Tourist route Little Jerusalem in Yevpatoria

Evpatoria is a very ancient city. Its history began more than 2500 years ago with the appearance of the Greek city of Kerkinitida on the site of modern Evpatoria. But the Greek city did not last long, and first it became dependent on the Chersonese state, then it was conquered by the Scythians, and in the 4th century AD it was almost completely destroyed. For many hundreds of years the city did not exist, and only in the Middle Ages, presumably in the 15th century, the city of the Crimean Khanate was founded here, called Kezlev (translated as "spring"). The Turks called Gord Gozlev, and the Russians called Kozlov.

It was from the time of Gozlev that the Old Town was preserved-the largest and most interesting historical landmark of Yevpatoria. This area was formed within the once-existing fortress of Gozlev, from which nothing has survived to this day, except for the only eastern gate (Gozlev gate). But there are many interesting historical monuments, ancient temples and mosques.

Today, this area (the Old City) is called "Little Jerusalem". Especially for tourists, a pedestrian tourist route with the same name was developed here. It is even included in the list of tourist routes recommended for visiting, the World Organization "UNESCO". It includes temples of seven religious denominations, various architectural monuments and historical sites, many of which are unique.

Main attractions included in the route:

• Karaite Kenas
• Yegiye-Kapai Synagogue
• Eastern Gozlev gate
• Gospel of the dervishes
• Armenian Church of St. Nicholas
• Juma Jami Mosque (Khan Jami)
• St. Nicholas Cathedral
• Temple of the Holy Prophet Elijah
• Merchant synagogue
• Turkish baths
• Tahtali-Jami Mosque
• Duvan's House
• And of course the architecture and atmosphere of the oldest city

You can walk along the route yourself, just arm yourself with a map and a description of the sights. Our map of Evpatoria attractions and the "Little Jerusalem" route optionwill also help you with this. Some of the attractions along the route are available for a fee, some can be viewed for free. It is best to allocate only one day for an independent route to see everything slowly, and at the same time combine sightseeing with buying souvenirs on the stalls along Karaimskaya street, sit in the cafe of Jewish cuisine "Yoskin Kot" at the Egiya-Kapai synagogue, or try Tatar cuisine in the ethno-cafe in the building of the eastern gate.

But it is much more interesting and informative to walk along the route accompanied by an individual guide or as part of an organized tourist group. During the tour you will learn a lot from the history of the city and individual attractions, and of course visit all the interesting places along the route.

Walking tours can be purchased on the streets from distributors, travel agencies. Also, excursions can be purchased directly from the organizers in the building of the eastern Gozlev gate or "Odun-Bazaar kapusu". The cost of the tour is on average 450 rubles, for children – 350.

You can get to the Old Town from the tourist area of Yevpatoria on foot in 15-20 minutes. Directly to the place of the beginning of the tour, Gozlevsky gate, you can take tram number 1 (then 5 minutes on foot), or by bus number 1, 6, 17 to the stop directly at the gate.

And now a little more about each of the attractions on the route:

Karaite Kenas

Karaite Kenas is one of the most interesting and large-scale sights of Yevpatoria, a unique monument of culture, religion and history of the Karaite people in the whole world. Karaites are adherents of karaism, a special branch of Judaism based on the Tanakh (Old Testament). In Soviet times, adherents of this religion were even classified as a separate nationality – Karaites, although there was no nationality as such. Today there are only about 2000 Karaites left in the world, mostly they live in Russia and the CIS countries, and most of all in the Crimea and Yevpatoria.

The complex of Karaite Kenas is an architectural monument of the 18th century. There are several courtyards for various purposes that tell about the life of the people: grape, marble, prayer hall, ritual, Memorial, farmstead. You can learn about the religion of the Karaites in the Karaite temple and religious school, and about the origin of the people in the Ethnographic Museum. In the cafe working at the complex you can taste the original Karaite cuisine.

A visit to Kenas should be included in your program of stay in Yevpatoria, but keep in mind that without an excursion it will be completely uninteresting and uninformative to visit the complex. The tour lasts 40 minutes, is held according to the schedule at a certain time. Learn more about Karaite Kenas here.

