The cave city of Chufut-Kale is located near the city of Bakhchisarai, at a distance of 2.8 km. The Chufut-Kale fortress is located at an altitude of 600 meters above sea level. Three of the four approaches to the fortress are sheer cliffs.
Geographic coordinates of Chufut-Kale on the map of Crimea GPS N 44.741298, E 33.920656
Getting to Chufut-Kale is very easy from Bakhchisaray, there are signs from almost anywhere in the city, but even if you don’t pay attention to them, from the center towards the outskirts of the city move along Lenin Street to Staroselskaya Street. Continuing to move towards the outskirts of the city along Staroselskaya Street, you will come across a wide road paved with stones, in places with pieces of laid asphalt, move along it for about 600 meters and you will reach the rocky Assumption Monastery, from the monastery the road moves into the mountains.
There are two ways to get to the Chufut-Kale fortress: either on foot or by going up in jeeps from Bakhchisarai. Both options are good in their own way. By jeep you will visit more places. Driving along a mountain ridge, narrow rocky roads and stunning views are guaranteed. Going up on foot, you can visit the Assumption Monastery, and if from the monastery you take a little right along the road towards Chufut-Kale, you will come to an ancient cemetery, the place is a little creepy, but leaves impressions of its antiquity and architectural forms.
Then the road will move up at a slight angle. At an average speed of 2-3 km per hour, you will reach the top in 30 minutes in quite good condition. Name Chufut-Kale
appeared in the 17th century and is translated as “Jewish Fortress”. They began to call it Jewish because of the Karaites who inhabited these places. According to many historians and the Karaites themselves, their roots come from the Jews.
The history of the Fortress supposedly began in the 5th century AD, with the settlement of Fulla, which is often mentioned in Byzantine archives and chronicles. But learned historians have not determined a definite date.
From the 10th to the 14th centuries, the cave city of Chufut-Kale gradually turned into a fortress, a fortress wall and defensive structures appeared.
In the 15th century, the city was already almost 80% populated by Karaites due to the fact that in the Crimean Khanate they were allowed to settle only in a small number of places.
In 1532, not far from Chufut-Kale, Khan Sahib Geray built a new khan's residence, which was called Bakhchisarai. Since then, the fortified city of Chufut-Kale began to lose its relevance; if not for the Khan’s decree on the place of residence of the Karaites, it might have been empty immediately.
In 1783, the Crimean Peninsula became part of the Russian Empire and the Chufut-Kale fortress began to empty. By the end of the 19th century, the fortress was completely deserted, the Karaites settled throughout Crimea, and the defensive properties of the fortress practically in the center of Crimea lost their necessity.
Visit to Chufut-Kale quite interesting, the whole city is practically carved into stone, into the rock, in two, and sometimes three, floors. The fortified city had two entrances, natural defenses on three sides and a man-made wall on the fourth. Inside the city there were many buildings, armories, warehouses, a mosque, barracks for the garrison and living quarters. A small palace was built and for many years the mint of the Crimean Khanate was located here. There was also a school and a small food market in Chufut-Kale.
At the beginning of the 15th century, a moat appeared, due to trends from the west. The effectiveness of the moat was highly questionable, but like a real Fortress, this attribute gave it a more imposing appearance.
Chufut-Kale is one of the oldest, its geographical proximity to often combines these two attractions into one excursion: first, then the climb to the rocky Assumption Monastery and the last effort the climb to the fortified city of Chufut-Kale.
The cave city of Chufut-Kale invariably attracts the attention of tourists. Why is he interesting? Where is? What legends are associated with it? We will talk about this and much more in this article.
Where is?
Where is Chufut-Kale located? is located on the Crimean peninsula in the Bakhchisarai region. The nearest city (Bakhchisaray) is about 2.5-3 kilometers. The fortress city is located on a high steep mountain plateau of the spur of the inner Crimean Mountains, which is surrounded by three deep valleys.
Chufut-Kale is a cave city, the address of which cannot be found on any map. The location in the guidebooks is approximate: Bakhchisarai district,
In order not to go astray when going to the cave city of Chufut-Kale, the coordinates for GPS navigators are as follows: N 44°44’27” E 33°55’28”.
