The Former Capital of the Crimean Khanate - Bakhchisarai (Part 1)
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Summary: This travel note introduces The Former Capital of the Crimean Khanate - Bakhchisarai (Part 1). In 1441, Hacı I Giray, a descendant of Jochi, the eldest son of Genghis Khan, minted coins bearing his name on the Crimean Peninsula, formally establishing the Crimean Khanate. It is useful for readers interested in Crimea Travel, Islamic History, Muslim Heritage.
In 1441, Hacı I Giray, a descendant of Jochi, the eldest son of Genghis Khan, minted coins bearing his name on the Crimean Peninsula, formally establishing the Crimean Khanate.
After Hacı I Giray passed away in 1466, his sixth son, Mengli I Giray, eventually emerged victorious after a struggle for the throne. Around 1500, Mengli I Giray built a new capital, Salachik. Salachik once possessed a complex of buildings including a palace, a court, baths, and a mosque, but now only a madrasa and the mausoleum of the founding Khan, Hacı I Giray, remain.
In 1532, Sahib I Giray, the son of Mengli I Giray, established a new capital, Bakhchisarai, in a valley two kilometers downstream from Salachik. For the next 250 years, Bakhchisarai served as the capital of the Crimean Khanate, where successive Khans built various palaces and mosques.
Furthermore, to the west of Bakhchisarai lies Eski Yurt, a large trading town that was prosperous during the Golden Horde period. It became an Islamic center of Crimea due to the shrine of the Islamic sage Malik Ashtar, and today it preserves several mausoleums from the 14th to 16th centuries, including that of the Crimean Khan Mehmed II Giray.
Table of Contents
I. Salaçıq Architectural Complex
1. Mausoleum of Hacı I Giray: 1501
2. Zıncırlı (Chain) Madrasa: 1500
3. Baths
4. Tomb of Ismail Gaspirali, founder of the Crimean Tatar Enlightenment
II. Bakhchisarai
1. North Gate: 1611
2. Khan Mosque: 1532
3. Khan Cemetery
4. SaryGuzel Bath: 1532
5. Falcon Tower
6. Harem
7. Persian Garden
8. Dilâra Bikeç Mausoleum: 1764
9. Small Khan Mosque
10. Demir Qapı Gate: 1503
11. Divan Hall
12. Summer Pavilion
13. Golden Pavilion
14. Golden Fountain: 1733
15. Fountain of Tears: 1763
16. Suites
17. Stables
III. Mosques outside the Khan Palace
1. Orta Mosque: 1674
2. Ismi Khan Mosque
3. Molla Mustafa Jumu'ah Mosque
4. Tahtali Mosque: 1707
IV. Eski Yurt (Old City)
1. Mausoleum of Mehmed II Giray: 1579
2. Minaret of the Malik Ashtar Mausoleum Mosque
3. Ahmed Bey Mausoleum: 1577
I. Salaçıq Architectural Complex
The Salachik (Salaçıq) historical and archaeological complex was built in the late 15th and early 16th centuries and was the third capital of the Crimean Khanate.
Initially, the capital of the Golden Horde in the Crimean region was the city of Stary Krym in the southeast of the Crimean Peninsula. In 1441, Hacı I Giray moved the capital to the Jewish fortress (Chufut-Kale) on a cliff in the southwest of the peninsula, establishing the Crimean Khanate. After Hacı I Giray passed away in 1466, his sixth son, Mengli I Giray, and his second son, Nur Devlet, repeatedly fought for the throne, with Mengli I Giray eventually winning. Around 1500, Mengli I Giray built a new capital, Salachik, in the valley to the west of the Jewish fortress. In 1532, Sahib I Giray, the son of Mengli I Giray, established a new capital, Bakhchisarai, in a valley two kilometers downstream from Salachik, ending Salachik's thirty-year tenure as the capital. In the 17th century, Salachik included a palace, a high court, baths, the Mengli I Giray Mosque, and a guardhouse. According to Genoese documents, there was also a customs office here, but most of the buildings were likely destroyed in the earthquake of 1698.
Today, only the Zıncırlı (Chain) Madrasa built in 1500 and the Hacı I Giray Mausoleum built in 1501 remain, and the madrasa operated until the early 20th century. In addition, archaeological excavations in 2008 discovered the ruins of the baths and determined the approximate location of the Mengli I Giray Mosque.
1. Mausoleum of Hacı I Giray: 1501
The Hacı I Giray Mausoleum (Dürbe Hacı I Giray) was built in 1501 by Mengli I Giray for his father, the founding Khan of Crimea. It is an octagonal mausoleum with a lead dome.
Archaeological excavations between 2006 and 2007 investigated 18 burials inside the mausoleum, 13 of which belonged to adults and 5 to children. They were wrapped in silk, some resting on pillows stuffed with rags and fruit seeds. Inside the mausoleum, there were 8 sarcophagi covered with velvet, silk, and silver-threaded fabrics. These likely included four Crimean Khans: Hacı I Giray himself, Mengli I Giray, another son of Hacı I Giray named Nur Devlet (who fought Mengli I Giray for the throne for many years but ultimately failed), and Sahib I Giray, the son of Mengli I Giray and the builder of Bakhchisarai.
