Bakhchysarai

Bakhchysarai Bağçasaray (Crimean Tatar) Бахчисарай (Ukrainian)
City
The Palace of the Crimean Khans in the Bakhchysarai Palace complex
UTC+3 (MSK)
Postal code	298400 — 298408
Area code	+7-36554
Climate	Cfa

Bakhchysarai (

Since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014, it has been occupied by the Russian Federation.

Geography

Bakhchysarai lies in a narrow valley of the Çürük Suv [uk] river, about 30 Kilometers south-west of Simferopol.

History

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The earliest known artifacts of human provenance found in the valley date from the

. Before the founding of Bakhchysarai the Qırq Yer fortress (modern Çufut Qale), Salaçıq, and Eski Yurt were built. These have since become incorporated into the urban area of modern Bakhchysarai.

Bakhchysarai first appears in historical documents in 1502. In 1532

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, the deportation of the Crimean Tatars of 18 May 1944 in Bakhchysarai was prompted by accusations that the Tatars collaborated with the Axis occupiers.^[4] Although deportation of some Tatars in Crimea began as early as 1860, under the Russian Empire, the Sürgün delivered the final blow, emptying the city of Tatars. They were not to return to the city until 1989, when Soviet policies relaxed.

Bakhchysarai became a part of newly independent

the city and the whole of Crimea in 2014.

Name and associations

Spellings of the town's name in different languages include:

• Crimean Tatar: Bağçasaray
• Turkish: Bahçesaray
• Russian: Бахчисарай - Bakhchisaray
• Ukrainian: Бахчисарай - Bakhchysarai

The name comes from

: Bakczysaraj).

An

Attractions

Famous attractions within or near Bakhchysarai are:

• Eski Yurt
• Eski Dürbe
• Chufut-Kale
• Khan's Palace
• Orta Juma Jami
• Tahtali-Jami Mosque
• Uspensky Cave Monastery
• Zincirli Madrasa
• Tepe-Kermen

There is a network of well marked hiking trails around the town. All the main attractions are connected with red-marked trail.

From 2011, the town's Tourist Information Centre was supported by the Czech Government and

.

Demographics

Historical Populations

Year	Pop.	±%
1897	12,959[7]	—
1930	10,450	−19.4%
1939	10,891	+4.2%
1989	25,363	+132.9%
2006	26,400	+4.1%
2011	26,215	−0.7%
Source:

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.

As of 2001, the town had a population of 26,700 people. Russians make up the majority of the population, while ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars form significant minorities.^[8]

2001 Ukrainian census percent Russians   60.30% Crimean Tatars   18.70% Ukrainians   16.95% Belarusians   1.24% Tatars   0.58% Armenians   0.19% Azerbaijanis   0.14% Moldovans   0.12% Poles   0.12% Jews   0.12%

Gallery

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Education

• College of Construction, Architecture and Design (Branch), Crimean Federal University

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Bakhchysarai is

with:

• Bursa, Turkey^[9]

See also

• Bakhchysarai Palace

References

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bakhchysarai.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bakhchysarai.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Bakhchi-sarai".

• Official site of the Palace (in English, Ukrainian, and Russian)
• History and monuments of Bakhchisaray (in Russian)
• The murder of the Jews of Bakhchysarai during World War II, at Yad Vashem website.