How to get there?
One of the questions that arises for those who want to visit the cave city of Chufut-Kale is how to get there? There are two options: take public transport on your own to the final stop "Staroselye" (Bakhchisarai) and then follow the signs on foot to the fortress, or go to Chufut-Kale as part of an excursion group (this option is chosen by most tourists vacationing at the resorts of the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula).
Variants of cave names
The cave city has changed its name more than once over its centuries-old history.
According to one version, the first name of the city was Fulla. A settlement with this name is repeatedly mentioned in chronicles of the 1st-2nd centuries AD, but scientists have not been able to establish exactly where it was located.
Since the 13th century, sources have already referred to this city as Kyrk-Or (the variant Kyrk-Er is also found), which literally translates as “forty fortifications.” Also, during the reign of the Crimean Khan, you can find the name Gevher-Kermen (translated as “fortress of jewels”), this name can be explained by the fact that the Tatar ulema decorated all the gates, walls and gates of the castle with precious stones.
In the mid-17th century, the citadel was transferred to the Karaites and received a new name - Kale. Translated from the Crimean dialect of the Karaite language, “kale” (“kala”) means “brick wall, fortification, fortress.”
After the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian Empire, the settlement of Kale was transformed into the cave city of Chufut-Kale, which translated means “Jewish” or “Jewish” fortress (çufut - Jew, Jew; qale - fortress). This name for the fortress was given by merchants who came here for various needs. Gradually the name Chufut-Kale became official, it was used in the scientific works of Soviet scientists and in the literature of Karaite authors from the mid-19th century until 1991.
Since 1991, the Crimean Karaite leaders renamed the cave fortress city of Chufut-Kale to Juft-Kale (translated as a pair or double fortress), but this renaming was unofficial.
Along with the names Chufut- and Juft-Kale, other names for the cave city are found in Karaite literature: until the mid-19th century it was called “Sela Yukhudim”, and after that - “Sela ha-Karaim”.
Founding history
There are several versions about the founding of the cave city. According to one of them, the first settlement here was founded by the Sarmatians and Alans in the 4th century AD. According to the second version, to which most scientists are inclined, in 550 (during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian), three cave fortress cities were founded in order to protect the approaches to Chersonesos: Chufut-Kale, Mangul-Kale and Eski-Kermen. However, information about these villages was not included in the treatise “On Buildings”; information about them became available as a result of archaeological excavations.
Impenetrable cliffs and high cliffs formed by nature were framed by man with high walls and fortifications. The citadel turned into a reliable shelter and an excellent defensive structure.
Fortress during the Crimean Khanate
In the second half of the 11th century, the Kypchaks (better known as Polovtsians) gained dominance over the fortress, renaming it Kyrk-Er.
In 1299, the troops of Emir Nogai took this fortification by storm after a long and stubborn siege, plundered it, expelling the Sarmato-Uhlans who inhabited the citadel. The Tatars named the conquered cave city Kyrk-Or.
In the 13-14 centuries (during the reign of Khan Jani-Bek), one of the garrisons of the Crimean ulus, which broke away from the Golden Horde, was located here.
The cave city of Chufut-Kale received active and rapid development in the 15th century. The reason for such rapid development of the citadel was that Kyrk-Or became the first capital of the Crimean Khanate. established his residence here after he defeated the ruler of the Kirk-Or Khanate, Eminek Bey. Hadji Giray became the founder of an entire dynasty of Crimean rulers. During his reign, a khan's palace was built on the territory of the fortress, a madrasah was founded, and the mosque built under Janibek was expanded. There is an assumption that in the first years of the reign of Khan Hadji Giray, a mint was also built, where silver coins with the inscription “Kyrk-Or” were printed (the remains of this building were found on the territory of the fortress by archaeologists).
