Bakhchisarai Khan's Palace (52 photos)

Travelworld writes: The main historical attraction of the city of Bakhchisarai is the Khan’s Palace. I will help you, at least for a moment, be transported into an atmosphere of peace. Take a break from the bustle of the city and enjoy the beauty of the palace gardens.

Having finally left the north,
Forgetting feasts for a long time,
I visited Bakhchisarai
A dormant palace in oblivion.
Among the silent passages
I wandered where the scourge of nations is,
The Tatar feasted violently
And after the horrors of the raid
Drowned in luxurious laziness...

Pushkin A.S.

Just an hour's drive from Sevastopol, in the foothills, on the slope of the Inner Ridge of the Crimean Mountains, lies Bakhchisarai - translated from Tatar as “palace of gardens”. Juniper grows in the mountains of Bakhchisarai, which perfectly purifies the Crimean air - I myself noticed that it is very easy to breathe here.

1. And in the very center of the city there is the famous Khan’s Palace, which struck the great poet to the core.

2. On a fairly large territory (4 hectares) there is an ensemble of several palace buildings, small and large palace mosques, the Khan’s cemetery (Mezarlyk), the Falcon Tower, gardens, and service buildings.

3. The palace is the former residence of the Crimean khans and the only example of Crimean Tatar palace architecture in the world. Until the end of the 15th century, the residence of the Crimean khans was in the Ashlama-Dere valley. Over time, there was little space for the khan's court (probably because there were too many wives in the harem) and the palace was built in a new location. Construction of the palace began simultaneously with the construction of the city at the beginning of the 16th century, during the reign of Khan Sahib I Giray. The early territory of the palace complex was 18 hectares. In 1736, during the Crimean War, Bakhchisarai was taken by Russian troops under the command of Field Marshal Christoph von Munnich. The commander gave the order to burn the khan's capital and palace, but first, with the pedantry characteristic of the Germans, he ordered a full description of all the buildings to be made (based on which everything was restored again). Later, after the annexation of Crimea to Russia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was located in the palace. The palace was also visited by Empress Catherine II and Emperor Alexander I. In 1820, Alexander Sergeevich stayed here, who glorified the palace in the poem “The Bakhchisarai Fountain”. Now the palace houses a museum of history and culture of the Crimean Tatars and an art museum.

4. Great Khan Mosque (Khan-Jami) - the largest mosque in Crimea (built in 1532).

5. I would like to note that the museum is a notable scam of tourists for money. In order to get into this mosque you need to pay 50 hryvnia (200 rubles). For this money you will be allowed to climb the stairs and look inside through a small window, visit (without washing) the Sary-Gyuzel bath complex and the Khan’s cemetery.

6. On the left in the picture are the northern gates and the gate tower.

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8. Ceiling in the Great Khan Mosque.

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I saw the Khan's cemetery,
The Lord's last home.
These tombstones,
Crowned with a marble turban,
It seemed to me like a covenant of fate
They spoke clearly.

Pushkin A.S.

10. Khan's cemetery (Mezarlyk). Nine khans, members of their families and representatives of the court nobility are buried here.

eleven.

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13. The Sary-Gyuzel bath complex is one of the oldest buildings of the palace complex. The bathhouse is built according to the Turkish type with two sections: men's and women's.

14. The domes have holes for ventilation and lighting.

15. The men's hall, the bathhouse worked even in Soviet times - until 1924.

16. Palace Square. During the time of the khans it was covered with sand. It held military parades and received foreign ambassadors.

17. Persian garden. In the corner stands the Falcon Tower. Entrance fee – 20 hryvnia.

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19. Previously, birds of prey, probably falcons, were kept in the tower.

20. The ticket attendant, when asked about the advisability of visiting, said that there was an amazing view of the palace from above - take a photo. “Took a photo”...

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23. The view had to be captured from the garden terraces.

24. Library and Stables buildings.

25. There is an art museum here (free).

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27. Excursion to the palace – another 50 hryvnia. Well, at least it’s clear why.

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29. Divan Hall. Intended for meetings of the Divan - the State Council. On the right, near the wall, is the Khan's throne.

30. Summer gazebo with a carved fountain made of white marble.

31. The Small Khan Mosque was intended for representatives of the khan family. Above the mihrab, in a circle, there is a hexagram - the seal of Suleiman, below is a stand for the Koran.

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33. The harem building consisted of four buildings, more than 70 rooms (not preserved to this day).

34. Holy of holies of the Crimean khans - no one except eunuchs and, in fact, the owners had access here. It is believed that the harem of the Bakhchisaray Khan's Palace was small, especially in comparison with the Turkish ones.

35. The khan's wives were not kept in complete isolation - some of them even actively participated in political life. The exhibition recreates the interiors of a rich Crimean Tatar dwelling of the late 18th century.

36. Through the green courtyard you can get to the living quarters.

37. The golden office is located on the second floor above the fruit arbor.

38. And a few more photographs of the exhibition of the Museum of History and Culture of the Crimean Tatars in the residential quarters of the Khan's Palace.

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41. Bride's room.

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Fountain of love, living fountain!
I brought you two roses as a gift.
I love your silent conversation
And poetic tears.

Pushkin A.S.

