Eski Yurt
Encyclopedia
Eski Yurt — a historical settlement in South West Crimea
, presently a historical quarter in the western part of Bakhchisaray
. Its name derives from Crimean Tatar
"old settlement" or "old headquarter" and felt tent in Mongolian language.
Eski Yurt was a large, possibly urban settlement laying on an ancient trade route connecting the seaports of Chersonesos and Calamita
with the interiors of the Crimean Peninsula. The large size of the settlement may be proved by the size of its main cemetery Qırq Azizler (14th-15th centuries; now completely destroyed) which was the oldest and the largest one of all Muslim cemeteries known in the western half of the Crimea. Eski Yurt retained its significance after the rise of the Crimean Khanate
, which achieved independence from the Golden Horde
in 1441. Along with a fortified mountain stronghold named Qırq Yer and laying a mile to the east Eski Yurt might be used as the main residence of the first Crimean khans after they moved their court from Solhat
town in the eastern part of the Crimean Peninsula to the South West, where Eski Yurt is situated.
Eventually, after the new Crimean capital Bakhchisaray
had been founded in 1532, Eski Yurt lost its economic and administrative status (and apparently received its later name of "Old Settlement"; the original name remains unknown). Nevertheless, up to the beginning of the 20th century Eski Yurt was still considered by the Crimean Tatars
as one of the most important Muslim religious centers in the Crimea due to the sanctuary of Malik Ashtar which existed there.
-658
), a companion of khalif Ali Ibn Abi Talib (618-657), actually buried in Cairo
, Egypt
. Similar "maqam" attributed to Malik Ashtar is situated also in Diyarbakır
, Turkey
.
The Crimean Tatar
tales portray Malik Ashtar as a dragon fighter and the brave warrior, who was the first to spread Islam
in Crimea
. Accordingly to the legends, he was wounded to the death in a battle with giants and died in Eski Yurt. Long time after, the legends say, his grave was discovered in a miraculous way by dervishes of the Nakshbandi (or Mevlevi
) order, who established the shrine of his name. The Crimean Tatars
believed that those bitten by snakes may obtain healing visiting the Aziz of Malik Ashtar and praying there.
The shrine was surrounded by a large Muslim cemetery with hundreds of engravements arranged in common graves, underground stone vaults and in mausoleums. As narrative sources state, the cemetery was a place to bury noble people including some of the Crimean Tatar rulers from the Giray dynasty. The mosque at Aziz, besides being a common prayer house, was also used as a "tekiye" for the dervish
es who practiced their mystical rituals and prayer dances inside it.
The Muslim religious center in Eski Yurt attracted a lot of visitors and existed till 1920s when the Soviet regime closed it along with many other shrines and temples of different faithes.
, Eski Yurt village (along with practically all other Crimean towns and villages bearing non-Russian names) was renamed to "Podgorodnieje". Eventually Podgorodnieje was incorporated into the urban area of Bakhchisaray
town. The wast area of the old settlement hiding underground the ruins of medieval town was covered with living cottages while the central square of the Aziz shrine was used as a market. After the repatriation
of the Crimean Tatars
had started in the late 1980s many Crimean Tatar
activists and organizations demanded removing the market from the holy place. In 2004 a project of establishing a museum at the site of Aziz had been worked out by The Bakhchisaray Historical and Cultural Preserve. In 2006 the market had been finally moved to a new place, opening the way to the The Bakhchisaray Historical and Cultural Preserve to run their project of creating the new museum.
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, presently a historical quarter in the western part of Bakhchisaray
Bakhchisaray
Bakhchisaray is a town in Central Crimea, centre of the Bakhchisaray raion , best known as the former capital of the Crimean Khanate...
. Its name derives from Crimean Tatar
Crimean Tatar language
The Crimean Tatar language is the language of the Crimean Tatars. It is a Turkic language spoken in Crimea, Central Asia , and the Crimean Tatar diasporas in Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria...
"old settlement" or "old headquarter" and felt tent in Mongolian language.
History
In the times of the Golden HordeGolden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
Eski Yurt was a large, possibly urban settlement laying on an ancient trade route connecting the seaports of Chersonesos and Calamita
Calamita
Calamita is a large hill lying on the south-east side of the island of Elba, known for a remarkable landscape and views of Portoferraio and Monte Capanne...
with the interiors of the Crimean Peninsula. The large size of the settlement may be proved by the size of its main cemetery Qırq Azizler (14th-15th centuries; now completely destroyed) which was the oldest and the largest one of all Muslim cemeteries known in the western half of the Crimea. Eski Yurt retained its significance after the rise of the Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
, which achieved independence from the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
in 1441. Along with a fortified mountain stronghold named Qırq Yer and laying a mile to the east Eski Yurt might be used as the main residence of the first Crimean khans after they moved their court from Solhat
Staryi Krym
Staryi Krym is a small historical town in the Eastern Crimea, approximately 25 km west of Theodosia. The population of Staryi Krym in 2001 was 9,960 people.-History:...
town in the eastern part of the Crimean Peninsula to the South West, where Eski Yurt is situated.