History of the fortress after deprivation of capital status
In the mid-17th century, Khan Mengli Giray ordered the construction of a new palace in Solonchaki and moved the khan's residence there. The fortress was given to the Karaites and renamed Kale, and later received its final name - Chufut-Kale. The Karaites increased the area of Chufut-Kale almost 2 times due to the defensive system built on the eastern side, behind which a trade and craft settlement was formed.
The ancient wall, made of large rectangular stone blocks and cemented with lime mortar, now became a middle wall, dividing the plateau into eastern and western parts, each of which could hold an independent defense. This is how another name for the fortress appeared - Juft-Kale (pair or double fortress). A wide ditch was dug in front of the walls of the citadel, and pedestrian bridges were thrown across it.
History since the accession to the Russian Empire
During the reign of Peter I's niece Anna Ioanovna, the Russian army captured Bakhchisarai and destroyed Chufut-Kale. After the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Empire, by decree of the Empress, restrictions on the residence of Crimeans and Karaites were lifted, many left the walls of the citadel, only a small Armenian community and part of the Karaites remained to live here, who did not want to leave their established way of life.
By the end of the 19th century, all residents left Chufut-Kale, only the caretaker’s family remained to live here. The last inhabitant of the citadel, the famous Karaite scientist, author of many scientific works A. S. Firkovich, left its walls in 1874.
Defensive value of the fortress
The primary significance of Chufut-Kale is defensive. In addition to high, strong walls and a wide ditch, several more tactically important decisions were used here. The road to the fortress passes by the Assumption Monastery, which has a source of drinking water, along the Mariyam-Dere gully, then rises steeply - past the cemetery - to the southern (small) gate. These gates were built as a trap: they cannot be seen until you come close to them. Most likely, there used to be a gate here, because oak doors remain on the walls near the gate.
The path to the cave city of Chufut-Kale went along the steep slope of the ravine in such a way that the enemies were forced to climb to the citadel, turning to it with their right, least protected side (shields were carried in the left hand, and weapons in the right). During the ascent, the enemies were attacked with arrows, which were showered on them from specially equipped loopholes in the walls by the defenders of the fortress. It was almost impossible to knock out the gate with a battering ram: there was a steep slope in front of it, and the gentle path right in front of the gate made a sharp turn. But even if the enemy penetrated the gate, another trap awaited him: the soldiers storming the citadel had to make their way through a narrow corridor specially carved into the rock. From the wooden flooring built on top of the corridor, stones fell on the heads of the conquerors, boiling water poured, and the archers hiding in the caves shot without missing.
On the eastern side, the city was protected by a high wall and a wide ditch in front of it, and the southern, northern and western walls did not need protection, since the plateau on these sides drops steeply down, only experienced climbers can climb here.
Architecture of Chufut-Kale
Chufut-Kale is a cave city, the photo of which, unfortunately, cannot convey its former power. Only part of the caves and a few Karaite buildings have survived to this day; most of the buildings are ruins.
On the southern side there is a well-preserved complex of the oldest caves, the main purpose of which is defensive or combat. In the old part of the city, most of the caves have already collapsed, but two utility caves have been preserved. These are large artificial structures that are connected by a stone staircase carved into the rock. Presumably these caves were used as a prison for prisoners who could be kept here for years (the assumption is based on the remains of bars on the windows of the lower cave and the notes of Count Sheremetyev, who spent almost 6 years in the Chufut-Kale prison). A residential building was built over these caves in the 17th century.
Not far from the caves there is a beautiful example of 15th century architecture - the mausoleum of Janike Hanim, whose name is associated with many legends. According to one of them, Janike lived in a palace next to the barracks for 1000 soldiers, under her leadership the soldiers heroically defended Chufut-Kale, but Khanym died during the siege. Her father Tokhtamysh Khan ordered the construction of an octagonal mausoleum, decorated with a high portal and carved columns, at the site of her death. In the depths of the mausoleum there is still a tombstone of the famous empress’s tomb.
The Karaite kenasses located near the mausoleum are also well preserved. These rectangular buildings, surrounded by open terraces with columns and arches, served for general meetings, services were held here and courts were held by spiritual elders. At the end of the 19th century, an extensive library of ancient manuscripts collected by the scientist A. S. Firkovich was kept in the building of the small kenassa.
