Our second day in Crimea comprised our day-trip to Bakhchisaray; the center of the Crimean Tatars. Arun was mostly interested in seeing the Old Fort; and we realized the most affordable way of going would be to join a Russian Tour Group. Only problem, of course, was that our lovely tour guide prattled for an hour and half in Russian while we sat uncomprehendingly. We were relieved to finally get out of the van until Arun realized, much to his dismay that we were let off at the foot of the mountains! In order to see the remants of the Old Turkish Fort we had to hike for about an hour and half to the pinnacle!
It was easy to get over it, because it was a gorgeous day, and of course incredibly scenic.
Here I am at the top!
Here I am at the top!
On the route back down the mountains we ran into this amazing monastery, carved into the cliffs. It's called the Uspensky Cave Monastery and was founded by Byzantine Monks from 7th-9th centuries.
We were then taken to the 16th Century Khan Palace: The property is maintained by Turkey in conjunction with Ukraine. The king fell in love with one of the Polish girls from his harem and married her. When she died, he was so distraught that he commissioned a fountain that would forever 'weep' as he had. (And yes, Arun bought a Turkish hat)
So that's the end of the second day! One last installment of our Crimea trip!
Who were running the monastry? Did they have Buddhits in that region?
ReplyDeleteBaba
Good question...
ReplyDeleteThey were Byzantine Christian monks. (At the time, the Roman Empire had spread as far east as Crimea) They kept the monastery, w(hich is actually dedicated to Mary) running even under the Tatars. However, when the Soviets came into power, the monastery fell into disrepair. About 20 years ago, the Monks moved back.