Yegiya-Kapai Synagogue

It is a functioning synagogue and at the same time a religious monument of history and culture. There is also a Jewish cultural and ethnographic center with handicraft production, and nearby there is a cafe-museum "Yoskin Kot". The synagogue can be visited both with a tour of Little Jerusalem, and with an independent walk. You can go into the courtyard and even inside the synagogue, it is not forbidden. But you should behave there appropriately and not forget that this is not only a historical object, but also an active religious object.

A synagogue was built in 1911, but under Soviet rule, like many other religious sites, in 1930 it was closed and used as a warehouse. During the war, the Germans kept horses here. It was returned to believers only in 2003. A lot of interesting things about the history of the synagogue are told during a tour of Little Jerusalem, and a visit on your own may not be very interesting. But if you are here, be sure to visit the cafe "Yoskin-cat". It is very tasty and inexpensive to feed, of course kosher food. Read more about the Yegiya-Kapai synagogue and photos here.

Gozlev gate

Gozlev gate in the 15th century served as the eastern entrance of the fortress wall of the city of Gozlev (Kezlev). They are also known as the gates of the wood Bazaar (Odun-kapusu Bazaar), because just outside the gate there was a bazaar where firewood was sold, which was rare in the local Steppe area. This is the only surviving of the five fortress city gates.

Today there is a museum (cultural center) and an ethno-cafe of Tatar cuisine with a coffee shop. On the ground floor is part of an intact wall and the foundation of an ancient gate. On the second and third floors there is an exposition of women's jewelry of the past centuries, ancient fittings, and the most interesting exhibit of the museum is a model of the city of Gozlev of the 15th century accompanied by a light and sound show.

A visit to the coffee shop and ethno-cafe is available at any time, a visit to the museum is possible only with a tour that starts at a certain time on the schedule. The excursion route "Little Jerusalem" is also offered here. Learn more about the gezlevskie gate here.

Gospel of the dervishes

The complex "Tekie Dervishes" is another attraction along with Karaite Kenas, which is worth a visit in Yevpatoria. The basis of the attraction is an ancient Muslim Monastery of the 18th century, where dervishes, Muslim monks, adherents of Sufism and an ascetic lifestyle lived and performed their traditional rituals. It is believed that the structure of tekiye was built around the 11th century, and the temple became a monastery of the mysterious Order of dervishes in the 18th century.

Today the complex is open to tourists as a historical and cultural attraction. On the territory there are the temple of the dervishes, the ruins of the Juma-Jami Mosque, the former building of the madrasa with the Museum of ethnography of the Crimean Tatars, the consecrated spring. All of them are visited within the framework of one ticket/excursion, nothing extra is paid. During the visit, the guides talk about the history of the dervishes and their teachings, and if you are lucky, you can see a unique show of dervishes, when the monks (or actors who impersonate them) spin in a ritual dance. True, the show does not always take place, and to get to it, it is better to specify in advance by phone when it takes place.

You can visit and explore the Dervish village with an excursion escort of 30 minutes, which begins several times a day according to the schedule. In addition to a simple excursion, a musical and theatrical performance (dervish show), a city tour+tekiye, a city tour+Little Jerusalem+tekiye, etc. are offered. Read more about Tekie dervish kenasa here.

St. Nicholas Armenian Church

The Armenian Church of St. Nicholas (Surb Nikogayos) was founded in 1817. It was built for a long time, almost 40 years, due to lack of funds. It is interesting for its architecture in the traditions of mixed Armenian and Russian classicism. Unfortunately, the original architecture has survived little, but the main features remain. In the 80s of the last century, the church was almost destroyed, but the temple survived and recently underwent a serious reconstruction. Today it looks like new, but some historical elements still managed to be preserved. Surb Nikogaios is included in the tourist route "Little Jerusalem", and it is recommended to visit with a guide.

Juma Jami Mosque (Khan Jami)

This is the main mosque in Yevpatoria and at the same time a monument of cultural heritage of federal significance. Its construction began in 1552, when the city was part of the Ottoman Empire and was called Gozlev (Gozlev). For many years, the mosque was used for its intended purpose, but even in Soviet times it was not closed and left only as a cultural monument. In 1985, the building was completely restored and again handed over to the faithful, and today it is a functioning religious object.