On the narrow main street of the city, wheel ruts have been preserved; their depth in some places reaches 0.5 meters; they testify to the centuries-old and active life that once flourished here.
It will also be interesting to visit the house of the last resident of Chufut-Kale (A.S. Firkovich) hanging over the cliff. You can wander around the eastern part of the fortress.
Cave city Chufut-Kale: reviews from tourists
Tourists who have visited the fortified city are highly advised to go here accompanied by an experienced guide who will tell the history of this unique place and show the cave city of Chufut-Kale in all its glory. At an altitude of just over 550 meters, beautiful ancient monuments have been preserved, looking at which you cannot believe that people once lived here. Often, looking at these caves, people do not believe that they were non-residential: here all the “residential” buildings were above ground, and the caves were for utility or household purposes.
What to see nearby?
Going to Chufut-Kale - a cave city, photos of which will remind you of this amazing trip for many years - on the way back it’s worth stopping by the Holy Dormition Monastery, founded in the 8th century. Here you can venerate the icon of the Holy Dormition Mother of God, order services, pray or submit notes. On the territory of the monastery there is a spring with tasty drinking water.
You should also definitely visit the beautiful Khan's palace in Bakhchisarai, founded in the 16th century. This beautiful palace looks like a set for a beautiful oriental fairy tale. In the palace you can get acquainted with how the khan lived, visit an art museum and an exhibition of weapons, and take pictures against the backdrop of the Fountain of Tears, glorified by Pushkin.
Chufut-Kale is one of the few surviving cave cities in Crimea and the most visited among them. The caves and walls of the fortress, kenassas, mausoleum and narrow streets of the city breathe history and antiquity, making you think about the meaning and transience of life.
Chufut-Kale is one of the most famous and most visited “cave cities” in Crimea. It is located on a plateau 558 m above sea level on the outskirts of Bakhchisaray. The total area of the settlement is 46 hectares. Research in recent years suggests that the fortress was built at the end of the 6th - 7th centuries. and belonged to the Goto Alans - federates of the Byzantine Empire. Some scientists are inclined to another version of the emergence of the settlement in the later times of the 9th-10th centuries. and X-XI centuries, and connect it with the settlement of Fulla.
The original name of the settlement is unknown. Written sources XIII-XVI call it Kyrk-Er or Kyrk-Or, which translated from Turkic means “forty fortifications.” Other sources from different times tell us other names - Gevher Kermen, Butmai, Topra-kala. The name of the city Chufut-Kale appeared then, only Karaites remained here.
In the 15th century during the formation of the Crimean Khanate, Chufut-Kale became its first capital. The first Crimean khans, Hadji-Gerai and Mengli-Gerai, set up their residence here. At the beginning of the 16th century. Bakhchisarai is being built and the khan and his retinue move there, followed by almost all the Muslims. After the departure of the Muslims, the fortress continued to be used by the khans for a long time as a weapons warehouse and a refuge in case of civil strife. The Karaite and, until 1778, a small Armenian community lived mainly here.
The internal structure of kenas is in many ways similar to the structure of synagogues and its roots go back to the biblical Temple of Jerusalem. It is believed that the large kenasa was built in the 14th century, and the small one in the 18th centuries. The elders of the Karaite society gathered here. All men prayed in the large Shulhan hall (a place for parishioners); women were allowed to pray on the second floor.
The oldest architectural monument of the settlement is the Middle Defensive Wall. Taking into account its architectural features, the defensive structure can presumably be dated back to the 6th – 7th centuries. Near the Middle Wall there is the mausoleum of Dzhanyke-Khanym. An octagonal centric structure with a tiled roof.
Not far from the gate of the Middle Defensive Wall there is a mosque, which was built in 1346, during the reign of the Golden Horde Khan Janibek. And in 1455 it was thoroughly reconstructed by the first Crimean Khan Hadji-Gerai, making it a cathedral.
