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Pictures of Bakhchisaray, Crimea

The Bakhchisaray region has one of the highest concentrations of historical sites of all of Crimea. Bakhchisaray is an ancient town half-way between Simferopol and Sevastopol and has a train station, making it accessible from any city in Ukraine (or Russia, etc.) that has a train connection to Sevastopol.

Bakhchisaray's old town has a palace (see below) and several ancient Muslim mosques. Nearby is an ancient cliff monastery and one of Crimea's best-preserved "cave towns" (see below). Bakhchisaray is also a starting-off point for hikers and mountain bikers and has a large tourist lodge ("turbaza") next to the old town. I do not know of any hotels or private inns in Bakhchisaray, but maybe I just haven't seen them.

The area around Bakhchisaray includes many scenic canyon and a number of ancient towns and fortresses on the hilltops. You can view more "cave towns" here.

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Bakhchisaray

The Khan's Palace Attraction number one in Bakhchisaray.	Built by the Crimean khan in the 15th century, the palace is a monument of eastern middle-age architecture.	The Khans ruled much of Crimea for several centuries but left few material traces, being largely nomadic.	Bikers resting inside the palace courtyard
There is an ancient cemetary here as well.	Outside of the historic part of town, there's not too much of interest in Bakhchisary — just panel buildings and a Lenin statue on the central square.	Svyato-Uspenksyy Monastery Not far from the Khan's Palace is an ancient Russian Orthodox monastery built into the cliff. It was reactivated in 1993 and now houses a men's monastery.	The monastery was founded at the end of the 8th century by Byzantine icon worshipers fleeing religious persecution.
Chufut-Kale Walking further into the mountains, one comes to the mesa o Chufut-Kale, one of so-called "cave towns."	The town was founded in the VI century AD, and the last inhabitants (members of the Jewish Karaim sect) left in the mid 1800s.	Around the edge of the mesa where Chufut-kale was built are caves dug out of the soft limestone. These caves were a critical part of the settlement's defense system.	View from the top of the plateau. The entrance to Chufut-Kale is locked up at night, so come during the daytime for a small entrance fee.
Acacia on the plateau inside "city limits," at 500 m above sea level	The same acacia several weeks later	Below the fortress is the bleak, destitute looking settlement. I don't have a clue what these people do for a living here.	Next to the plateau, hidden in the forest, is an ancient "Dervish" cemetary, here with a dusting of snow.
Cave towns Limestone mesas upon which city-fortresses where built. Builders took advantage of abundant caves, and, because the caves are the most visible remains, they are now known as the "cave cities" or "cave towns."

Around Bakhchisaray

Wide open farmland near Bakhchisaray	Wheat is the dominant grain cultivated in this region	Tractor working the field in the spring	Close-up of the tractor
This farm bears Lenin's name.	Entering Tankovoe, where the mountains begin	Farmland and cliffs near Tankovoe	A WWII monument on the road through Aromat. Many serious battles were fought in these mountains.
A "House of Culture" community building in Aromat or Plotinnoe village	Horses near Aromat village	People lived in and around caves in the cliffs.	More cliffs next to the road
Kachi-Kalyon, site of a midieval settlement and monastery	There are a lot of these side canyons off the main roads. They make for nice mountain biking.	Speaking of bikes, here's a biker pushing his up to a reservoir.	This reservoir provides drinking water to nearby settlements.
This area of Crimea is forested with oaks and other deciduous trees.	Despite the green appearance, water is scarce here during the summer.	Later in the summer, the reservoirs level has dropped quite a bit.	Clouds reflect off the lake surface.
A 'poetic' bit of driftwood	Geese	Sheep passing by the reservoir

All photos are the original work of Rick DeLong. To learn about purchasing originals, go here. Please contact me at before using my pictures for any purpose.