After research was completed in 2009, these individuals were reburied.
The silk fabrics from the mausoleum are now on display in the Small Khan Mosque at the Bakhchisarai Khan Palace.
2. Zıncırlı (Chain) Madrasa: 1500
The Zıncırlı (Chain) Madrasa (Zıncırlı Medrese) was built in 1500 by order of the Crimean Khan Mengli I Giray. The name of the madrasa comes from the Turkic word "Zyngyr," meaning "chain." The chain hanging above the entrance of the madrasa forces everyone entering to bow their head.
The madrasa is rectangular with a courtyard in the middle, an entrance on one side, and 11 rooms on the other three sides. At that time, the madrasa offered courses in Turkish and Arabic grammar, calligraphy, arithmetic, ethics, logic, proof, Islamic law, theology, and Quranic studies. The entire course of study took ten years.
In 1909, under the influence of the Crimean Tatar Enlightenment, Gaspirali built a new two-story madrasa next to the old one. The madrasa closed in 1917 and was converted into the Mengli I Giray Research Institute. The institute was abolished in 1923 and later served successively as a teacher's college, a medical school, a sanatorium for German soldiers, and a post-war psychiatric clinic. Today, it is managed by the Bakhchisarai Historical, Cultural, and Archaeological Museum.
3. Baths
During archaeological excavations of the Salachik historical and archaeological complex in 2008, 15th-century baths, wells, and courtyard remains were discovered.
The bath is a typical Turkish bath (Hamam), divided into separate sections for men and women, each consisting of 5 rooms and a heating system. The heating system supplied warm air through ceramic pipes laid in the walls and under the floors, keeping the bath at a constant temperature year-round and reducing firewood consumption. In addition, each section had a steam room, a washing room, a toilet, a lounge, and a changing room.
Many ceramics from the 15th to 18th centuries were unearthed during the excavations, primarily architectural tiles and pipes, along with a small amount of kitchenware, Turkish ceramics, Chinese porcelain, and silver coins from the Crimean Khanate.
4. Tomb of Ismail Gaspirali, founder of the Crimean Tatar Enlightenment
Ismail Gaspirali (1851–1914), the founder of the Crimean Tatar Enlightenment, is buried in the backyard of the Zıncırlı Madrasa.
Gaspirali was a Crimean Tatar intellectual, educator, publisher, and one of the earliest modern Muslim intellectuals in the Russian Empire. He was the first to realize that Turkic Muslim society needed to modernize through educational and cultural reform, thus pioneering the "Jadid" new-style education, and is recognized as the founder of the Crimean Tatar Enlightenment.
Gaspirali was born in Bakhchisarai, studied in Paris from 1871 to 1874, and after returning home, served as the mayor of Bakhchisarai from 1879 to 1884. Gaspirali taught at the Zıncırlı Madrasa, where he advocated for 45-minute classes and a schedule based on bells, which was opposed by traditional teachers at the school, eventually forcing him to resign.
Gaspirali began attempting to launch a Turkic-language newspaper in 1879, and in 1883, he was granted permission to publish Russia's first Turkic-language newspaper, Tercüman (The Translator). Tercüman was published for 35 years and was long the only Turkic-language newspaper in Russia, as well as one of the earliest Muslim newspapers, influencing the entire Turkic Muslim society.
In the newspaper, he criticized the traditional Muslim education system, advocated for modernization through educational reform, and designed a new teaching method—Jadid. Jadid fundamentally changed the nature and structure of primary education in many Muslim regions, making it more secular. He taught the Arabic alphabet using a new phonetic method, reducing the time it took for students to become literate from three years to a few months.
In 1905, after nearly twenty years of effort, Gaspirali founded the first Turkic-language women's magazine, Alem-i Nisvan (Women's World), with his daughter Shefika serving as editor. In 1906, Gaspirali founded the first Turkic-language humor magazine, Ha-ha-ha.
In 1909, Gaspirali built a new two-story school next to the Zıncırlı Madrasa, which operated until it closed in 1917.
After Gaspirali passed away in his hometown in 1914, he was buried in the Muslim cemetery in the backyard of the Zıncırlı Madrasa. The original tombstone was lost in the second half of the 20th century, and the current one was rebuilt in the late 1990s.
II. Bakhchisarai
1. North Gate: 1611
The North Gate (Darbehane Qapı) is the main entrance to the Khan Palace complex. In Crimean Tatar, "Darbehane Qapı" means "Mint Gate," because mint once grew across from the gate. The Khan Palace once had four main gates, but now only the North and South gates remain. The North Gate features a sculpture of two intertwined snakes. Legend has it that the builder of the palace, Sahib I Giray, saw two snakes fighting by the river in front of the gate, and one snake was healed by the river water, so he decided to build the palace there.
The North Gate was built in 1611. Before this, the Khan Palace had no walls because the defensive system of the Khanate's capital was at the Jewish fortress on the cliff. In the 17th century, as Cossack military activity increased, the Khan Palace was considered threatened, leading to the construction of the current walls and gates.
