Khan-Saray Palace - Former Capital of the Medieval...

The first big settlement on the territory of the today`s Bakhchisarai spang up in the early medieval times, this being the city of Eski-Yurt, but Bakhchisarai is considered to be founded in 1502, when Mengli 1 Girey started building a new capital of the Crimean Khanate in the Churuk-Su valley.  The city was named Bakhchisari under Sakhib 1 Girey, when the khan`s residence was moved from Salachik to the area of the today`s Khan`s Palace location. As time went by, the Crimea was more and more influenced by its powerfull southern neighbour - Turkey. A union between the Crimean Khanate and Tutkey stemmed from the 1475-year events, when Mengli 1 Girey trying to offer resistance to Turks was taken prisoner by the military expedition of Sultan Mekhmed 2 Fatikh. The Khan had been kept in captivity in Istanbul for three years and than he would recognize supremacy of Turkey over the Crimea. In the 18th century, Bakhchisarai was the biggest city in the Crimea. Thousands of traders flocked into Bakhchisarai`s marcet-places and caravanserais, five hundred workshops made all kinds of handicrafts (including skillfully adorned arms readily bought by Europe and Russia), over one hundred of fountains babbling with the water of springs, over two dozens of mosques and a number of churches (Greek, Armenian, Latin) gathered crowds of people on religious holidays. The city population was about 7,000 people.