For tourists, this place is primarily interesting from a historical and cultural point of view. The mosque can be visited, and you can get not only into the courtyard, but also inside the mosque itself, everywhere you can take pictures. At a certain time or when a sufficient number of people gather, a free excursion is held, during which they tell about the history of the monument, about the foundations of the Islamic religion and faith, the history of the Crimean Khanate. Also, a visit to the mosque is included in sightseeing tours accompanied by a professional guide.

The mosque is functioning, and when visiting it, you should adhere to strict rules: do not make noise and do not swear, be dressed appropriately. If you are not dressed according to the rules, at the entrance you will be offered to dress in robes and hijabs. Learn more about the Juma Jami Mosque here.

St. Nicholas Cathedral

St. Nicholas Cathedral is the second largest and largest church in the Crimea, it can accommodate up to 2000 people. The construction of the cathedral was started in 1893, but due to lack of money it was opened only in 1899. Dengin construction was collected for two years, a considerable amount was allocated by Emperor Alexander III. In Soviet times, the cathedral was used for other purposes, and even almost was blown up during the Great Patriotic War. But the order to destroy the temple did not have time to execute, and surprisingly, the Germans who captured the city saved him.

The cathedral is a unique monument of temple architecture, and is open to the public not only as a religious building, but also as an architectural landmark. From above, the structure is an octagon, inside there are three Thrones: the central one is in the name of St. Nicholas of Myra, to the right of it is the throne of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky. The left small throne is dedicated to the Apostle James Zebedee.

Temple of the Holy Prophet Elijah

This is a functioning Christian church, built in the period from 1911 to 1916 on the initiative and with the money of the Greek diaspora of Yevpatoria. Like most religious sites, during the years of Soviet rule, the temple was not used for its intended purpose, namely, a gym worked here.

For tourists, the temple is interesting as one of the significant architectural attractions.

Merchant synagogue

The merchant synagogue is located next to the Gozlevsky (eastern) gate, and, frankly, now it can only be called a landmark with a big stretch. It was once the city's main synagogue, but today its buildings are a rather sad sight. Ego was rebuilt many times during the years of Soviet power, when it was used as a warehouse building of the brewery, and at the moment almost nothing remains of the original temple building, and the first floor is generally used as an electrical substation. Nevertheless, this place is historically significant and its reconstruction is planned. Today, the synagogue can be viewed while walking around Little Jerusalem and when inspecting the eastern gate.

Turkish baths

In the old town of Evpatoria there are ruins of two Turkish baths, one of which (on Karaimskaya street) dates back to the distant 15th century. It worked for five centuries, but during the Second World War in 1942, a shell hit it, destroying one of the domes. At the end of the war, it was not restored, and the premises became a residential building. Over time, the area around the Bath became a private territory, the courtyard of a residential building, and today you can see its ruins only from the street through the fence. Although, if you have the courage, you can ask the owners to let you in and conduct a tour, but they can refuse this.

The remains of another Turkish bath are located on the street. This bathhouse operated until almost the end of the 20th century, and was closed for restoration in the late 1980s, and was never opened. Today, you can find out a historical monument in an old dilapidated building only by an information plate.

Both baths can be viewed during a walk through the Old City or the tourist route of Little Jerusalem, but you probably should not go here specifically for them. Learn more about Turkish baths here.

Tahtali-Jami Mosque

Takhtali-Jami means "wooden mosque". Indeed, this mosque will not impress you with architectural delights, it is very simple both from the outside and from the inside, and at first glance most tourists will not even determine that this is a mosque. It is interesting that it was built in the 19th century, and now it is located in the courtyard of a private house. Access inside is possible only with the permission of the owners of the House.

Duvan's House

Duvan's House is an architectural landmark, one of the most beautiful. This house was built by an outstanding figure, mayor and philanthropist, Semyon Ezrovich Duvan in 1908. It was thanks to him that Evpatoria from a simple provincial town became a resort city.

The house was built only two years, from 1906 to 1908. Made in Art Nouveau style. After the delivery of the house, his apartments were rented out, as, however, happens today. At the moment, this is an ordinary apartment building, and you can even rent an apartment and live in it during your vacation. As a tourist attraction, the House of Duvan can be viewed from the outside during a walk through the "Little Jerusalem".