seen by some as a necessary revolutionary act and by others as a monstrous crime.
By 21:38 we got onto another train for a 15-hour ride to Kazan. I can’t wait to be there; a major muslim city in Russia.