Behind the Middle Defensive Wall was the New City, which ends with another wall - the Eastern Defensive Wall. The territory of the New, as well as the Old Town, was densely built up in ancient times. In the Old Town there are three streets (from south to north) - Kenasskaya, Srednyaya and Burunchakskaya. The streets were laid on the very surface of the rock. Along their edges there are stone sidewalks for pedestrians. The courtyards were closed off from prying eyes by a high stone fence. The houses were stone, most two-story. The second floor was made of wood or adobe combined with a timber frame. The roofs were covered with tiles. An example of such development is the estate of the famous Karaite educator and collector of ancient manuscripts - A.S. Firkovich.
The rocky cape towering above the valley resembles a giant sea vessel - this is the legendary settlement of Chufat-Kale. The mystical cave city attracts many tourists from all over the world. Historians and archaeologists have been searching for answers to the mysteries that hide the mighty walls of the fortress for centuries.
Photos from Chufut-Kale
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Chufut-Kale is located almost three kilometers from Bakhchisarai, rising to a height of 558 meters from sea level on an inaccessible plateau, which is surrounded on three sides by deep valleys. Chufut-Kale literally means “Jewish fortress”.
Historical past of Chufut-Kale
Chufut-Kale is the most established name today, but discussions around the name of the city have been going on for decades. A great number of the most famous and educated people of their time visited Chufut-Kale, and members of the family of the imperial family of Russia did not ignore it. Thanks to such attention to the object, much evidence of the last period of its life, starting from the 17th century, has been preserved. No other cave city has been described so many times. However, everything related to older history, not to mention the early Middle Ages, is also shrouded in mystery; too little archaeological material has been preserved by the rocks. However, this does not prevent you from exploring Chufut-Kale and admiring its structures, both underground and built on the surface.
The Alans, as the first inhabitants of Chufut-Kale, are mentioned by historians until the 14th century. In the second millennium, the city began to be actively developed, Armenian and Karaite communities settled here, stone buildings and defensive walls appeared. Then the fortress was captured by the Tatars, and a hundred years later they went to Bakhchisarai, and the Karaites remained the main population of the settlement. New caves are being built, because without them the plateau would be too crowded. Established hundreds of years ago as the first dwellings of Chufut-Kale, the caves have been preserved almost in their entirety to the present day.
After Catherine II visited Chufut-Kale in 1887 during a months-long trip to Taurida, a decree was issued according to which Karaites could live throughout the empire. Residents gradually abandoned the site, and by the middle of the 19th century, the fearless cave city of jewels and forty fortresses was deserted. Now it is a tourist and archaeological Mecca.
Description of the cave city
The tourist route to Chufut-Kale runs along a steep winding path from the ravine. The path leads to the southern entrance to the site, which is a double oak gate covered with strips of wrought iron. The gate is called Kuchuk-Kapu (small), it is built in the southern fortress wall, covering a large stepped cleft in the rock. The appearance of this wall and gate creates the impression of reliable defense and inaccessibility of the city, causing associations with defenders firing at the enemy from above. Behind the gate, with the help of an additional internal wall, a narrow and long corridor was built, a real stone bag, into which the enemy who broke through ended up and where the defenders fired at him especially intensively - everything corresponds to the classical defense system of ancient and medieval cities.
Just outside the South Gate of Kuchuk-Kapu, a stone-paved road leads from a gloomy tunnel to the top, where a primeval rock rises in the bright sunlight, all pitted with caves - a mesmerizing romantic sight. Entering the site, we find ourselves in a real cave world: to the right and left, on all sides, we are surrounded by caves located in an incomprehensible chaotic disorder. This complex includes 28 distinctly shaped rooms. Recently, the definition of “Christian monastery” has firmly been assigned to this complex in the literature. Historians cannot determine for sure whether there was actually a monastery here. Chufut-Kale is a unique cave city in the sense that no remains of a single Christian cave or above-ground temple have been identified here. Each of the twenty-eight caves of the proposed monastery is interesting to explore.
