Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dzhuma-Dzhami Mosque
MOSQUE
( 10am-3pm Sat-Thu)
Built in 1552, this landmark mosque is attributed to Mimar Sinan,
the architect of Istanbul's famous Blue Mosque. Although not in Backhysaray, it was
considered the main mosque of Ottoman-ruled Crimea. It served as a venue for enthron-
ing Crimean khans, who disembarked in Yevpatoriya after an obligatory inauguration
visit to Istanbul. From the port, they proceeded straight to the mosque, where they
presented the sultan's
firman
(licence to rule) to the citizens. For a symbolic donation
(say, 20uah) you can join a Russian-language tour of the mosque, which sets off every
hour on the hour.
Dervish Tekiye
MONASTERY
(vul Karayeva 18; admission with guided tour in Russian adult/child & student 15/10uah;
10am-5pm)
Early 20th-century travel guides to Crimea still touted dervishes whirling in a
breathtaking shamanic dance as one of the peninsula's main attractions, but today unfor-
tunately this site is about the only legacy left by the once-influential Sufi mystics. The
15th-century monastery served as a retreat for the wandering monks of the Mevlevi or-
der, who slept and meditated inside the arched niches of the main building. Sadly today
there are no dervishes here - only tourists and nostalgic Crimean Tatars. Women are re-
quired to wear a scarf.
Yegiya Kapay Synagogue
JEWISH
(vul Prosmushkinykh 34/27)
Once the heart of a thriving Jewish community, this synagogue
was closed by the Bolsheviks, then pretty much all the Crimean Jews were exterminated
by the Nazis. Now revived, it once again serves as a spiritual and cultural centre, which
runs an excellent Jewish restaurant and occasionally turns itself into a venue for musical
festivals.
Gezlev Firewood Gate
HISTORIC BUILDING
(Odun-Bazar Kapusi;
http://odun-bazar.com/
; vul Karayeva 13A; guided tour 10uah; 9am-9pm)
Apart from an excellent cafe, the restored gates of the medieval Gezlev (Yevpatoriya's
Turkish name) house a small museum with a new, skillfully created 3D model of the
walled medieval city.
Tours
Odun Bazar
TOUR