45. And this is the same famous Bakhchisarai - “Fountain of Tears”. It is difficult to call it a fountain, in the usual European sense. But in Crimea there have always been difficulties with water. This cult creation is Selsebil; such fountains are placed in holy places. In the Koran, Selsebil is a source of heaven for the faithful who died for the cause of Islam.

There is a legend associated with the fountain that Pushkin used when writing his poem.

According to legend, a beautiful young girl Dilyara-Bikech (nee Maria Pototskaya) was forcibly married to the bloodthirsty Khan Crimea-Girey. Khan sought her love for a long time, but the girl remained adamant. And one of the khan’s wives, Zarema, in a fit of jealousy, drowned Dilyara in the pool, for which she was poisoned.

The pale harem shone!
And are you really forgotten here?
Or Maria and Zarema
Just happy dreams?

Or just a dream of imagination
I drew it in the desert darkness
Your momentary visions,
Souls unclear ideal?

Pushkin A.S.

And here is another beautiful legend, “The Fountain of Tears.” I will give it here in full.

Khan Crimea-Girey was fierce and formidable. He spared no one and did not feel sorry for anyone. The khan was strong, but his strength was inferior to cruelty. The bloodthirsty Crimea-Girey came to the throne through mountains of corpses. He ordered the slaughter of all the boys of his clan, even the smallest ones, who were no taller than a wheel pin, so that no one would think about power while he, the khan, was alive.

When Crimea-Girey carried out raids, the earth burned, the ashes remained. No complaints or tears touched his heart; he reveled in the blood of his victims. People trembled, fear ran ahead of his name.

“Well, let him run,” said the khan, “it’s good if they’re afraid...

Power and fame replaced everything for him - love, affection, and he didn’t even love money as much as fame and power. –

Whatever a person is, he cannot exist without a heart. Let it be stone, let it be iron. If you knock on a stone, the stone will respond. If you knock on the iron, the iron will ring. And the people said that Crimea-Girey has no heart. Instead of a heart, he has a ball of fur. If you knock on a ball of fur, what answer will you get? Will such a heart hear? It is silent, does not respond.

But the decline of man comes, the once mighty khan has grown old. The khan's heart weakened, and love entered him. And the fur-covered heart became completely human. Naked. Simple.

One day, a slave, a small, thin girl, was brought to the old khan’s harem. Her name was Delyare. The chief eunuch brought her, showed her to Crimea-Girey, and even smacked his lips in admiration, praising the slave.

Delyare did not warm the old khan with the affection and love, but Crimea-Girey still fell in love with her. And for the first time in his long life, he felt that his heart could hurt, that he could suffer, that he could rejoice, that his heart was alive.

Delyare did not live long. She withered away in captivity, like a delicate flower deprived of the sun.

At the end of his days, it is very difficult for a man to love. This love always hurts my heart. And when a loved one passes away, the heart cries blood. Khan understood how difficult it can be for the human heart. It became difficult for the great khan as an ordinary person.

Crimea-Girey called the Iranian master Omer and told him:

“Make it so that the stone will carry my grief through the centuries, so that the stone will cry like a man’s heart cries.”

The master asked him:

— Was the girl good?

“You know little about this woman,” answered the Khan. - She was young. She was as beautiful as the sun, graceful as a deer, meek as a dove, kind as a mother, gentle as the morning, affectionate as a child. What bad things can you say about her? You can’t say anything, but death took her away...

Omer listened for a long time and thought: how can you make a human tear from a stone?

- What can you squeeze out of a stone? - he said to the khan. — The stone is silent. But if your heart weeps, so will the stone. If there is a soul in you, there must be a soul in the stone. Do you want to transfer your tears to the stone? OK, I'll do it. The stone will cry. He will also tell about my grief. About the grief of Master Omer. People will learn what men's tears are like. I'll tell you the truth. You took away from me everything that kept my soul alive. Native land, family, name, honor. No one saw my tears. I cried my heart's blood. Now these tears will be seen. Stone tears will be seen. These will be burning tears of men. About your love and my life.

On a marble slab, Omer carved a flower petal, one, another... And in the middle of the flower he carved out a human eye, from which a heavy man’s tear was supposed to fall onto the stone’s chest to burn it day and night, without ceasing, for years, centuries. So that a tear runs in the human eye and slowly, slowly rolls down the cheeks and chest, from cup to cup.

And Omer also carved a snail - a symbol of doubt. He knew that doubt was gnawing at the khan’s soul: why did he need his whole life - fun and sadness, love and hatred, evil and good, all human feelings?

The fountain still stands and cries, cries day and night...

This is how Omer carried love and grief through the centuries: the life and death of young Delyara, his suffering and tears.

M. Kustova “Crimean Legends”, Simferopol, Krymizdat, 1957

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48. Near the walls of the palace is a fraternal cemetery for Red Army soldiers. During the years of occupation, the Germans took most of the valuable things from the palace to Germany.

49. Tank that took part in the liberation of Bakhchisarai.

50. Completing the historical tour, we walked along the ancient streets of Bakhchisarai. Highly recommend.

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52. And we had lunch in a teahouse, tasting delicious dishes of Tatar cuisine. By the way, it's quite inexpensive.