The next ground object that no visitor can miss is the courtyard where the Karaite kenasa temples stand. The Karaite religion is a branch of Judaism; its followers revere the Torah as Holy Scripture and do not recognize the Talmud. Kenasah differ significantly from synagogues. These are rectangular buildings with two sloping tiled roof slopes. The large kenasa was built more thoroughly, the entrance is surrounded by a stone arcade supporting a canopy and forming a veranda.
Two original towers can be viewed on the eastern outskirts of the city. They built a fortress wall, densely built up with Karaites. Despite their impregnable appearance, these are one of the latest structures of Chufut-Kale, and they were most likely of a decorative and representative nature rather than of a military nature.
Of the best preserved buildings of the ancient city, the mausoleum of Janike-Khanym, daughter of Khan Takhtamysh, who died in 1437, is of interest. This is a small octagonal building with a tiled roof and elaborately carved Arabic script on the portal.
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Karaite cemetery
The valley southeast of Chufut-Kale is called Josaphat, as in the vicinity of Jerusalem, and in its upper reaches is the largest Karaite cemetery. There are individual tombstones there. Hundreds of tombstones of various shapes and sizes, shifted and overturned, entwined with tree roots, are located in disarray over a vast area. The funeral rites were the same for both rich and poor, but the shape and size of the tombstones probably varied. Ancient epitaphs have been preserved on many monuments.
Well Tik-Kuyu
The Tik-Kuyu vertical shaft has been drilled to a depth of about 45 meters. It ends with a spiral descent to the pool. To get to this descent, an inclined gallery about 100 meters long was cut through. It is impossible to imagine what physical and time costs the construction of such a hydraulic unit required. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that over the centuries the well from the lower pool to the above-ground entrance was carefully covered with earth, rubble and stones.
Another additional secret passage was made to the Well, leading from the Chufut-Kale cliff. According to legend, Janike Khanum, knowing the secret of this move, saved residents from thirst by bringing water from Tik-Kuyu. But one day the enemy finally took the Chufut-Kale fortress and ordered the well to be filled up forever, so that the memory of it would disappear. Today we do not know either that secret passage from the mountain or the ruthless enemy, but the well exists: it was excavated in 2002 by enthusiastic speleologists.
Treasures of the Celestial Fortress
Researchers have always been attracted by the fact that in the chronicles Chufut-Kale was indicated under different names, for example Gevkher-Kermen, which means “fortress of jewels.” This was explained by the fact that the walls of the city were then decorated with a myriad of precious stones, but there is no way to establish this fact for certain. Most likely, this is a legend, of which the city preserves many.
Traditionally, the great khans kept the most valuable things to themselves and kept the treasures within the palace. It is believed that the main wealth of the khan was kept in Chufut-Kale, and recent finds in the fortified city confirm this. In 2002, the largest treasure in Crimea was discovered here. It was a clay vessel completely filled with gold and silver coins dating back to the 14th century, when Khan Takhtamysh reigned. The vessel contained 4,250 coins ranging from Venetian ducats and Egyptian dinars to dirhams of the Crimean Khanate. Horde coins were of the highest rank, which the khans themselves exchanged, and could also hand them over to their subordinates as a valuable reward.
The discovery was a reward for archaeologists who had been trying for decades to find the treasures of the ancient empire. The legendary golden horses, which according to legend stood at the entrance to the capital of the Crimean khans, Chufut-Kale, have not yet been found. It took 15 tons of gold to create the horses, and their eyes were made of huge rubies.
One cannot ignore another attraction, which is located a kilometer from Chufut-Kale - this is the Holy Dormition Cave Monastery in the Mariam-Dere tract. Over the years of its existence, the holy places have survived many adversities, but its white stone walls still attract tourists with their pristine nature. The Assumption Monastery is open daily from 9.00 to 19.00.
How to get there
First of all, you need to come to Bakhchisarai, and from here, using the services of a minibus, get to the Staroselye station. There is also an equipped parking lot there. A one and a half kilometer long walking route begins from this place. Already after 10-15 minutes the road comes to the Holy Dormition Monastery. Further the path lies through Maryam-Dere to the cave city.
