Bakhchysarai ( crh, Bağçasaray, italic=yes; russian: Бахчисара́й; ua, Бахчисара́й; tr, Bahçesaray) is a town in
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, a territory recognized by a majority of countries as part of
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
and annexed by
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
as the
Republic of Crimea
The Republic of Crimea, translit. ''Respublika Krym'' ; uk, Республіка Крим, translit. ''Respublika Krym'' ; crh, , is an unrecognized federal subject (republic) of Russia, located in the Crimean Peninsula. Its territory cor ...
. It is the
administrative center
An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...
of the
Bakhchysarai Raion
Bakhchysarai Raion (russian: Бахчисарайский район; uk, Бахчисарайський район; crh, Bağçasaray rayonı) is one of the 25 regions of Crimea, currently subject to a territorial dispute between the Russian Fed ...
(
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
), as well as the former capital of the
Crimean Khanate
The Crimean Khanate ( crh, , or ), officially the Great Horde and Desht-i Kipchak () and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary ( la, Tartaria Minor), was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to ...
. Its main landmark is
Hansaray, the only extant palace of the
Crimean Khans
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, currently open to tourists as a museum. Population:
Geography
Bakhchysarai lies in a narrow valley of the river, about 30 Kilometers south-west of
Simferopol
Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, and is considered the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, ...
.
History
The earliest known artifacts of human provenance found in the valley date from the
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...
period. Settlements have existed in the valley since
Late Antiquity.
The founding of Bakhchysarai was preceded by the Qırq Yer fortress (modern
Çufut Qale
__NOTOC__
Chufut-Kale ( crh, Çufut Qale, italic=yes ; Russian language, Russian and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Чуфут-Кале - ''Chufut-Kale''; Karaim language, Karaim: Кала - קלעה - ''Kala'') is a medieval city-fortress in the C ...
), Salaçıq, and
Eski Yurt — these have become incorporated into the urban area of modern Bakhchysarai.
Bakhchysarai first appears in historical documents in 1502. In 1532
Sahib I Giray, the
Khan of Crimea
This is a list of khans of the Crimean Khanate, a state which existed in present-day southern Ukraine from 1441 until 1783. Crimean Tatars, although not a part of the Ukrainian ethnos, are deeply interconnected, having ruled a large part of ...
from 1532 to 1551, established his residence there. From that time it served as the capital of the
Crimean Khanate
The Crimean Khanate ( crh, , or ), officially the Great Horde and Desht-i Kipchak () and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary ( la, Tartaria Minor), was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to ...
and the center of political and cultural life of the
Crimean Tatar people. In 1736 the town was burned during the
Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739). Following the
annexation of the Crimean Khanate by the
Russian Empire in 1783, Bakhchysarai became an ordinary town, having lost administrative significance. However, it remained the cultural center of the Crimean Tatars for several decades afterward, fostered by
Ismail Gaspirali (1851-1914) who founded the local newspaper
''Tercüman'' in 1883.
During the
Crimean War of 1853–56, Bakhchysarai essentially became a hospital town as wounded Russian soldiers from the battlefield were brought in to be treated. The
Battle of the Alma, one of the earliest battles of the war, took place not far from the city in 1854. But although the city was close to the front line, the Turks and their European allies never took it, as the port city of
Sevastopol was their primary
wartime objective.
With the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917 and the unification of several socialist republics that had been part of the Russian Empire, Bakhchysarai became part of the
Soviet Union (established 30 December 1922) in 1922.
The ''
Sürgün
Sürgün or verb form sürmek (to displace) was a practice within the Ottoman Empire that entailed the movement of a large group of people from one region to another, often a form of forced migration imposed by state policy or international author ...
'', the deportation of the Crimean Tatars by the Soviets during the
Second World War, took place on 18 May 1944 in Bakhchysarai. The expulsion was prompted by accusations that the Tatars had collaborated with the
Axis occupiers (1941-1944). Although deportation of some Tatars in Crimea had begun as early as 1860, during the era of the Russian Empire, the Sürgün delivered the final blow, as the city was rendered empty of Crimean Tatars. They were not to return to the city until 1989, when Soviet policies relaxed.