Eventually, after the new Crimean capital Bakhchisaray
Bakhchisaray
Bakhchisaray is a town in Central Crimea, centre of the Bakhchisaray raion , best known as the former capital of the Crimean Khanate...
had been founded in 1532, Eski Yurt lost its economic and administrative status (and apparently received its later name of "Old Settlement"; the original name remains unknown). Nevertheless, up to the beginning of the 20th century Eski Yurt was still considered by the Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
as one of the most important Muslim religious centers in the Crimea due to the sanctuary of Malik Ashtar which existed there.
Aziz of Malik Ashtar in Eski Yurt
The Aziz ("sanctuary") of Malik Ashtar was located in the central part of Eski Yurt. It was a large Muslim cemetery whose main object was the "maqam" (symbolical tomb) of Malik al-Ashtar en-Nahai (618618
Year 618 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 618 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* The Sui Dynasty ends and the Tang Dynasty...
-658
658
Year 658 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 658 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* The Union of Slavic Tribes falls apart after...
), a companion of khalif Ali Ibn Abi Talib (618-657), actually buried in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Similar "maqam" attributed to Malik Ashtar is situated also in Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
The Crimean Tatar
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
tales portray Malik Ashtar as a dragon fighter and the brave warrior, who was the first to spread Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
. Accordingly to the legends, he was wounded to the death in a battle with giants and died in Eski Yurt. Long time after, the legends say, his grave was discovered in a miraculous way by dervishes of the Nakshbandi (or Mevlevi
Mevlevi
The Mevlevi Order, or the Mevlevilik or Mevleviye are a Sufi order founded in Konya by the followers of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet, Islamic jurist, and theologian. They are also known as the Whirling Dervishes due to their famous practice of whirling as a form...
) order, who established the shrine of his name. The Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
believed that those bitten by snakes may obtain healing visiting the Aziz of Malik Ashtar and praying there.
The shrine was surrounded by a large Muslim cemetery with hundreds of engravements arranged in common graves, underground stone vaults and in mausoleums. As narrative sources state, the cemetery was a place to bury noble people including some of the Crimean Tatar rulers from the Giray dynasty. The mosque at Aziz, besides being a common prayer house, was also used as a "tekiye" for the dervish
Dervish
A Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.-Etymology:The Persian word darvīsh is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian...
es who practiced their mystical rituals and prayer dances inside it.
The Muslim religious center in Eski Yurt attracted a lot of visitors and existed till 1920s when the Soviet regime closed it along with many other shrines and temples of different faithes.
The current state
In 1948, after the Deportation of Crimean TatarsDeportation of Crimean Tatars
Sürgün refers to the state-organized forcible deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944 to Uzbek SSR and other parts of the Soviet Union...
, Eski Yurt village (along with practically all other Crimean towns and villages bearing non-Russian names) was renamed to "Podgorodnieje". Eventually Podgorodnieje was incorporated into the urban area of Bakhchisaray
Bakhchisaray
Bakhchisaray is a town in Central Crimea, centre of the Bakhchisaray raion , best known as the former capital of the Crimean Khanate...
town. The wast area of the old settlement hiding underground the ruins of medieval town was covered with living cottages while the central square of the Aziz shrine was used as a market. After the repatriation
Repatriation
Repatriation is the process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
of the Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
had started in the late 1980s many Crimean Tatar
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
activists and organizations demanded removing the market from the holy place. In 2004 a project of establishing a museum at the site of Aziz had been worked out by The Bakhchisaray Historical and Cultural Preserve. In 2006 the market had been finally moved to a new place, opening the way to the The Bakhchisaray Historical and Cultural Preserve to run their project of creating the new museum.
Remaining historical buildings
- Mausoleum of Bey Yude Sultan, the mother of Muhammed Şah Bey (14th-15th centuries).
- Mausoleum of Ahmed Bey (a building of the 14th or 15th century, called after the name from a gravestone found by its walls).
- Mausoleum of Mehmed Bey (16th century).
- Mausoleum of Mehmed II Giray - a family shrine of the Crimean Tatar ruling dynasty. According to narrative sources, three Crimean khans were buried inside it: Mehmed II Giray (died 1584), Saadet II Giray (died 1588), Mehmed III Giray (died 1629).
- A smaller minaretMinaretA minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
, often mistakenly called a minbarMinbarA minbar is a pulpit in the mosque where the imam stands to deliver sermons or in the Hussainia where the speaker sits and lectures the congregation...
(15th-17th centuries).
Links
- O. Haiworonski, "An Overview of the Mediaeval Crimean Tatar Settlement of Eski Yurt", EJOS, VII (2005), No. 1, 1-11.
- Website by Oleksa Haiworonski on the Vanished Town of Eski Yurt - in Russian; including the full library of [scarce] sources' mentions on Eski Yurt.