Cash desk opening hours (valid from September 30, 2017) at the South Gate: 9.00-17.00, at the East Gate - 9.00-16.30. During the off-season, in unfavorable weather conditions, the site may be closed to the public without warning. There is one more nuance: you are allowed to go on an excursion only if you have a hat, sports shoes and a supply of water for drinking.
This city seems fabulous and unique to tourists today, and this is how it appeared to medieval travelers who saw it for the first time. What epithets have been used over hundreds of years to describe Chufut-Kale, and not one of them expressed the whole variety of sensations from what was seen and experienced at the first meeting with it.
Chufut-Kale on the map of Crimea
GPS Coordinates: 44° 44′ 25.44″ N 33° 55′ 19.85″ E Latitude/Longitude
One of the largest cave settlements, Chufut-Kale, is located just three kilometers from the Bakhchisarai Palace. Presumably this medieval city arose in the 5th-6th centuries as a Byzantine fortification. Its proximity to Bakhchisarai makes it one of the most visited tourist places on the peninsula.
History of Chufut-Kale
The city is located on the small Burunchak plateau and is surrounded by deep gorges. The natural landscape and fortress walls ensured the safety of the settlement; getting here was very difficult. The only way was a mountain path that connected the inhabitants with the rest of the world.
The first inhabitants of the caves were the Alans, a powerful Sarmatian tribe and allies of Byzantium who settled in the mountainous Crimea. Mentions of settlements in these places have been found in written sources since the 13th century. The fortress on the impregnable mountain was known under the Turkish name Kirk-Or. In 1299, hordes of the Tatar emir Nogai raided the peninsula, and Kyrk-Or, along with other cities, was destroyed. The Tatars stayed in the city for a long period, placing a military detachment here.
A new stage in the life of the city began in the 14th century, when Karaites settled on the eastern side of the fortifications and erected a second row of fortress walls. Under them, Kyrk-Or became a major trade and craft center. And from the middle of the 15th to the beginning of the 16th century, Kyrk-Or became the first residence of the Crimean khans and was called Kyrk-Yer.
After the capital of the Crimean Khanate was moved to Bakhchisarai, only Karaites remained in the fortress, under them the settlement grew, and its eastern part began to be called Yany-Kale, which means “new fortress,” and the ancient part is Eski-Kale, which means “old fortress.” According to one version, the whole city then began to be called Juft-Kale, which means “Twin Fortress”, this name was transformed into the current Chufut-Kale. There is also a version that Juft-Kale meant a Jewish fortress, since the Karaites were of the Jewish faith.
By the end of the 19th century, after the Karaites left these places, Chufut-Kale was deserted.
Before the revolution, temples operated in the fortress, holidays of the Karaite community were celebrated, and prayer services were held. The houses were kept in order and the dead were buried in the family cemetery. Until the 20s of the 20th century, a caretaker, watchmen and several families lived in the city.
Fortress today
The cave city of Chufut-Kale is one of the most interesting monuments on the peninsula. Since the 20th century, many writers and artists visited the fortress, among them was Ivan Kramskoy. The artist saw landscapes in the desert area of Chufut-Kale that reminded him of Palestine. And Vladimir Nabokov, having visited these places, wrote: “I saw a dead city: the pits of former dungeons, deaf temples, the silent hill of Chufutkale... I saw the blessed shine of heaven, the flinty path, and the humble monastery, and ancient cells in the rock.”
To this day, four-tiered battle caves connected by internal passages have been preserved at the Southern Gate of the city. Caves-cellars, water pipes, remains of city blocks, defensive walls and temples were also discovered. Buildings from different periods have been preserved, among them: the mausoleum of Janike Khanum, daughter of Khan Tokhtamysh; the remains of the Khan's palace, mosque and mint; a rich estate with economic caves Chaush-Kobasy, a residential estate of the 19th century, which belonged to the Karaite historian A. Firkovich.
In addition to being a historical monument, Chufut-Kale is also interesting as a unique natural site, where architecture merges with miraculous cave labyrinths. From the plateau, which is reached by a winding road, there is a stunning view of the nature of the Crimean peninsula.