2. Khan Mosque: 1532
The Khan Mosque (Büyük Han Cami) is located inside the Bakhchisarai Khan Palace. In 1532, when the Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray moved the capital to Bakhchisarai, the Khan Mosque was one of the first buildings constructed in the palace. The original mosque consisted of multiple domes, similar to the Seljuk-style mosques popular in the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. The mosque was destroyed by fire in 1736 and later restored by Khan Selamet II Giray (reigned 1740–1743), who changed it to a tiled roof.
During the Soviet era, the mosque was closed and became an exhibition hall for an archaeological museum. After Russia occupied Crimea in 2014, the mosque underwent restoration, some of which caused damage to the structure.
The Crimean Khan Qırım Giray (reigned 1758–1764) ordered the creation of Quranic calligraphy and murals for the Khan Mosque.
Maqsurah is an Arabic term meaning "enclosed space," which is a space inside a mosque for the ruler or nobility to pray. A Maqsurah is generally made as a wooden box or screen located near the mihrab of the mosque, while the Khan Mosque's Maqsurah was built as a second-floor loft. The main entrance of the Khan Mosque is connected to the north wall of the palace and can be accessed directly from the outside, while the Maqsurah can only be accessed via stairs from inside the palace.
The Maqsurah loft of the Khan Mosque was rebuilt after the 1736 fire and is decorated with famous Turkish Iznik tiles, stained glass, and various precious 18th-century murals.
Artifacts displayed in the Maqsurah loft of the Khan Mosque:
A Quran copied in Bakhchisarai by Hafiz Mas'ud in 1794
An 18th-century Quran bag
A Quran copied in Crimea in 1748, with an 18th-century bag.
A Quran copied in 1808
An 18th-century Quran
On the left is an 18th-century Sahih al-Bukhari, and on the right is an 18th-century Quran commentary.
An 18th-century Quran
An 18th-century Quran
A Quran copied by Hajj Mahmoud in 1746
The ablution fountain of the Khan Mosque.
3. Khan Cemetery
The Khan Cemetery is located south of the Khan Mosque and contains the graves of 9 Crimean Khans from the 16th to 18th centuries, 45 members of the Khan family, and over 320 court nobles. The two most important mausoleums belong to Crimean Khans Devlet I Giray (reigned 1551–1577) and İslâm III Giray (reigned 1644–1654). These octagonal mausoleums are built of limestone, and their domes were originally lead, but were changed to iron after 1863. There is also the open-air tomb of Crimean Khan Meñli II Giray (reigned 1724–1730, 1737–1740) and the double tombstone of Crimean Khan Qırım Giray (reigned 1758–1764, 1768–1769).
The Khan Mosque, the tomb of Crimean Khan Devlet I Giray, and the tomb of İslâm III Giray.
As it appeared in 1830
As it appeared between 1840 and 1842
The mausoleum in the northern part of the Khan Cemetery belongs to Crimean Khan Devlet I Giray (reigned 1551–1577) and contains 6 tombstones.
Devlet I Giray reigned for 26 years. His most important campaign was the burning of Moscow in 1571, which forced Tsar Ivan the Terrible to flee, earning him the title "The One Who Took the Crown."
In 1530, Devlet I Giray was appointed Kalga (the second-in-command after the Khan) by his uncle Saadet I Giray. In 1532, Saadet I Giray voluntarily abdicated to serve Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent at the Ottoman court, and Devlet I Giray was subsequently imprisoned. After being released, Devlet I Giray also went to Istanbul, gradually gaining the trust of Suleiman the Magnificent. In 1551, when the then-Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray refused to help the Ottomans attack Persia, Suleiman the Magnificent decided to have Devlet I Giray replace his uncle.
Devlet I Giray led an army of 1,000 men and 60 cannons to occupy Bakhchisarai, then killed Sahib I Giray and all his descendants, becoming the new Crimean Khan.
In March 1552, the second year of his reign, Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible sent troops to conquer the Kazan Khanate. Upon learning this, Devlet I Giray decided to attack the Russian heartland to save Kazan while their defenses were weak, but he was ultimately defeated by the Russian army. In October of that year, Kazan fell, and the Kazan Khanate was extinguished. Following this, in 1556, another Tatar state, the Astrakhan Khanate, was also conquered by Ivan the Terrible, leaving the Crimean Khanate as the last remaining Tatar state.
From 1551, the Crimean Khanate engaged in over twenty years of war with Russia. After several defeats, Devlet I Giray attempted to make peace with Russia, but this was opposed by the nobles of the Crimean Khanate. Finally, in the spring of 1571, Devlet I Giray led a joint force of 120,000 Crimean and Ottoman troops and, guided by six boys fleeing the increasingly insane Ivan the Terrible, arrived directly at Moscow. Devlet I Giray set fires in the suburbs of Moscow, and suddenly, strong winds blew the flames into the city, burning the entire city to the ground.
According to records, people fled into stone churches, but the churches collapsed, killing everyone inside. People jumped into the river, and many drowned. The Kremlin's armory exploded, and those hiding in the basement suffocated to death. Ivan the Terrible ordered the dead in the streets to be thrown into the river, causing the river to overflow and flood parts of the city. Historians estimate that between 60,000 and 200,000 people died in the fire.
