List of Bakhchisaray sights in Crimea

Crimea is one of those places where you need to plan a vacation. Seeing the entire peninsula in a week is simply physically impossible, so first of all think about what type of vacation attracts you and what you want to see. This article lists the main attractions of the city of Bakhchisarai in the Crimea. We hope this helps you decide on a destination.

Holidays in the Crimea every year is becoming more popular. It is worth considering why the peninsula so attracts tourists. Rest in Crimea has the following advantages:

• developed transport infrastructure;
• Competent pricing that allows tourists to relax in the Crimea is cheaper than in the usual destinations, such as Turkey and Egypt, without losing comfort;
• mild continental climate, without temperature changes;
• diversification of rest - in Crimea every tourist will find a suitable type of rest, whether it is a calm and serene pastime on the beach or in sanatoriums, sightseeing or active pastime for lovers of extreme relaxation.

Of course, like any direction, rest in Crimea is not without drawbacks. The main drawback noted by many tourists is the quality of service. Many tourists emphasize the perseverance of taxi drivers screaming in vain in order to get a client. Sellers, taxi drivers, waiters can be rude to tourists. The second serious minus is the infrastructure. Tourists complain that the canopies on the beaches, the stairs leading to the beach, have remained since Soviet times. Walking to the beach along a broken boulevard without lighting is the norm for small coastal cities.

One of the areas in which all of the above advantages are successfully combined is the small city of Bakhchisarai, located in the South-Western part of Crimea. In modern Bakhchisarai it is conditionally possible to single out the Old City and the New City.

For tourists a must visit is Old part of townin which the sights are located. This city was sung by many poets - Akhmatova A.I., Pushkin A.S. and other great poets dedicated lines in time to this beautiful city.

One of the main attractions of the city, which gave it its name, is the Khan's Palace (barn). Bakhchisaray in translation from Turkic means “palace of gardens”. The exact date of construction of the residence of the Crimean khans is unknown.

According to historians, Khan-Saray was built at the turn of the XV and XVI centuries. The construction of the palace was begun during the reign of Khan Haji Giray. According to legend, the place of construction of the residence was not chosen by chance - during a walk along the river, the khan's son noticed fighting snakes. The loser, badly wounded snake dived into the water and got out on the other side of the river healthy and strong again. Khan decided that this is a good sign to build a palace on the banks of this river. In memory of this event, a cutout of two fighting snakes is located above the entrance to the palace.

The Khan's palace served as the residence of Crimean khans until the end of the VIII century and over the course of several centuries underwent a significant number of changes regarding both the appearance of the buildings and the interiortherefore, he cannot “tell” us the whole story of his magnificent past. In its original form, conceived according to the plan of the builders, the residence was burned after the capture of the city by the troops of Field Marshal Minich in 1736.

Currently, the area of ​​the estate of Crimean khans is about 5 hectares. On this territory there are several buildings of the palace, a harem, the Khan's mosque Biyuk-han-jami, a family cemetery of the Gireev family, the Falcon Tower, several official buildings (most often excursions lead to the Divan Hall) and courtyards. Numerous fountains are located in the courtyards - some of them were intended for collecting water; others used to bathe before prayer (for example, at the entrance to the small Khan's mosque you can see the famous Golden Fountain).

But especially attracts tourists Fountain of Tears, also known as Selsebil. The second name of the fountain is associated with an inscription on its lower part. According to the Qur'an, Selsebil is a paradise spring that quenches the thirst of the faithful who died for the Qur'an. For the sake of this fountain, many travelers visit the palace of the khan.

At present, the Fountain of Tears is located in the fountain courtyard, but it was originally located at the arbor of the main building of the palace or at the walls of the tomb of one of the concubines of Khan Geray - Dilyara Bikech.

There are many beautiful legends about the creation of this fountain, but, perhaps, according to one of the most romantic stories that gives special charm to this place, this fountain was built in memory of the beautiful Dilyar - the beloved of Khan Kyryma-Geray. Apart from the girl’s name, unfortunately, little is known to historians: the inscription “Bikech” sheds a little light on the Dilyara mausoleum. For the wives of the khan there were many titles, for example, hani, khanum and others.

