Bakhchisaray in 3 Russian words
For several centuries, this city served as the capital of the powerful Crimean Khanate. Today, it’s an important cultural and tourist center on the peninsula. Here are three of its main symbols.
1. ХАНСКИЙ ДВОРЕЦ (Khan's Palace)
The former residence of the Crimean khans is the only example of Crimean Tatar palace architecture in the world. The palace was built in the 16th century. The extensive complex includes a main building, a harem, the khan's kitchen and stables, a library, a mosque, gardens and parks, a bathhouse, a cemetery and a falconry tower, where birds of prey were kept.
2. ПЕЩЕРНЫЙ ГОРОД ЧУФУТ-КАЛЕ (Chufut-Kale Cave City)
This medieval fortress city is located a few kilometers from Bakhchisaray on a remote mountain plateau. In the 15th century, it served as the capital of the Crimean Khanate for about 50 years and, later, became a place where high-ranking prisoners were held. Janike, daughter of the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh, is buried in the mausoleum at Chufut-Kale.
3. СВЯТО-УСПЕНСКИЙ ПЕЩЕРНЫЙ МОНАСТЫРЬ (Dormition Monastery of the Caves)
This Orthodox monastery for men in the Mariam-Dere Valley near Bakhchisaray was founded in the 8th century. After the Mongols conquered Crimea in the 1230s, it temporarily ceased operations, only to be revived in the 15th century as the main stronghold of spiritual life for the peninsula's Orthodox population.
