Khan Palace of Bakhchisarai is located in the valley of the Churuk-Su River. After the spread of the Crimean Khanate`s authority over the entire Crimea, the khans decided to build their capital in a narrow mountain gorge in the central part of the peninsula. They called it Bakhchisarai, which means "Garden City".
The territory of the palace complex reaches 4 hectares. Houses of ordinary residents were built simultaneously with the Khan`s Palace. Khan`s Palace in Bakhchisarai is one of the most interesting sights of the Crimea. This is the only palace complex in the Crimea of the Middle Ages, built in the traditional Ottoman style. The architecture of the palace in Bakhchisarai is similar to the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, which was also built at that time.
The history of the Khan Palace in Bakhchisarai
The construction of the Khan`s Palace in Bakhchisarai began in 1532, after the power of the Crimean khans became stronger. In the 14th and 15th centuries, all the cities on the coast of Crimea were under the rule of the Genoese. The capital of their possessions was the city of Kafa (now Feodosia). The cave settlements of the Crimea were united under the rule of the Byzantine principality of Feodoro, with capital Mangup-Kale.
The Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453. 20 years later, in 1475, they invaded the Crimea and seized the possessions of the Genoese and Byzantines. However, they decided not to include Crimea in the Ottoman Empire, but transferred these lands to the Crimean Khanate. Initially, the small village of Salachik became the capital of the Crimean Khanate, but in 1532 Khan Sahib Girey decided to build a new capital of his state 2 kilometers from Salachik, which he called Bakhchisarai.
Sights of the Khan Palace
The main buildings of the Khan Palace in Bakhchisarai are located around the Large Palace Square. You can enter the territory of the Khan`s Palace museum complex through the Northern Gate. To the right of the entrance is the Great Khan Mosque, which is most often depicted on the postcards of Bakhchisarai.
The excursion route through the Khan`s Palace passes through all the buildings surrounding the square. It begins in the Embassy Courtyard, where you can enter the Divan Hall. In this hall you will see the atmosphere of receptions and meetings at the Crimean Khan. Important state affairs were discussed at them. In the hall there is a divan where the khan was sitting, and on the sides in the window niches there were places for his entourage. Beautiful stained-glass windows of the 16th century have been preserved here.
From the Divan Hall you can go to the Summer Pavilion. Here Khan received guests in a relaxed atmosphere. There was a Small palace Mosque nearby. It was the khan`s personal mosque. From there you can go to the Fountain Courtyard. Previously, there were about 30 fountains in the palace, some of them have not been preserved. Among them is a small Fountain of Tears, which is famous no less than the entire Khan`s Palace, thanks to Pushkin`s poem "The fountain of Bakhchisarai".
The great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin visited the Khan`s Palace of Bakhchisarai in 1820 during his trip to the Crimea with the Rayevsky family. Thanks to his poem, everyone knows about the famous Bakhchisarai Fountain of Tears. It was created by the Iranian sculptor Omer in 1764. Khan Kyrim Girey ordered to make a Fountain of Tears in memory of his wife Dilyara-Bikech, who died early. Her mausoleum has been preserved in the Khan`s Palace.
From the Fountain Courtyard you can go to the Harem and Harem Garden. Most of the buildings of the Harem have not survived to this day, but several rest rooms of the Crimean Khan`s harem give an idea of how it looked. Nearby you can see the Khan`s dining room and bedroom, as well as the Entourage building and the kitchen courtyard.
In the Entourage building there is a museum exposition dedicated to the history of the Crimean Khanate and the ethnography of the Crimean people. In the Kitchen courtyard there is a Girey’s Mulberry. This tree is a botanical monument of the Crimea. Its age is 300 years. The thickness of the trunk in coverage reaches 6 meters.
On the left side of the courtyard there is the Khan`s cemetery, as well as the Great Khan`s Mosque. In the center of the square, during the reign of the Crimean Khans, there were trees of a beautiful orchard, which has not been preserved to this day.
The Great Khan Mosque is the oldest building of the Khan`s Palace in Bakhchisarai. It was founded in 1532. A plaque with the name of Khan Sahib Giray has been preserved on its wall.