Ivan the Terrible subsequently fled to Novgorod, and the Crimean army went in pursuit but was intercepted by Russian forces. Devlet I Giray was defeated by the Russian army in succession, losing a son and a grandson. At this point, false news arrived that Ivan the Terrible was leading a large army to arrive soon, forcing Devlet I Giray to withdraw.
In the following years, the Crimean Khanate had several more small-scale wars with Russia. In 1577, Devlet I Giray died of the plague and was buried in the Khan Cemetery in Bakhchisarai.
The mausoleum in the southern part of the Khan Cemetery belongs to Crimean Khan İslâm III Giray (reigned 1644–1654) and contains 9 tombstones.
In his youth, İslâm III Giray was captured by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and lived in Poland for 7 years. After being released, he settled in the Ottoman Empire. In 1637, he was appointed Kalga (the second-in-command after the Khan) by the new Crimean Khan. In 1640, he led an army that caused devastating damage to Ukraine. After another Khan succeeded to the throne in 1641, he left Crimea again and returned to the Ottoman Empire. In 1644, the Ottoman Sultan deposed the previous Crimean Khan and appointed İslâm III Giray as the Crimean Khan.
During his reign, İslâm III Giray attempted to resolve conflicts among the nobles within the Khanate, while also funding the construction and renovation of many public buildings, such as fountains, water systems, and fortresses.
In 1648, İslâm III Giray allied with the Zaporozhian Cossacks of Ukraine against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1654, he turned to ally with Poland against the Russian Tsar. According to legend, he was killed shortly thereafter by his Cossack concubine.
Next to the mausoleum of İslâm III Giray is the mausoleum of Crimean Khan Meñli II Giray (reigned 1724–1730, 1737–1740).
During his reign, Meñli II Giray ended the long-term turmoil in the Crimean Khanate and abolished some taxes, gaining the support of many people. During his second reign, he skillfully organized defenses to resist the invasion of the Russian army, inflicting heavy losses on the Russian forces. Meñli II Giray was also known for his love of literature and Islam. As a Sufi follower, he donated funds to many mosques.
In 1740, Meñli II Giray passed away in Bakhchisarai and was buried in the Khan Cemetery. His mausoleum has no roof and is an open-air rotunda.
The tomb of Crimean Khan Qırım Giray (reigned 1758–1764, 1768–1769) is at the entrance of the Khan Cemetery; it has no mausoleum building, only a double tombstone.
Qırım Giray was a talented ruler under whose reign the Crimean Khanate experienced an artistic revival, developing a unique art style known as "Crimean Rococo." He invited many excellent artists and architects to build numerous mosques in Crimea and restored and expanded the Bakhchisarai Khan Palace, which had been burned by the Russians. Qırım Giray had a keen interest in European, especially French, culture, and was particularly fascinated by Molière's plays; the court frequently hosted musical and theatrical performances.
Most tombstones in the cemetery consist of two stones at the head and foot; the top of the headstone is carved with different headgear for men and women, and the body of the stone is inscribed with an epitaph.
4. SaryGuzel Bath: 1532
The SaryGuzel Bath was built in 1532 by order of Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray and, like the Khan Mosque, is one of the earliest buildings constructed in the Bakhchisarai Khan Palace. "Sarı" in Crimean Tatar means "yellow or fair-skinned," and "Güzel" means "beautiful."
The SaryGuzel Bath is a typical Turkish bath; a furnace in the basement causes hot air to rise and heat the floor, and cold and hot water are supplied to the bath through lead pipes. The bath is divided into men's and women's sections, each with a dome featuring star-shaped cutouts for ventilation and light, and an indoor courtyard with a fountain at the exit.
The SaryGuzel Bath operated until 1924, after which it was closed as a dangerous structure; it has now been restored and is open for exhibition.
5. Falcon Tower
The Falcon Tower (Toğan qullesi) is located in a corner of the Persian Garden of the Khan Palace and is said to have been used to train the falcons of the Khan's court. The Falcon Tower was built in the 16th century, originally as a five-story brick, mud, and wood structure. It was rebuilt in 1760 into two stories: the lower level is a cube built of rubble and cement mortar, and the upper level is an octagonal tower built of wooden planks.
The Falcon Tower is connected to the Harem building of the Khan Palace, and a spiral staircase inside the tower leads to an observation deck at the top, allowing those living in the harem to climb the tower and overlook the entire palace.
Weapons and saddles from the 18th–19th centuries displayed on the ground floor of the Falcon Tower
6. Harem
The Harem (Arem) of the Crimean Khan Palace once had 4 buildings and 73 rooms. In 1818, Tsar Alexander I demolished 3 buildings and 70 rooms, leaving only an annex with 3 rooms and a pavilion. Today, the annex displays the interior decorations of Crimean Tatar houses from the 17th to 19th centuries.
The living room retains its original fireplace and cupboards, and a mirror with the author's inscription was discovered during the 1980s restoration. Paintings on the vanity and Arabic poetry on the ceiling have also been cleaned.
