Khan's Palace. Museum of History and Culture of Crimean Tatars
rep. Crimea, Bakhchisarai, Bakhchisarai district, str. River 133
About the company:
Bakhchisarai Historical, Cultural and Archaeological Museum-Reserve is one of the most famous and visited museum-reserves of the Crimea. It includes 138 monuments of history and architecture, and its stock collections include more than 140,000 museum exhibits. Currently, its structure includes several museums: the Palace Museum, the Museum of History and Culture of the Crimean Tatars, the Art Museum, the exhibition "Collection of Weapons of the XVII-XIX centuries", as well as the House-Museum of I. Gasprinsky, a famous Crimean Tatar educator.
Khan’s Palace is an extensive ensemble, which consists of several palace buildings: the main, residential, retinue, harem, small palace mosque, falcon tower, a large Khan’s mosque Biyuk Khan Jami, the family cemetery of Girayev Mezarlyk, several courtyards and individual buildings.
It is a monument of history and culture of global importance, the only example of Crimean Tatar palace architecture in the world.
The palace is located on the left bank of the Churuk-Su River. The palace complex includes the northern and southern gates, the Svitsky building, the palace square, the main building, the harem, the Khan’s kitchen and stables, the library building, the falcon tower, the Khan’s mosque, the Persian garden, the Khan’s cemetery, the tomb (turbe) of Dilyara Bikech, the tomb of the North and South turbe, the tomb rotunda, the sary-Guzel bath, the embankment with three bridges, gardens and park facilities, the Catherine Mile and other objects.
The architectural style of the palace continues the traditions of Ottoman architecture of the XVI-XVII centuries. The main architectural idea is the embodiment of the Muslim idea of a paradise garden on earth. "Bakhchisarai" is translated from the Crimean Tatar language as "Palace-garden" (bağça - garden, saray - palace). Inside the palace there are many courtyards with trees, flowers and fountains. The buildings are light, decorated with paintings, the windows are taken with openwork grilles.