Bakhchisaray
Encyclopedia
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.
). The settlements which existed in the valley before Bakhchisaray was founded - Qırq Yer fortress (modern Çufut Qale
), Salaçıq, and Eski Yurt
—are nowadays incorporated into the urban area of the modern Bakhchisaray.
Bakhchisaray, first mentioned 1502, was established as the new khan's residence by the Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray
in 1532. Since then, it was the capital of the Crimean Khanate
and the center of political and cultural life of the Crimean Tatar
people. After several wars with Russia from 1737 when Burkhard Christoph von Münnich
burnt down the capital of Khanate and occupation of the Crimean Khanate by the Russian Empire
in 1783, it was turned into an ordinary town, having lost administrative significance. However, it remained the cultural center of the Crimean Tatars until the Sürgün (deportation on 18 May 1944).
: Bağçasaray, Turkish
: Bahçesaray, Russian
: Бахчисарай - Bakhchisaray, and Ukrainian
: Бахчисарай - Bakhchysaray. The name comes from Persian
باغچه سرای (UniPers bâqce sarây) and means the Garden Palace.
The town is best known among Russian
speakers for its Romantic associations with Alexander Pushkin's poem The Fountain of Bakhchisaray
(1822). Adam Mickiewicz
dedicated some of the finest poems in his Crimean Sonnets (1825) to the landmarks of Bakhchisaray.
An asteroid
3242 Bakhchisaraj
discovered by Soviet
astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh
in 1979 is named after the town.
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, centre of the Bakhchisaray raion
Bakhchisaray raion
Bakhchisaray Raion is one of the 25 regions of Crimea. Bakhchisaray raion is situated in the southwestern part of the republic. 2/3 of the raion's area is mountainous, while the western part of the region is occupied by the coastal plain.-Places of interest:...
(district), best known as the former capital of the Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
. Its main landmark is Hansaray
Bakhchisaray Palace
The Khan's Palace or Hansaray is located in the town of Bakhchisaray, Crimea, Ukraine. It was built in the 16th century and became home to a succession of Crimean Khans. The walled enclosure contains a mosque, a harem, a cemetery, living quarters and gardens. The palace interior has been decorated...
, the only extant palace of the Crimean Khans
Giray dynasty
Giray , alternative spellings Guirey, Ghirai, Ghiray, Geray, is the Genghisid dynasty, which reigned in the Khanate of Crimea from its formation in 1427 until its downfall in 1783. The dynasty also supplied several khans of Kazan and Astrakhan between 1521 and 1550...
, currently opened to tourists as a museum.
History
Located in a narrow valley of the Çürük Suv river which is known as an old local center of civilization (the first artifacts of human presence in the valley date up to the MesolithicMesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
). The settlements which existed in the valley before Bakhchisaray was founded - Qırq Yer fortress (modern Çufut Qale
Çufut Qale
Çufut Qale sometimes spelled as Chufut Kale is a historic fortress in Crimea, near Bakhchisaray. Its name is Crimean Tatar and Turkish for "Jewish Fortress" . Çufut Qale was historically a center for the Crimean Karaite community...
), Salaçıq, and Eski Yurt
Eski Yurt
Eski Yurt — a historical settlement in South West Crimea, presently a historical quarter in the western part of Bakhchisaray. Its name derives from Crimean Tatar "old settlement" or "old headquarter" and felt tent in Mongolian language.- History :...
—are nowadays incorporated into the urban area of the modern Bakhchisaray.
Bakhchisaray, first mentioned 1502, was established as the new khan's residence by the Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray
Sahib I Giray
Sahib I Giray — a khan of the Crimean Khanate in 1532 –1551.Son of Meñli I Giray. In 1521 his brother, then Khan of Crimea, Mehmed I Giray, took Kazan, and gave it to Sahib. Together their army defeated Vasili III of Russia near Moscow....
in 1532. Since then, it was the capital of the Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
and the center of political and cultural life of the Crimean Tatar
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
people. After several wars with Russia from 1737 when Burkhard Christoph von Münnich
Burkhard Christoph von Munnich
Count Burkhard Christoph von Münnich was a Danish-born German soldier-engineer who became a field marshal and political figure in the Russian Empire. He was the major Russian Army reformer and founder of several elite military formations during the reign of Anna of Russia. As a statesman, he is...
burnt down the capital of Khanate and occupation of the Crimean Khanate by the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in 1783, it was turned into an ordinary town, having lost administrative significance. However, it remained the cultural center of the Crimean Tatars until the Sürgün (deportation on 18 May 1944).
Name and associations
There are various ways to spell the town's name: original Crimean TatarCrimean Tatar language
The Crimean Tatar language is the language of the Crimean Tatars. It is a Turkic language spoken in Crimea, Central Asia , and the Crimean Tatar diasporas in Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria...
: Bağçasaray, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
: Bahçesaray, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Бахчисарай - Bakhchisaray, and Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
: Бахчисарай - Bakhchysaray. The name comes from Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
باغچه سرای (UniPers bâqce sarây) and means the Garden Palace.
The town is best known among Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
speakers for its Romantic associations with Alexander Pushkin's poem The Fountain of Bakhchisaray
The Fountain of Bakhchisaray
For Boris Asafyev's ballet of the same name, see The Fountain of Bakhchisarai The Fountain of Bakhchisaray is a poem by Alexander Pushkin, written 1821-1823....
(1822). Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz ) was a Polish poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period. One of the primary representatives of the Polish Romanticism era, a national poet of Poland, he is seen as one of Poland's Three Bards and the greatest poet in all of Polish literature...
dedicated some of the finest poems in his Crimean Sonnets (1825) to the landmarks of Bakhchisaray.
An asteroid
Minor planet
An asteroid group or minor-planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid...
3242 Bakhchisaraj
3242 Bakhchisaraj
3242 Bakhchisaraj is a main-belt asteroid discovered on September 22, 1979 by Chernykh, N. at Nauchnyj.- External links :*...
discovered by Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh
Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh
Nikolay Stepanovich Chernykh was a Soviet and Russian astronomer.Chernykh was born in the city of Usman' in Voronezh Oblast...
in 1979 is named after the town.
Area Attractions
Famous attractions within or near Bakhchisaray are:- Eski YurtEski YurtEski Yurt — a historical settlement in South West Crimea, presently a historical quarter in the western part of Bakhchisaray. Its name derives from Crimean Tatar "old settlement" or "old headquarter" and felt tent in Mongolian language.- History :...
- Chufut-Kale
- Khan's Palace
- Tahtali-Jami MosqueTahtali-Jami MosqueThe Tahtali-Jami Mosque ) is located in Bakhchisaray, Ukraine. In means “wooden mosque”.-History:The mosque was built in 1707 by Khan Sultan Beck who married the daughter of Selim I Giray. It is the oldest mosque in the city and can be seen from almost any point of Bakhchisaray...
- Uspensky Cave MonasteryUspensky Cave MonasteryThe Assumption Monastery of the Caves is located in Crimea, Ukraine, near Bakhchisaray. It is a cave monastery carved out of a cliff.The date of the monastery's foundation is disputed, although local monks assert that it originated as early as the 8th century but was abandoned when Byzantium lost...