Southern Pearl. Part 2

By Zenia Kish


Bakhchisaray: Khan’s Capital

Bakhchisaray was founded as a Tatar settlement in the second half of the 14th century. It soon became the capital of the Crimean Khanate of Khan Hadji Girai I, who took up court in the mysterious cave city Chufut-Kale in the mountaintops above Bakhchisaray. The Girai dynasty built a more permanent home in the central Khan’s palace of the early 16th century, which stands in the centre of this predominantly Tatar settlement. The palace’s architecture exhibits the exotic flourishes of Persian, Turkish and Italian design. Its architect went on to work on the Kremlin at the invitation of Prince John III. The complex houses an art gallery, a history museum, and a fully functioning mosque used by local Tatars.
The cool chambers of the palace are adorned with numerous ornate fountains, including the Fountain of Tears, which moved the poet Pushkin to pen one of his most famous odes here. Entitled “Bakhchisaray Fountain,” the verse can be credited with preserving the town’s original name during the Soviet wave of re-naming streets and cities to commemorate revolutionary heroes. The then-director of the museum went to Moscow to defend Bakhchisaray’s rightful name, arguing that the poem would be rendered meaningless if the town no longer existed.
In the palace, there is a small set of rooms, which were the living quarters of the Khan’s harem of 300 women, who were not permitted to go out in public. They were reduced to amusing themselves with musical instruments and needlework (on display) and indulged in the occasional climb up the screened Falcon Tower or dip in the well-guarded pool. The palace’s intricately carved Portal of the Iron Gate has survived since 1503, and early 16th-century paintings were discovered on the walls of the Small Mosque by a restorer in 1991.
On the edge of town, the ascent to ancient Chufut-Kale passes the ancient Uspensky Monastery, set high into the sheer face of a cliff, where it has stood since the 8th century. The mountaintop cave city beyond is a wonder of human habitation that has seen steady settlement since approximately the same time as the monastery’s founding. Its extensive network of grottoes tells the stories of the cave’s inhabitants, from early Armenians, Greek Christians, and Turks to the Karaim Jews, who lived here until 150 years ago.

Yalta: The Regal South

While Yalta itself offers little more than pricey resorts, pebbly beaches with pale underdressed northerners, and a glitzy boardwalk, the surrounding area is dense with natural beauty and significant historical landmarks.
The Yalta Conference held in nearby Livadiya Palace in 1945 brought together Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin to forge a peace treaty to end the Second World War. Photos of the heads of state grace the walls, and the landscaped grounds offer cheery flowered promenades. Churchill took up residence in nearby Alupka’s Vorontsov Palace, a whimsical example of Tudor architecture with lavishly detailed interiors and extensive terraced gardens that weave down to the sea.
Perhaps the most photographed sight of southern Crimea is a boutique castle perched delicately on a promontory, giving the appearance from certain angles that it is levitating serenely atop the world. Lastivnichky Hnyzdo (“Swallow’s Nest”) was a private estate built by a German oil baron in 1912 as a gift of courtship to his love. It has now been converted into a restaurant with one of the best views on the peninsula.
Soaring up behind Yalta is one of Crimea’s highest peaks, Ai Petri at 1,233 m, where jagged limestone crests offer dizzying views over the sea and back onto rolling plateaus that are idyllic backdrops for horseback riding. The mountain is in fact an overgrown, condensed coral reef stuffed with fossils. It has looked down upon the peninsula for millions of years since it emerged from under the sea along with the rest of Crimea.
The long hike up is more comfortably mediated by a cable-car ride from the town of Mishkor, near Alupka, which traverses 3.5 km of vineyards, forest, and rocky outcrops set against a seaside panorama whose drama escalates with the climb. Nestled in the summit is a tiny Tatar settlement where food and drinks are on sale. Local horsemen sometimes ride bareback in a demonstration of equestrian finesse as old as their culture.
On the way down, take a taxi, and stop at Crimea’s highest waterfall, Uchan-Su, a delicate 98-m cascade down a steep rock face

Where to stay in Bakhchisaray

For most tourists, Bakhchisaray warrants a day’s visit to see the breathtaking cave city and regal Khan’s Palace, but the dearth of even modest accommodations had rendered it unappealing for an overnight stay. This situation has been recently rectified by the opening of Villa Bakhitgul, a new family-run inn that exudes authentic old-world charm in a luxurious setting.

Nestled halfway up the valley behind the palace, the picturesque Villa Bakhitgul is owned and run by a Tatar family that returned to Crimea from Kazakhstan 13 years ago. The gracious proprietress Bakhitgul and her husband Mustafa have built a tranquil paradise overlooking the valley bed and inimitable rock formations of the opposite slope.

This unique local establishment weds the finest in comfort with the genial hospitality of a Crimean family that is unrivalled by the other accommodations in the tourist-filled peninsula.

The inn’s main house has grand turrets and five well-appointed rooms with beautiful views and dark wood trimming. An additional pair of luxury suites is located in a small building, steps away, which also boasts a sauna.

Flowers and greenery spill over the walkways and terrace of the property, and Bakhitgul, whose name translates as “lucky flower,” constantly updates her garden with new additions to delight the eye and taste buds.

The inn offers homemade breakfasts and dinners of Tatar staples such as samsa and manti, seasoned with fresh herbs from the garden. In the summer months, meals are served outside on the patio, and the irrepressible Bakhitgul sometimes pulls out her guitar to serenade guests during leisurely evening meals.

Villa Bakhitgul is located at 20 Krasnoflotskaya St; Telelphone: +380 (65) 544-7034 or +380 (50) 174-3167.

Crimean Food

To properly experience Crimea, one must break bread at a Tatar table and taste the local specialties. The Tatar culinary palette, replete with chunky soups and stews, substantial meat pies and sumptuous baklava, is surprisingly hardy and filling.

Some of the common gastronomic delights:

Shurpa: A clear-broth soup stocked with vegetables, potatoes, and generous hunks of meat. Paired with a salad, this soup is a satisfying meal in itself.
Lahman: This hearty stew is slow-cooked to draw out the harmonious blend of its ingredients, typically vegetables, spices and noodles in a tomato base.
Chebureks: Available at all roadside stops and tourist stands at major attractions, these deep-fried pastries are stuffed with spiced ground meat with onions and pack enough zest to keep you strong through an afternoon of scaling hilltop caves.
Samsa: The baked cousin of the cheburek, samsa are lighter and resemble oversized samosas, though they typically only have a meat filling.
Manti: Similar to Russian pelmeniy, these meat-filled round dumplings are addictive!