According to the legends, a ferocious khan was brought a sack when they opened it; before the khan a girl appeared, beautiful as a rose. The heart of the khan trembled - the khan fell in love with Dilyara at first sight. However, the happiness of the khan was short. The beautiful concubine died suddenly, under one version - eaten by homesickness, and on the other - a jealous rival from the harem poisoned Dilyara. Deeply mourning over the untimely departed love, Kyrym-Gerai buried his beloved with the highest respect, erected a mausoleum over her grave and attached a fountain to it.

The fountain amazes with the art of carving. Beautiful flowers and fruits in vases are carved on the cold surface of marble, symbolizing the Garden of Eden. In the upper part of the fountain, a five-petal flower is carved, resembling the shape of the eyes, and below it there are several bowls filled with water. All this tells us about the tragedy and its significance - the grief is so great that the stone burst into tears.

But historians have many questions - if the khan really loved her so much, why didn’t he transfer Dilyara to the status of a wife. In addition to Dilyara, at least three more concubines were buried separately (their crypts have also been preserved to this day), but why they were awarded separate crypts, and not buried with all the servants. In 1824, the poem by A. Pushkin “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” was published, which ensured the glory of this place - to this day, the romantic legend of the creation of the fountain attracts artists, poets and lovers, and in the upper bowl of the fountain in memory of the great poet lie a red and white roses.

In 1917, a museum was founded on the territory of the courtyard complex - the basis of the collection was the interior and household items. In 1925, the cave cities became the museum’s branches, which will be discussed below.

Among the sheer cliffs, hiding from the bustle of the outside world in rich vegetation, in the gorge of St. Mary is the Holy Assumption Monastery. It is one of the main attractions of Crimea. The reason for this is the history of the appearance of the temple in this place.

According to one legend, a shepherd drove a flock of sheep to a pasture located near the mountains. At sunset one of the days, going back to the settlement, the shepherd noticed an unusual glow in the mountains. Deciding to find out what caused this phenomenon, the shepherd climbed onto the rocks and froze, shocked - he appeared before the miraculous image of the Mother of God.

An excited shepherd hastened back to the village and told the residents and the local priest about the miracle he had seen. The population of the village decided to organize a procession to the icon and take it to the priest's house. On the second day, the icon disappeared from the priest’s house and was again found in the same gorge at the same place. And again, the inhabitants brought her to the priest's house, but on the third day the situation repeated. Then the residents decided that a triple appearance of the image suggests that the Mother of God herself chose this place for herself.

The exact date of the foundation of the temple is not known for certain. It is believed that the temple was founded between the VIII and XIII centuries and is definitely one of the oldest Orthodox churches. During its long life, the temple survived a lot - during the reign of the Crimean khans, Orthodox churches were destroyed, but this temple was respected not only by the Orthodox, but also by Muslims.According to the stories, great rulers often came to the temple, asking for help from the Virgin, and also did not skimp on donations to the temple.

One of the most favorable for the monastery was the XIX century - a large number of new buildings appeared, including a house for pilgrims, a beautiful garden was built.

In 1921, by decision of the Soviet authorities, the monastery was closed, during the years of Soviet power, the monastery’s property was looted. During the Crimean War and the Great Patriotic War, the monastery played the role of a hospital (after these tragic events, a cemetery appeared on the territory of the monastery), and after 70–80 years of the twentieth century, it played the role of a neuropsychiatric clinic.

And only in 1993, after the coup, the monastery was transferred to the jurisdiction of the UOC (Ukrainian Orthodox Church). The restoration of the temple began - the stairs connecting the temple were renovated, an amazing cave painting was restored and a spring was equipped from which temple visitors can draw holy water.

At the moment, in the temple are such particularly revered icons, such as:

• Holy icon of the Assumption of Our Lady;
• icon of the savior with particles of holy relics;
• cross sent from St. Athos and others.

When entering the temple, pay attention to the left wall of the stairs - medallions of various temples and monasteries from around the world are sealed in it. Inside each lies a handful of earth from the place where the temple depicted on the medallion is located. It should be remembered that visiting temples is possible only in closed clothes - shorts and T-shirts are not suitable for visiting the monastery. Women also need to bring headscarves with them.

If you still forget, don’t worry - in front of the entrance to the temple is a box with scarves and skirts. Do not forget the container for a set of holy water.

The exact date of foundation of this settlement, as for all objects of ancient culture, is unknown. But most often, researchers are inclined to the VI – VII centuries BC. e. This building was home to the tribes of the Sarmatians and Alans - immigrants from Iran. It performed a defensive function - steep cliffs surround the fortress on three sides, and the entrance to the fortress is a narrow path that was perfectly visible from the plateau on which the building was located. As a result of bloody wars, the owners of the fortress were constantly changing.

In the XII century, they were the Kipchak tribes, who made this fortress their capital. In the XIV century, artisans settled in the fortress, who built another wall of defense - this is how a new part of the city appeared, which was called Juft-Kale, which means “double fortress. But later, due to a change in the population of the fortress (Karaites remained in the fortress, holding the Jewish faith), the name flowed smoothly into Chufut-Kale, which means "Jewish fortress."

It is also known that in this fortress, the eastern rulers held captive the Russian, Lithuanian and Polish ambassadors and representatives of famous clans, demanding significant ransoms or land for them. For them, a Christian church was built here, in which prisoners could not only pray, but also meet with relatives. The church eventually transformed into a monastery, which exists to this day and is known as the Holy Assumption Monastery.

Coffee was always present in the culture of the Crimean Tatars, was a kind of symbol of the well-being of the family. You can try real Crimean coffee in the Degirmen coffee shop, located 100 meters from the Khan's Palace. In addition to coffee, this place is famous for a museum - a model of medieval Bakhchisarai, whose area is 18 square meters. The coffee shop also has a large assortment of sweets that can be brought from Bakhchisarai as a souvenir.

Once in the Crimea, pay attention to the amazing natural attractions of the peninsula, which include the Grand Canyon. It is located on the territory of the reserve, which bears its name, on the north-eastern slope of Mount Ai-Petri. More than two million years ago, a tectonic plate broke, as a result of which this natural monument was formed.

This object can be found in many guides and it is not surprising, because the depth of the canyon is 320 meters, the width in the narrowest part is not more than 3 meters, and throughout the entire length of the canyon (more than 3.5 km) there are waterfalls up to 3-4 meters high.

At the bottom of the gorge flows the river Auzun-Uzen, which is fed by numerous springs and sources. Even in the hottest summers, the water in the river remains cold. The stormy river formed many natural baths in the gorge, the depth of some of them reaches 2.5 meters. The most famous of them is the Bath of Youth. According to the stories of local residents, the bath returns to the people who bathed in it, its former strength and vigor.

Previously, the Youth Bath was also known as Black Lake (Kara-Gol). This name is due to the fact that despite the clear water, the bottom of the lake is not visible. The second feature is the water temperature - even on the hottest day the temperature does not exceed +12 degrees. This is because this bath is fed by numerous mountain springs.

When walking to the canyon, pay attention to unique flora of this place. More than 3.5 thousand trees growing in the reserve are relict, for example, yew berry, saxifrage irrigated, as well as several types of orchids.

When planning your trip, think about comfortable clothes and shoes. Choose comfortable shoes with non-slip soles. Excursions to the Grand Canyon are conducted only in summer and exclusively in dry weather - during spring floods and rains, the amount of water increases, turning the river into a stormy stream.

The city of Bakhchisarai has a rich history. But the main attractions that can convey the mood of this distinctive colorful place are the following:

• Khan's Palace;
• cave cities Eski-Kermen, Tepe-Kermen and Chufut-Kale;
• Assumption and Holy Annunciation Monasteries;
• Grand Canyon.

The Khan's Palace is located in the Old Town at street Rechnaya, 133. If you get from the train station, you need to take a bus number 2 or minibus number 3 at the stop "House of sales." Get off at the registry office. By car, this route will take 9 minutes. The route scheme on Yandex. Maps are presented below.

To get to the cave city of Chufut-Kale from the train station, you also need to use bus number 2. Get off at the Staroselye stop. The route diagram for the car is shown in the following figure.

The Assumption Monastery is located 1.5 kilometers from Chufut-Kale. The scheme of a trip by car is shown in the figure below.

The Annunciation Monastery is located near the cave city of Mangup-Kale, which is located on the opposite side from Staroselye. From the railway station to the Annunciation Monastery, the journey takes 46 minutes (excluding traffic jams).

The nearest settlement to the Grand Canyon is the village of Sokolinoye.If you decide to visit this attraction on your own, you can get to this village by bus No. 129 or minibus No. 165, and then search for travel companions. The route by car is shown in the following figure.

If you find yourself in this amazing city, it is worth visiting the picturesque surroundings of the Bakhchisarai district.

One of the popular destinations is Suatkan Waterfall. The name of the waterfall in translation from Turkic means "throwing out water." The waterfall originates from Mount Kaya-Bash at an altitude of 540 m. At the beginning of its journey, the creek falls from a height of 13 meters, breaking into ledges of rocks and overflows into a small lake surrounded by centuries-old inhabitants of these places - yew trees.

If you want to get to the Suatkan waterfall by car, you need to get to the village of Golubinka on the Bakhchisaray-Sevastopol highway: you can follow the Sevastopol-Bakhchisaray highway, turn right from it in the Verhnesadovoy area, or along the T0105 highway through the ancient Mangup-Kale fortress. Right after Golubinka, turn right, cross the bridge over Belbek and follow to Novopolie. After Novopolie at the fork, turn right onto Putilovka and the Rich Gorge.

After that, it is better to leave the car and go on foot, since in the spring time the road becomes impassable even for SUVs.

In addition to its rich history, the Bakhchisarai region has an amazing landscape formed under the influence of the elements. One of the amazing natural phenomena is the formation of the so-called Bakhchisaray pillars or, as they are also called, “Bakhchisarai sphinxes”. These are huge limestone formations up to 15 meters in size, which have acquired bizarre shapes as a result of centuries of exposure to wind and water.

You can climb to the Bakhchisarai pillars from the Old City. Do not be too lazy to climb to them - from the plateau on which the pillars are located, a breathtaking view of the Old part of Bakhchisarai opens.

Wine lovers, as well as everyone who is interested in the process of creating wine, should consider visiting a place like the Alma Valley winery, located near the towns of Vilino and Peschanoe. The territory of the vineyards is 250 hectares. Currently, the winery produces 35 wines from 7 different lines.

As already mentioned, the types of recreation in Crimea abound in variety - for younger visitors there will also be entertainment to their liking. If you have a rest with children, think about visiting the Bakhchisaray park “Crimea in miniature in the palm of your hand”, located at ul. Lenin 4 (in front of the Khan's Palace), which contains copies of the main and significant sights of the peninsula.

A nice addition for young visitors to the park will be Acquaintance with the heroes of your favorite fairy tales and cartoons in "Multipark" located on the right side of the miniature park. Children will be able to get acquainted with such heroes as Avatar, Batman, Mickey Mouse and many others. In addition, on the territory of the Multipark complex there is a mini-zoo, in which pigs, kids, hens and other animals live. If desired, animals can buy food and feed them, which will definitely bring joy to young visitors to the park. Trampolines are also located in the shadow part of the park.

Older children may be interested in visiting planetarium. Crimean Astrophysical Observatory was organized in 1945 on the basis of the Pulkovo Laboratory, founded in 1908.The main part of the observatory is located in the village. Scientific Bakhchisaray district. The observatory has 17 telescopes, one of which is the second largest optical telescope in Russia.

Under good weather conditions, in the daytime the Sun is shown at a review lecture, in the evening - objects of the evening sky. It should be remembered that the observatory is, first of all, a scientific and not an entertainment institution, therefore the hours of reception of visitors are limited, the time of visit should be agreed in advance. By car, the road from Bakhchisaray to the village. Scientific takes about 30–35 minutes.

Important! Most of the excursions take place outdoors or in unheated rooms; for visiting the observatory, choose warm clothes and shoes.

An overview of the sights of Bakhchisarai, see the next video.