The old town of Yevpatoria is located near the Kalamitskaya Bay, where the Turks founded the town of Gezlev in the 15th century. The Greek ancient polis of Kerkinitida was located to the west of this bay, but nothing has been preserved from it. The narrow streets with small houses of the Turkish Gezlev have survived to this day and here you can feel the atmosphere of the old eastern city.
The small ancient Kerkinitida polis was destroyed by the Huns in the 3rd century, since then people have not lived here. In 1475, the Turks conquered the Crimea and transferred power over it to the Crimean Khanate. Its capital was located in Bakhchisarai, and the main port was the city of Gezlev, which was founded on the site of the ancient Kerkinitida.
In 1552, the Crimean khan Devlet-Giray received the right to the khanate in Istanbul and ordered the construction of a large mosque in Gezlev, which was called the Juma-Jami Mosque. After that, all the Crimean khans took the oath of allegiance to the sultan in this mosque.
The route "Little Jerusalem" has been laid through the Old City of Yevpatoria. It is so named because temples of many religions are located in close proximity to each other. There is the Muslim mosque of Juma Jami (1552), the Christian Cathedral of St. Nicholas (1897), the Jewish synagogue of Yegie Kepai (1911), Karaite kenasses (1905), the tekie of dervishes (15th century), the Armenian temple of Surb Nikogayos (1830). Such a concentration of temples of different religions in close proximity to each other is only in Jerusalem. The tour can start near the Juma Jami Mosque or near the Gezlev Gate.
In the Middle Ages, the Old Town of Yevpatoria was surrounded by powerful fortress walls with towers, but they have not survived to this day. In 2003, the city authorities restored the Gates of the City Bazaar, which are often called the "Gezlev Gate".
There are many small cafes in the old town of Yevpatoria where you can taste ethnic cuisine. Cafes in Karaite kenassas and the Synagogue of Yeghie Kepai are very famous. There you can taste dishes of Karaite and Jewish cuisine.