Summary: This travel note introduces The Former Capital of the Crimean Khanate - Bakhchisarai (Part 1). In 1441, Hacı I Giray, a descendant of Jochi, the eldest son of Genghis Khan, minted coins bearing his name on the Crimean Peninsula, formally establishing the Crimean Khanate. It is useful for readers interested in Crimea Travel, Islamic History, Muslim Heritage.
In 1441, Hacı I Giray, a descendant of Jochi, the eldest son of Genghis Khan, minted coins bearing his name on the Crimean Peninsula, formally establishing the Crimean Khanate.
After Hacı I Giray passed away in 1466, his sixth son, Mengli I Giray, eventually emerged victorious after a struggle for the throne. Around 1500, Mengli I Giray built a new capital, Salachik. Salachik once possessed a complex of buildings including a palace, a court, baths, and a mosque, but now only a madrasa and the mausoleum of the founding Khan, Hacı I Giray, remain.
In 1532, Sahib I Giray, the son of Mengli I Giray, established a new capital, Bakhchisarai, in a valley two kilometers downstream from Salachik. For the next 250 years, Bakhchisarai served as the capital of the Crimean Khanate, where successive Khans built various palaces and mosques.
Furthermore, to the west of Bakhchisarai lies Eski Yurt, a large trading town that was prosperous during the Golden Horde period. It became an Islamic center of Crimea due to the shrine of the Islamic sage Malik Ashtar, and today it preserves several mausoleums from the 14th to 16th centuries, including that of the Crimean Khan Mehmed II Giray.
Table of Contents
I. Salaçıq Architectural Complex
1. Mausoleum of Hacı I Giray: 1501
2. Zıncırlı (Chain) Madrasa: 1500
3. Baths
4. Tomb of Ismail Gaspirali, founder of the Crimean Tatar Enlightenment
II. Bakhchisarai
1. North Gate: 1611
2. Khan Mosque: 1532
3. Khan Cemetery
4. SaryGuzel Bath: 1532
5. Falcon Tower
6. Harem
7. Persian Garden
8. Dilâra Bikeç Mausoleum: 1764
9. Small Khan Mosque
10. Demir Qapı Gate: 1503
11. Divan Hall
12. Summer Pavilion
13. Golden Pavilion
14. Golden Fountain: 1733
15. Fountain of Tears: 1763
16. Suites
17. Stables
III. Mosques outside the Khan Palace
1. Orta Mosque: 1674
2. Ismi Khan Mosque
3. Molla Mustafa Jumu'ah Mosque
4. Tahtali Mosque: 1707
IV. Eski Yurt (Old City)
1. Mausoleum of Mehmed II Giray: 1579
2. Minaret of the Malik Ashtar Mausoleum Mosque
3. Ahmed Bey Mausoleum: 1577
I. Salaçıq Architectural Complex
The Salachik (Salaçıq) historical and archaeological complex was built in the late 15th and early 16th centuries and was the third capital of the Crimean Khanate.
Initially, the capital of the Golden Horde in the Crimean region was the city of Stary Krym in the southeast of the Crimean Peninsula. In 1441, Hacı I Giray moved the capital to the Jewish fortress (Chufut-Kale) on a cliff in the southwest of the peninsula, establishing the Crimean Khanate. After Hacı I Giray passed away in 1466, his sixth son, Mengli I Giray, and his second son, Nur Devlet, repeatedly fought for the throne, with Mengli I Giray eventually winning. Around 1500, Mengli I Giray built a new capital, Salachik, in the valley to the west of the Jewish fortress. In 1532, Sahib I Giray, the son of Mengli I Giray, established a new capital, Bakhchisarai, in a valley two kilometers downstream from Salachik, ending Salachik's thirty-year tenure as the capital. In the 17th century, Salachik included a palace, a high court, baths, the Mengli I Giray Mosque, and a guardhouse. According to Genoese documents, there was also a customs office here, but most of the buildings were likely destroyed in the earthquake of 1698.
Today, only the Zıncırlı (Chain) Madrasa built in 1500 and the Hacı I Giray Mausoleum built in 1501 remain, and the madrasa operated until the early 20th century. In addition, archaeological excavations in 2008 discovered the ruins of the baths and determined the approximate location of the Mengli I Giray Mosque.
1. Mausoleum of Hacı I Giray: 1501
The Hacı I Giray Mausoleum (Dürbe Hacı I Giray) was built in 1501 by Mengli I Giray for his father, the founding Khan of Crimea. It is an octagonal mausoleum with a lead dome.
Archaeological excavations between 2006 and 2007 investigated 18 burials inside the mausoleum, 13 of which belonged to adults and 5 to children. They were wrapped in silk, some resting on pillows stuffed with rags and fruit seeds. Inside the mausoleum, there were 8 sarcophagi covered with velvet, silk, and silver-threaded fabrics. These likely included four Crimean Khans: Hacı I Giray himself, Mengli I Giray, another son of Hacı I Giray named Nur Devlet (who fought Mengli I Giray for the throne for many years but ultimately failed), and Sahib I Giray, the son of Mengli I Giray and the builder of Bakhchisarai.
