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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
The Gaza Mansur dervish Cemetery and Tekeye is one of the not particularly remarkable attractions near Bakhchisarai, which most tourists usually miss. Indeed, there is not much to see here, and after a walk through the ruins of the cave city of chufut-Kale hardly anything here will surprise. Only the outlines of the foundation remained from the tekiye of the dervishes, and from the Muslim cemetery - only randomly scattered and mostly damaged tombstones, there are about 35 of them. But if you have already looked at everything in Bakhchisarai or are just interested in this place, then you can look here for a few minutes.
If you suddenly don't know, then tekiye is a temple building (Sufi monastery) of wandering Muslim dervishes, adherents of Sufism, that is, the direction of Islam, in which the main thing is spiritual perfection and approach to God. They are known for their spiritual practices, including dancing and other rituals, and are often seen as Muslim monks.
The cemetery and the cemetery belong to the period from the first quarter of the XV to the first half of the XIX century. Gazi Mansur is a revered Muslim saint, whose name is associated with the foundation of the eponymous tekie. The architectural complex "Gaza-Mansur" had a rectangular shape, stretched from west to east, and was surrounded by a stone fence. There were two entrances to the territory: the western one, complemented by an arch and a staircase, and the eastern one. In the northern part there was an artificial terrace, where key objects were located: a well, a cemetery, the ruins of tekie and the caretaker's house.
The ruins of tekie occupied the central part of the terrace. A prayer niche — mihrab has been preserved in the southern wall, and in the northeast corner, fenced with a wooden fence, there were three stone tombstones: Gazi Mansur Sultan, Sheikhs Khalil and Ramadan.
About 35 stone tombstones and their fragments have survived in the cemetery, which are divided into four types. The most ancient are "one—horned" and "two-horned". The later ones are steles with a trapezoidal base, topped with a stylized headdress. Some are decorated with inscriptions in the Old Ottoman language and carved ornaments in the form of a Seljuk knot. There are also simple stone slabs.
🕐 Working hours
Around the clock.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
Free of charge.
🚶 How to get there
The Muslim cemetery and the dervish community "Gaza Mansur" is located 3 kilometers from the center of the old town of Bakhchisarai (Gazy Mansur on the map). You can get directly to it only on foot, the nearest parking lot is one and a half kilometers away. This is a parking lot where people come to visit the monastery and the cave town of Chufut-Kale. You can get to it by your own transport, by taxi from 100 rubles or by city bus no.2. Read more about how and how to get to Chufut-Kale in our separate instructions here.
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Balaklava with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites: