List of sights of Bakhchisarai in Crimea

Crimea is one of those places where you should definitely plan your vacation. It is simply physically impossible to see the entire peninsula in a week, 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 will help you decide on the choice of direction.

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

• developed transport infrastructure;
• competent pricing, which allows a tourist to relax in Crimea cheaper than in the usual destinations such as Turkey and Egypt, without losing comfort;
• mild continental climate, without temperature extremes;
• Diversity 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 rest.

Of course, like any other destination, rest in Crimea is not without its drawbacks. The main drawback noted by many tourists is the quality of service. Many tourists emphasize the perseverance of taxi drivers, screaming with each other in order to get a client. Sellers, taxi drivers, waiters can get nasty on tourists. The second serious disadvantage is infrastructure. Tourists complain that beach sheds and stairs leading to the beach are from Soviet times. Walking to the beach along a broken boulevard without lighting is the norm for small seaside towns.

One of the directions in which all of the above advantages are successfully combined is the small town of Bakhchisarai, located in the South-Western part of Crimea. In modern Bakhchisarai, one can conditionally distinguish the Old City and the New City.

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

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

According to historians, Khan-Saray was built at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries. The construction of the palace was started during the reign of Khan Khadzhi-Girey. According to legend, the place where the residence was built was not chosen by chance - while walking along the river, the khan's son noticed fighting snakes. The loser, a badly wounded snake dived into the water and got out on the other side of the river, healthy and strong again. Khan decided that it was a good sign to build a palace on the banks of this river. In memory of this event, there is a carved image of two fighting snakes above the entrance to the palace.

The Khan's palace served as the residence of the Crimean khans until the end of the 8th century and over the course of several centuries underwent a significant number of changes regarding both the appearance of the buildings and the internal content.therefore 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 down after the capture of the city by the troops of Field Marshal Minich in 1736.

At the moment, the area of ​​the Crimean khans' estate is about 5 hectares. On this territory there are several buildings of the palace, a harem, the Khan's mosque Biyuk-khan-jami, the family cemetery of the Girey family, the Falcon Tower, several official buildings (most often excursions are taken to the Divan Hall) and courtyards. There are numerous fountains in the courtyards - some of them were used to collect water; others were used for ablution before prayer (for example, the famous Golden Fountain can be seen near the entrance to the small Khan mosque).

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

At the present time, the Fountain of Tears is located in the fountain courtyard, but initially it was located at the gazebo of the main building of the palace or at the walls of the tomb of one of the concubines of Khan Gerai - Dilara Bikech.

There are many beautiful legends about the creation of this fountain, but, perhaps, according to one of the most romantic stories, which gives special charm to this place, this fountain was built in memory of the beautiful Dilyara, the beloved of Khan Kyrym-Geray. Unfortunately, historians do not know much besides the girl's name: the inscription "bikech" sheds a little light on the Dilyara mausoleum. There were many titles for the khan's wives, for example, khani, khanum and others.

According to legends, a sack was brought to the fierce khan, when it was opened, a girl, beautiful as a rose, appeared before the khan. The khan's heart trembled - the khan fell in love with Dilyara at first sight. However, the khan's happiness was short. The beautiful concubine died suddenly, under one version - eaten by homesickness, and according to the other - a jealous rival from the harem poisoned Dilyara. Deeply grieving for the untimely departed love, Kyrym-Giray buried his beloved with the highest respect, erecting a mausoleum over her grave and attaching 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 the marble, symbolizing the Garden of Eden. In the upper part of the fountain, a five-petal flower is carved, resembling 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 did not 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 survived to this day), but why were they honored with separate crypts, and not buried along with all the servants. In 1824, A.S. Pushkin's poem "The Bakhchisarai Fountain" was published, which ensured the glory of this place - to this day, the romantic legend about the creation of the fountain attracts artists, poets and lovers, and in the upper bowl of the fountain in memory of the great poet there are red and white roses.

In 1917, a museum was founded on the territory of the courtyard complex - the collection was based on the objects of the interior and everyday life of the palace.... In 1925, the branches of the museum became "cave cities", which will be discussed below.

Among the steep cliffs, hiding from the bustle of the outside world in rich vegetation, the Holy Dormition Monastery is located in the Gorge of St. Mary. 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 of the legends, a shepherd took a flock of sheep to a pasture located near the mountains. At sunset of 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 - the image of the Mother of God appeared before him.

The agitated shepherd hurried 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 religious 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 in the same place. And again the inhabitants brought her to the priest's house, but on the third day the situation repeated itself. Then the inhabitants decided that the threefold appearance of the image indicated that the Mother of God herself had chosen 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 8th and 13th centuries and is definitely one of the oldest Orthodox churches. During its long life, the temple has experienced 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 the Muslims.According to the stories, great rulers often came to the temple, asking for help from the Mother of God, and also did not skimp on donations to the temple.

One of the most favorable for the monastery was the 19th century - a large number of new buildings appeared, including houses for pilgrims, a beautiful garden was laid out.

In 1921, by decision of the Soviet authorities, the monastery was closed; during the years of Soviet power, the monastery's property was plundered. 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 then, in the 70-80s of the 20th century, it played the role of a neuropsychiatric dispensary.

And only in 1993, after a coup d'etat, the monastery was transferred to the jurisdiction of the UOC (Ukrainian Orthodox Church). Work began on the restoration of the temple - the stairs connecting the buildings of the temple were repaired, an amazing rock painting was restored and a source was equipped from which visitors to the temple can draw holy water.

At the moment, the temple contains such especially revered icons as:

• Holy Icon of the Assumption of the Mother of God;
• the icon of the savior with particles of holy relics;
• a cross sent from St. Athos and others.

When entering the temple, pay attention to the left wall from the stairs - medallions of various temples and monasteries from all over the world are sealed in it. Inside each is 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 forgot, do not worry - in front of the entrance to the temple there is a box with scarves and skirts. Do not forget about the container for the collection of holy water.

The exact date of foundation of this settlement, as well as for all objects of ancient culture, is unknown. But most often researchers are inclined to the VI-VII centuries AD. NS. This building was home to the tribes of the Sarmatians and Alans - immigrants from Iran. It performed a defensive function - on three sides the fortress was surrounded by steep cliffs, and the entrance to the fortress was a narrow path that could be clearly seen 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, craftsmen settled in the fortress, who built another wall of defense - this is how a new part of the city appeared, which was named Juft-Kale, which means “a double fortress. But later, due to a change in the population of the fortress (the Karaites remained in the fortress, adhering to the Jewish faith), the name smoothly flowed into Chufut-Kale, which means "Jewish fortress".

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

Coffee has always been present in the culture of the Crimean Tatars, it was a kind of symbol of the family's well-being. 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 its museum - a model of the medieval Bakhchisarai, whose area is 18 square meters. And also in the coffee shop there is a large assortment of sweets that can be brought from Bakhchisarai as a souvenir.

Once in 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 northeastern slope of Mount Ai-Petri. More than two million years ago, a tectonic plate fractured, as a result of which this natural monument was formed.

This object can be found in many guidebooks and it is not surprising, because the depth of the canyon is 320 meters, the width in the narrowest part is no more than 3 meters, and along the entire length of the canyon (over 3.5 km) there are waterfalls up to 3-4 meters high.

At the bottom of the gorge, the river Auzun-Uzen flows, which is fed by numerous springs and springs. Even in the hottest summer, the water in the river remains cold. The stormy river has formed many natural baths in the gorge, some of which are up to 2.5 meters deep. 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, their former strength and vigor.

Previously, the Bath of Youth was also known as the 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 due to the fact that this bath is fed by numerous mountain springs.

As you walk up to the canyon, pay attention to unique flora of this place. More than 3.5 thousand trees growing on the territory of the reserve are relict, for example, berry yew, irrigated saxifrage, as well as several types of orchids.

When planning your trip, think about comfortable clothing 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 original colorful place are the following:

• Khan's palace;
• the cave cities of Eski-Kermen, Tepe-Kermen and Chufut-Kale;
• Assumption and Holy Annunciation monasteries;
• The Grand Canyon.

The Khan's Palace is located in the Old Town at Rechnaya Street, 133. If you get from the railway station, you need to take bus # 2 or route taxi # 3 at the Dom Sbyta stop. Get off at the "Registry Office" stop. By car, this route will take 9 minutes. Route map on Yandex. The maps are presented below.

To get to the cave city of Chufut-Kale from the railway station, you also need to take bus number 2. Get off at the Staroselie stop. The scheme of the route by car is shown in the following figure.

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

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

The nearest settlement to the Grand Canyon is the village of Sokolinoe.If you decide to visit this attraction on your own, you can get to this village by bus # 129 or minibus # 165, and then look for fellow travelers. The route by car is shown in the following figure.

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

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

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

After that, it is better to leave the car and go on foot, since in spring the road becomes difficult 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 Bakhchisarai 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 lazy to climb up 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 anyone interested in the process of making wine, should consider visiting such a place as the Alma Valley winery, located near the settlements of Vilino and Peschanoe. The vineyard area is 250 hectares. The winery currently produces 35 wines from 7 different lines.

As already mentioned, the types of recreation in Crimea abound in variety - for young visitors there is also entertainment to their liking. If you are on vacation with children, consider visiting the Bakhchisarai park "Crimea in miniature in the palm of your hand", located at st. Lenin 4 (in front of the Khan's palace), which contains copies of the main and significant sights of the peninsula.

A pleasant addition for young visitors to the park will be acquaintance with the heroes of your favorite fairy tales and cartoons in the "Multipark", located on the right side of the miniature park... Children will be able to meet such characters as Avatar, Batman, Mickey Mouse and many others. In addition, a mini-zoo is located on the territory of the Multipark complex, in which piglets, goats, chickens and other animals live. If you wish, you can buy food for the animals and feed them, which will definitely bring joy to the little visitors of the park. There are also trampolines in the shady part of the park.

Older children may find it interesting to visit planetarium. The 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 Bakhchisarai region. The observatory has 17 telescopes, one of which is the second largest optical telescope in Russia.

Under good weather conditions, the Sun is shown at the overview lecture in the daytime, and the objects of the evening sky are shown in the evening. 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 must be agreed in advance. By car, the road from Bakhchisarai to the village. The scientific one will take about 30–35 minutes.

Important! Most of the excursion takes place outdoors or in unheated rooms; choose warm clothes and shoes to visit the observatory.

For an overview of the sights of Bakhchisarai, see the next video.