After research was completed in 2009, these individuals were reburied.
The silk fabrics from the mausoleum are now on display in the Small Khan Mosque at the Bakhchisarai Khan Palace.
2. Zıncırlı (Chain) Madrasa: 1500
The Zıncırlı (Chain) Madrasa (Zıncırlı Medrese) was built in 1500 by order of the Crimean Khan Mengli I Giray. The name of the madrasa comes from the Turkic word "Zyngyr," meaning "chain." The chain hanging above the entrance of the madrasa forces everyone entering to bow their head.
The madrasa is rectangular with a courtyard in the middle, an entrance on one side, and 11 rooms on the other three sides. At that time, the madrasa offered courses in Turkish and Arabic grammar, calligraphy, arithmetic, ethics, logic, proof, Islamic law, theology, and Quranic studies. The entire course of study took ten years.
In 1909, under the influence of the Crimean Tatar Enlightenment, Gaspirali built a new two-story madrasa next to the old one. The madrasa closed in 1917 and was converted into the Mengli I Giray Research Institute. The institute was abolished in 1923 and later served successively as a teacher's college, a medical school, a sanatorium for German soldiers, and a post-war psychiatric clinic. Today, it is managed by the Bakhchisarai Historical, Cultural, and Archaeological Museum.
3. Baths
During archaeological excavations of the Salachik historical and archaeological complex in 2008, 15th-century baths, wells, and courtyard remains were discovered.
The bath is a typical Turkish bath (Hamam), divided into separate sections for men and women, each consisting of 5 rooms and a heating system. The heating system supplied warm air through ceramic pipes laid in the walls and under the floors, keeping the bath at a constant temperature year-round and reducing firewood consumption. In addition, each section had a steam room, a washing room, a toilet, a lounge, and a changing room.
Many ceramics from the 15th to 18th centuries were unearthed during the excavations, primarily architectural tiles and pipes, along with a small amount of kitchenware, Turkish ceramics, Chinese porcelain, and silver coins from the Crimean Khanate.
4. Tomb of Ismail Gaspirali, founder of the Crimean Tatar Enlightenment
Ismail Gaspirali (1851–1914), the founder of the Crimean Tatar Enlightenment, is buried in the backyard of the Zıncırlı Madrasa.
Gaspirali was a Crimean Tatar intellectual, educator, publisher, and one of the earliest modern Muslim intellectuals in the Russian Empire. He was the first to realize that Turkic Muslim society needed to modernize through educational and cultural reform, thus pioneering the "Jadid" new-style education, and is recognized as the founder of the Crimean Tatar Enlightenment.
Gaspirali was born in Bakhchisarai, studied in Paris from 1871 to 1874, and after returning home, served as the mayor of Bakhchisarai from 1879 to 1884. Gaspirali taught at the Zıncırlı Madrasa, where he advocated for 45-minute classes and a schedule based on bells, which was opposed by traditional teachers at the school, eventually forcing him to resign.
Gaspirali began attempting to launch a Turkic-language newspaper in 1879, and in 1883, he was granted permission to publish Russia's first Turkic-language newspaper, Tercüman (The Translator). Tercüman was published for 35 years and was long the only Turkic-language newspaper in Russia, as well as one of the earliest Muslim newspapers, influencing the entire Turkic Muslim society.
In the newspaper, he criticized the traditional Muslim education system, advocated for modernization through educational reform, and designed a new teaching method—Jadid. Jadid fundamentally changed the nature and structure of primary education in many Muslim regions, making it more secular. He taught the Arabic alphabet using a new phonetic method, reducing the time it took for students to become literate from three years to a few months.
In 1905, after nearly twenty years of effort, Gaspirali founded the first Turkic-language women's magazine, Alem-i Nisvan (Women's World), with his daughter Shefika serving as editor. In 1906, Gaspirali founded the first Turkic-language humor magazine, Ha-ha-ha.
In 1909, Gaspirali built a new two-story school next to the Zıncırlı Madrasa, which operated until it closed in 1917.
After Gaspirali passed away in his hometown in 1914, he was buried in the Muslim cemetery in the backyard of the Zıncırlı Madrasa. The original tombstone was lost in the second half of the 20th century, and the current one was rebuilt in the late 1990s.
II. Bakhchisarai
1. North Gate: 1611
The North Gate (Darbehane Qapı) is the main entrance to the Khan Palace complex. In Crimean Tatar, "Darbehane Qapı" means "Mint Gate," because mint once grew across from the gate. The Khan Palace once had four main gates, but now only the North and South gates remain. The North Gate features a sculpture of two intertwined snakes. Legend has it that the builder of the palace, Sahib I Giray, saw two snakes fighting by the river in front of the gate, and one snake was healed by the river water, so he decided to build the palace there.
The North Gate was built in 1611. Before this, the Khan Palace had no walls because the defensive system of the Khanate's capital was at the Jewish fortress on the cliff. In the 17th century, as Cossack military activity increased, the Khan Palace was considered threatened, leading to the construction of the current walls and gates.
