Bakhchisaray - City Information

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Bakhchisaray info

Bakhchisaray is a town in Central Crimea, centre of the Bakhchisaray raion (district), best known as the former capital of the Crimean Khanate. Its main landmark is Hansaray, the only extant palace of the Crimean Khans, currently opened to tourists as a museum.

Prior to the foundation of Bakhchisaray the capital of the Crimean Khanate several times changed its place. First Khan Hadji Giray I, who announced the independence of the Crimean Khanate moved his residence to Qirq Yer (later known as Chufut-Kale), then to Salachik, where the Ashlama summer palace was built. At the beginning if the 16th century the Khan's Palace was built. It served as the residence of the Girais who ruled Crimea from 1442 till 1783. With time a city grew around the palace. Its dwellers were engaged in trade, tanning and armory. Handworkers were united into 32 trades. Tradesmen settled in separated quarters, each with separate mosque. The remains of them may be seen even now, Trade in human was an important item of revenues. "Merchandise" was seized in raids on Ukrainian, Lithuania, Russian lands.

Noble captives for whom a huge ransom could be obtained were led to the Khan. After the demise of the throne by the last Khan Shahin Giray and annexation of the Crimea by Russia, Bakhchisaray gradually fell into decay. Now it is a center of prosperous agricultural area and a popular tourist sight. The population of Bakhchisaray is 33,800.

Bakhchisaray preserved the atmosphere of medieval Tatar city, especially the territory of Staroselye with adobe houses with high fences and narrow curved streets. It contrasts with Novyj Gorod residential area with new micro districts and high-rise buildings.

Famous attractions within or near Bakhchisaray are: Eski Yurt, Chufut-Kale, Khan's Palace, Tahtali-Jami Mosque,Uspensky Cave Monastery.

Eski Yurt was a settlement in South West Crimea, presently a historical quarter in the western part of Bakhchisaray. The remaining historical building of this area, now called "Podgorodnieje" village include: mausoleum of Bey Yude Sultan, the mother of Muhammed Şah Bey (14th-15th centuries), mausoleum of Ahmed Bey (a building of the 14th or 15th century), mausoleum of Mehmed Bey (16th century), mausoleum of Mehmed II Giray - a family shrine of the Crimean Tatar ruling dynasty, a smaller minaret, often mistakenly called a minbar (15th-17th centuries).

Chufut Kale is a historic fortress and a cave settlement near Bakhchisaray. Chufut Kale was historically a center for the Crimean Karaite community. In the Middle Ages the fortress was known as Qırq Yer (Place of Forty) and as Karaites to which sect the greater part of its inhabitants belong.

Bakhchisaray Palace (Khan's Palace or Hansaray) is the major historical monument of the epoch of the Crimean Khanate, the only remained sample of the Crimean Tatar palace architecture. The Palace is a complex of the historic-architectural preserve that consists of many structures like a mosque, a harem, a cemetery, living quarters and gardens. The palace was several times rebuilt and changed its appearance.

The Big Khan Mosque (is located on the Palace Square to the east of the northern gate. It is one of the largest mosques in the Crimea and one of the first buildings of the Khan's palace. The mosque was built in 1532 by Sahib I Giray.

The Small Khan Mosque is located in the main building and was designed for members of the Khan's family and important dignitaries. Construction of the small mosque dates back to the 16th century, and paintings in the mosque are from the 17th and 18th centuries.

One of the palace courtyards contains a small fountain whose sad story so moved the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin when he visited it that he wrote a poem about it titled "The Fountain of Bakhchisaray". The fountain is known as the embodiment of love of one of the last Crimean Khans, Qırım Giray Khan for his young wife, and his grief after her early death.

bh_Nic22800 Dormition / Uspensky Cave Monastery is considered to be the oldest in Crimea. The date of its foundation id disputed. Supposedly it was built at the end of the VIII - beginning of the IX centuries by the monks from Byzantine. the monastery stopped its existence when the peninsula seizure by the Golden Horde. The Skete was Crimean centre of the Orthodox till the last decades of the 18th century and them was deserted for the next 70 years. It was reopened in 1850. Initially there were only 7 monks there. In 1921 Monastery was closed on the order of the Soviet authorities and became active again in 1993. The Khan was said to have fallen in love with this Polish girl in his harem. Despite his

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