Small Jerusalem Excursion

The most significant sights of Evpatoria are concentrated in the so-called Old Town (Gozlev). The complex of these historical monuments is called Little Jerusalem. It includes the Juma-Jami Mosque, Teki dervishes, Karaite kenas, Turkish baths, the cathedrals of St. Elijah and St. Nicholas.

Juma-Jami Mosque

Juma Jami (Friday Mosque) was originally called Khan Jami (Khan Mosque). It is located near the central embankment of the city of Evpatoria. The mosque is a cathedral and represents the greatest monument of world Islamic architecture of the 16th century. It was considered one of the most important mosques belonging to the Crimean Khanate.
Juma Jami was founded in 1552 and was built for 12 years. The prototype for it was the world-famous mosque Ai Sophia in Istanbul (at the time of construction of Constantinople). The architecture of the mosque is amazing and is the only one in Europe: the central huge dome is surrounded by twelve different domes, two sharp minarets rise on the sides of the building.
The height of the central hall of the mosque reaches 22 meters, minarets rise almost 30 meters.
In the 90s of the 20th century, the mosque was completely restored. It is still operating for its intended purpose at the present time.

Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

The Cathedral of Nicholas the Wonderworker is one of the three largest cathedrals of the Crimea (accommodates about 2000 people at a time). It is located near the Juma Jami Mosque. The cathedral was founded in 1893. The building of the cathedral is executed in the Byzantine style and has original architecture.

Karaite kenas

Karaite kenas is a complex of architectural temple buildings of the Crimean Karaites. "Kenasa" (translated as "assembly") is a building in which the Karaites carry out services.
This monument consists of two temples. The large kenas is festive, the small kenas is everyday. Also a special attraction are three galleries-yards, which decorate arcades, columns and fountains made in the Baroque style. On the walls of the gallery are engraved quotes from the “Old Testament” in Hebrew.
The age of kenas is about 200 years.

Fluid dervishes

The current dervishes is a monument of national importance of the 15-16 centuries. It is one of the oldest medieval buildings in Evpatoria. Teki serves as a Turkish monastery intended for wandering monks - dervishes. This monastery was founded in the 15th century and until the 19th century gradually overgrown with various annexes. At the end of the 18th century, near the entrance to the Teki dervishes, the Shukurulla-Efendi mosque with a minaret was erected. This monument is the only Muslim monastery in Crimea. He represents the Sufi current of Islam.

Church of St. Elijah the Prophet

The temple is a Greek church of the Holy Prophet Elijah and built at the request of the Greek community. The building of the temple was erected in 1918 in the form of a cross (on the plan), which reflects the Greek-Byzantine style. The church dome rises on an octagonal drum.
The hall is decorated with thin pilasters and bizarre arches. The walls have triple windows with stained glass. The bell tower consists of three tiers.

Kara-Tobe Township

This monument is located near the city of Saki and is the remains of the Greco-Scythian settlement of 4-3 centuries BC 2400 years ago Kara-Tobe (translated as "Black Hill") was a fortress with a population of about 1500 people.

Nowadays, there is a Museum of Antiquities on the territory of the settlement. It presents archaeological finds discovered during the excavations of Kara-Tobe, in the halls there are Scythian and Greek household items. Also on the territory of the fortress the Scythian estate was recreated.