2. Khan Mosque: 1532
The Khan Mosque (Büyük Han Cami) is located inside the Bakhchisarai Khan Palace. In 1532, when the Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray moved the capital to Bakhchisarai, the Khan Mosque was one of the first buildings constructed in the palace. The original mosque consisted of multiple domes, similar to the Seljuk-style mosques popular in the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. The mosque was destroyed by fire in 1736 and later restored by Khan Selamet II Giray (reigned 1740–1743), who changed it to a tiled roof.
During the Soviet era, the mosque was closed and became an exhibition hall for an archaeological museum. After Russia occupied Crimea in 2014, the mosque underwent restoration, some of which caused damage to the structure.
The Crimean Khan Qırım Giray (reigned 1758–1764) ordered the creation of Quranic calligraphy and murals for the Khan Mosque.
Maqsurah is an Arabic term meaning "enclosed space," which is a space inside a mosque for the ruler or nobility to pray. A Maqsurah is generally made as a wooden box or screen located near the mihrab of the mosque, while the Khan Mosque's Maqsurah was built as a second-floor loft. The main entrance of the Khan Mosque is connected to the north wall of the palace and can be accessed directly from the outside, while the Maqsurah can only be accessed via stairs from inside the palace.
The Maqsurah loft of the Khan Mosque was rebuilt after the 1736 fire and is decorated with famous Turkish Iznik tiles, stained glass, and various precious 18th-century murals.
Artifacts displayed in the Maqsurah loft of the Khan Mosque:
A Quran copied in Bakhchisarai by Hafiz Mas'ud in 1794
An 18th-century Quran bag
A Quran copied in Crimea in 1748, with an 18th-century bag.
A Quran copied in 1808
An 18th-century Quran
On the left is an 18th-century Sahih al-Bukhari, and on the right is an 18th-century Quran commentary.
An 18th-century Quran
An 18th-century Quran
A Quran copied by Hajj Mahmoud in 1746
The ablution fountain of the Khan Mosque.
3. Khan Cemetery
The Khan Cemetery is located south of the Khan Mosque and contains the graves of 9 Crimean Khans from the 16th to 18th centuries, 45 members of the Khan family, and over 320 court nobles. The two most important mausoleums belong to Crimean Khans Devlet I Giray (reigned 1551–1577) and İslâm III Giray (reigned 1644–1654). These octagonal mausoleums are built of limestone, and their domes were originally lead, but were changed to iron after 1863. There is also the open-air tomb of Crimean Khan Meñli II Giray (reigned 1724–1730, 1737–1740) and the double tombstone of Crimean Khan Qırım Giray (reigned 1758–1764, 1768–1769).
The Khan Mosque, the tomb of Crimean Khan Devlet I Giray, and the tomb of İslâm III Giray.
As it appeared in 1830
As it appeared between 1840 and 1842
The mausoleum in the northern part of the Khan Cemetery belongs to Crimean Khan Devlet I Giray (reigned 1551–1577) and contains 6 tombstones.
Devlet I Giray reigned for 26 years. His most important campaign was the burning of Moscow in 1571, which forced Tsar Ivan the Terrible to flee, earning him the title "The One Who Took the Crown."
In 1530, Devlet I Giray was appointed Kalga (the second-in-command after the Khan) by his uncle Saadet I Giray. In 1532, Saadet I Giray voluntarily abdicated to serve Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent at the Ottoman court, and Devlet I Giray was subsequently imprisoned. After being released, Devlet I Giray also went to Istanbul, gradually gaining the trust of Suleiman the Magnificent. In 1551, when the then-Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray refused to help the Ottomans attack Persia, Suleiman the Magnificent decided to have Devlet I Giray replace his uncle.
Devlet I Giray led an army of 1,000 men and 60 cannons to occupy Bakhchisarai, then killed Sahib I Giray and all his descendants, becoming the new Crimean Khan.
In March 1552, the second year of his reign, Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible sent troops to conquer the Kazan Khanate. Upon learning this, Devlet I Giray decided to attack the Russian heartland to save Kazan while their defenses were weak, but he was ultimately defeated by the Russian army. In October of that year, Kazan fell, and the Kazan Khanate was extinguished. Following this, in 1556, another Tatar state, the Astrakhan Khanate, was also conquered by Ivan the Terrible, leaving the Crimean Khanate as the last remaining Tatar state.
From 1551, the Crimean Khanate engaged in over twenty years of war with Russia. After several defeats, Devlet I Giray attempted to make peace with Russia, but this was opposed by the nobles of the Crimean Khanate. Finally, in the spring of 1571, Devlet I Giray led a joint force of 120,000 Crimean and Ottoman troops and, guided by six boys fleeing the increasingly insane Ivan the Terrible, arrived directly at Moscow. Devlet I Giray set fires in the suburbs of Moscow, and suddenly, strong winds blew the flames into the city, burning the entire city to the ground.
According to records, people fled into stone churches, but the churches collapsed, killing everyone inside. People jumped into the river, and many drowned. The Kremlin's armory exploded, and those hiding in the basement suffocated to death. Ivan the Terrible ordered the dead in the streets to be thrown into the river, causing the river to overflow and flood parts of the city. Historians estimate that between 60,000 and 200,000 people died in the fire.