Bakhchysarai became a part of newly independent
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
in 1991. However, it became a ''de facto'' part of the
Russian Federation when
Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...
invaded and annexed the city and the whole of Crimea in 2014.
Name and associations
Spellings of the town's name in different languages include:
* original
Crimean Tatar: Bağçasaray
*
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
: Bahçesaray
*
Russian: Бахчисарай - Bakhchisaray
*
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
: Бахчисарай - Bakhchysarai
The name comes from
Persian ''bāghche-sarāy'', which means ''the Garden Palace''. In Crimean Tatar, ''bağça'' means "garden" and ''
saray'' means "palace".
Russian-speakers associate the town with the Romantic connotations of
Alexander Pushkin's poem ''
The Fountain of Bakhchysarai
''The Fountain of Bakhchisaray'' (russian: «Бахчисарайский фонтан», ''Bakhchisaraiskiy fontan'') is a poem by Alexander Pushkin, written during the years 1821 to 1823.
Pushkin began writing ''The Fountain of Bakhchisa ...
'' (1822).
Adam Mickiewicz devoted some of the finest poems in his Polish-language ''
Crimean Sonnets
The Crimean Sonnets (''Sonety krymskie'') are a series of 18 Polish sonnets by Adam Mickiewicz, constituting an artistic telling of a journey through the Crimea. They were published in 1826, together with a cycle of love poems called "The Odess ...
'' (1825) to the landmarks of Bakhchysarai ( pl , Bakczysaraj).
An
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
,
3242 Bakhchisaraj
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
, discovered by
Soviet astronomer
Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh
Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh (russian: Никола́й Степа́нович Черны́х) (6 October 1931 – 25 May 2004Казакова, Р.К. Памяти Николая Степановича Черных'. Труды Государст ...
in 1979, takes its name after the town.
[Dictionary of Minor Planet Names - p.269]
Attractions
Famous attractions within or near Bakhchysarai are:
*
Eski Yurt
*
Chufut-Kale
*
Khan's Palace
*
Orta Juma Jami
*
Tahtali-Jami Mosque
The Tahtali-Jami Mosque (russian: Тахталы-Джами, uk, Тахтали Джамі, crh, Tahtalı Cami, tr, Tahtalı Cami) is located in Bakhchisaray, Crimea. In crh, Tahtalı Cami means "wooden mosque".
History
The mosque was built ...
*
Uspensky Cave Monastery
, native_name_lang =
, logo =
, logo_size =
, logo_caption =
, image = Uspensky Cave Monastery 2.jpg
, image_size =
, image_caption = Uspensky Cave Monastery
, map_type ...
*
Zincirli Madrasa
Zincirli Madrasa ( uk, Зинджирли-медресе; ''Медресе Ланцюгів'', crh, Zıncırlı medrese) is a madrasa, built of stone by Meñli I Giray in 1500 near Bakhchisarai, Crimea.
History
Zincirli Madrasa was established ...
There is a network of well marked hiking trails around the town. All the main attractions are connected with red-marked trail.
Since 2011 thanks to the support of the Czech Government and USAID the Tourist information centre has been working.
Demographics
In 1930 the population of the city was 10,450. The ethnic groups represented were 7,420
Crimean Tatars, 1,850
Russians, 315
Jews, 205
Greeks, 185
Ukrainians, 50
Germans, 30
Armenians, 30
Bulgarians, and 365 others.
Gallery
File:Bakhchisarai 1.jpg,
File:Bakhchisarai 2.jpg,
File:Bakhchisaray 3.jpg,
File:Bakhchisaray 4.jpg,
File:Bakhchisaray 5.jpg,
File:Bakhchisaray 6.jpg,
File:Bakhchisaray 8.jpg,
File:Bakhchisaray 7.jpg,
Education
*
College of Construction, Architecture and Design (Branch), Crimean Federal University
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Bakhchysarai is
twinned with:
*
Bursa
( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...
, Turkey
See also
*
Bakhchysarai Palace
References
External links
Official site of the Palace
The murder of the Jews of Bakhchysaraiduring
World War II, at
Yad Vashem website.
{{Authority control
Bakhchysarai Raion
Cities in Crimea
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Tatars
Islam in Crimea
Former capitals of Crimea
Holocaust locations in Ukraine