Ivan the Terrible subsequently fled to Novgorod, and the Crimean army went in pursuit but was intercepted by Russian forces. Devlet I Giray was defeated by the Russian army in succession, losing a son and a grandson. At this point, false news arrived that Ivan the Terrible was leading a large army to arrive soon, forcing Devlet I Giray to withdraw.
In the following years, the Crimean Khanate had several more small-scale wars with Russia. In 1577, Devlet I Giray died of the plague and was buried in the Khan Cemetery in Bakhchisarai.
The mausoleum in the southern part of the Khan Cemetery belongs to Crimean Khan İslâm III Giray (reigned 1644–1654) and contains 9 tombstones.
In his youth, İslâm III Giray was captured by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and lived in Poland for 7 years. After being released, he settled in the Ottoman Empire. In 1637, he was appointed Kalga (the second-in-command after the Khan) by the new Crimean Khan. In 1640, he led an army that caused devastating damage to Ukraine. After another Khan succeeded to the throne in 1641, he left Crimea again and returned to the Ottoman Empire. In 1644, the Ottoman Sultan deposed the previous Crimean Khan and appointed İslâm III Giray as the Crimean Khan.
During his reign, İslâm III Giray attempted to resolve conflicts among the nobles within the Khanate, while also funding the construction and renovation of many public buildings, such as fountains, water systems, and fortresses.
In 1648, İslâm III Giray allied with the Zaporozhian Cossacks of Ukraine against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1654, he turned to ally with Poland against the Russian Tsar. According to legend, he was killed shortly thereafter by his Cossack concubine.
Next to the mausoleum of İslâm III Giray is the mausoleum of Crimean Khan Meñli II Giray (reigned 1724–1730, 1737–1740).
During his reign, Meñli II Giray ended the long-term turmoil in the Crimean Khanate and abolished some taxes, gaining the support of many people. During his second reign, he skillfully organized defenses to resist the invasion of the Russian army, inflicting heavy losses on the Russian forces. Meñli II Giray was also known for his love of literature and Islam. As a Sufi follower, he donated funds to many mosques.
In 1740, Meñli II Giray passed away in Bakhchisarai and was buried in the Khan Cemetery. His mausoleum has no roof and is an open-air rotunda.
The tomb of Crimean Khan Qırım Giray (reigned 1758–1764, 1768–1769) is at the entrance of the Khan Cemetery; it has no mausoleum building, only a double tombstone.
Qırım Giray was a talented ruler under whose reign the Crimean Khanate experienced an artistic revival, developing a unique art style known as "Crimean Rococo." He invited many excellent artists and architects to build numerous mosques in Crimea and restored and expanded the Bakhchisarai Khan Palace, which had been burned by the Russians. Qırım Giray had a keen interest in European, especially French, culture, and was particularly fascinated by Molière's plays; the court frequently hosted musical and theatrical performances.
Most tombstones in the cemetery consist of two stones at the head and foot; the top of the headstone is carved with different headgear for men and women, and the body of the stone is inscribed with an epitaph.
4. SaryGuzel Bath: 1532
The SaryGuzel Bath was built in 1532 by order of Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray and, like the Khan Mosque, is one of the earliest buildings constructed in the Bakhchisarai Khan Palace. "Sarı" in Crimean Tatar means "yellow or fair-skinned," and "Güzel" means "beautiful."
The SaryGuzel Bath is a typical Turkish bath; a furnace in the basement causes hot air to rise and heat the floor, and cold and hot water are supplied to the bath through lead pipes. The bath is divided into men's and women's sections, each with a dome featuring star-shaped cutouts for ventilation and light, and an indoor courtyard with a fountain at the exit.
The SaryGuzel Bath operated until 1924, after which it was closed as a dangerous structure; it has now been restored and is open for exhibition.
5. Falcon Tower
The Falcon Tower (Toğan qullesi) is located in a corner of the Persian Garden of the Khan Palace and is said to have been used to train the falcons of the Khan's court. The Falcon Tower was built in the 16th century, originally as a five-story brick, mud, and wood structure. It was rebuilt in 1760 into two stories: the lower level is a cube built of rubble and cement mortar, and the upper level is an octagonal tower built of wooden planks.
The Falcon Tower is connected to the Harem building of the Khan Palace, and a spiral staircase inside the tower leads to an observation deck at the top, allowing those living in the harem to climb the tower and overlook the entire palace.
Weapons and saddles from the 18th–19th centuries displayed on the ground floor of the Falcon Tower
6. Harem
The Harem (Arem) of the Crimean Khan Palace once had 4 buildings and 73 rooms. In 1818, Tsar Alexander I demolished 3 buildings and 70 rooms, leaving only an annex with 3 rooms and a pavilion. Today, the annex displays the interior decorations of Crimean Tatar houses from the 17th to 19th centuries.
The living room retains its original fireplace and cupboards, and a mirror with the author's inscription was discovered during the 1980s restoration. Paintings on the vanity and Arabic poetry on the ceiling have also been cleaned.
