Sights of Yevpatoria

Evpatoria is a very ancient city. The history of the city of Kerkinitida on the site of modern Yevpatoria began more than 2500 years ago! In the Middle Ages, the city was renamed Gozlev, and it is from medieval history that the greatest number of historical and cultural attractions have been preserved, mainly on the territory of the Old Town. There are remains of the fortress wall (Gozlev gate), unique cult monuments "Karaite Kenas" and "Tekie dervishes", several mosques, a synagogue, Christian churches. To explore the historical sights of the Old City, the tourist route "Little Jerusalem" is offered, which can be taken independently or with a tour.

There are several interesting museums in Yevpatoria: the Museum of local lore, the Museum of the history of the Crimean War, the entertainment museum "Pirates of the Black Sea" and several other small museums. Near the city there is a museum "Kara-Tobe" on the site of excavations of an ancient settlement formed in the 4th century BC.

There are not many natural attractions in Yevpatoria. The places here are steppe, there are few beauties, but you should definitely visit at least one of the salt lakes with therapeutic mud: Moinak, Saka or Sasyk-Sivash.

If the sights of Yevpatoria are not enough for you, then organized group excursions to other attractions of the Crimea are offered on the streets of distributors and travel agencies.

Here is a complete list of attractions in Yevpatoria, indicating the cost, opening hours and how to get to them:

Little Jerusalem

The Old Town of Evpatoria, formed by the former fortress town of Gezlev, was named "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.

You can walk along the route yourself, just arm yourself with a map and a description of the sights. 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. Learn more about the route "Little Jerusalem" here.

Local History Museum of Yevpatoria

This is the place from which you should start acquaintance with Evpatoria, if you are at least a little interested in the history and culture of this place. In addition, there is a museum on a walking alley near the beach, so it is almost impossible to miss it.

The museum fund includes more than 99 thousand exhibits, including many archaeological finds, coins, costumes, weapons, photographs and documents. In general, there is everything here to help understand the nature, history and culture of the city and region. In addition, the museum building houses a diorama "landing of the Yevpatoria landing on January 5, 1942", dedicated to the feat of the Black Sea sailors. The area of the diorama canvas is 140sq. m.

And yet, right opposite the entrance to the museum under the glass pyramid is part of the ancient settlement of Kerkinitida, and you can see it for free. Learn more about the Local History Museum of Yevpatoria here.

Museum of the history of the Crimean War

This museum is a branch of the Local History Museum of Yevpatoria, and is dedicated to the events of the war of 1853-1856 in the eastern part of the peninsula. The museum is small and consists of only two halls, but according to some tourists it is even more interesting and modern than the main museum. Indeed, in addition to traditional exhibits in the form of weapons, cannons, documents, etc., multimedia "guides" are presented here, due to which it is very interesting to visit it. In addition, an excursion is held every half hour.

Pirates of the Black Sea Museum

This is the most unusual museum in Yevpatoria, dedicated to the history of piracy on the Black Sea. His visit will be especially interesting for children. It's a private museum.

The main exposition is located in the basement of the house (now the library building), where there used to be wine cellars. The main part of the exhibits are antique items from sunken ships raised from the bottom of the sea by private collectors. Among them are pistols and guns, bullets and cannonballs, cannons and cold weapons, navigation tools, coins and more. There are more than 200 exhibits. Two rooms recreate the cabins of a common sailor and the treasurer of a pirate ship. In general, the museum is small and occupies only three rooms, but with a guide, 30 minutes of excursions fly by unnoticed and interesting. During the tour they tell about the history of piracy on the Black Sea, the life of Pirates, the use of weapons and so on.

The museum also hosts master classes on making bullets, pirate amulets, knitting sea knots.

Wine museum

In fact, this is not a real museum, but only a shop and a tasting room. But its interior is made in the form of a wine cellar and "decorated" with a small exhibition about the history of winemaking and modern wine production in Yevpatoria. Of course, you can not greatly expand your horizons here, but you can taste the wine and if you liked it, buy it. The product range is mainly economy class, prices are low. This is one of the few places in the city where you can taste real factory wines, and not fakes.

Museum-pharmacy

This museum can not be attributed to the place that must be visited, but if you walk in the area of the Old Town, you can go to this unusual operating Pharmacy-Museum. Yes, the pharmacy really works, and here you can buy medicines, and at the same time see several old exhibits. But this place is famous not for its few exhibits, but for the fact that the old building was built in 1897 by pharmacist A. I. Roffe on the site of another, the oldest pharmacy in Crimea, founded in 1823.

Museum-post office

Very close to the museum-pharmacy is another post Museum, and it is also located in the current post office No. 14. a small exposition is devoted to the history of postal communication "from the messenger to the Internet", as the mosaic loudly declares – one of the exhibits of the museum. Among the exhibits there are some really unique, in particular: ancient and very accurate postal scales, a postcard from 1914, etc. Also from here you can send a postcard to your home or family as a souvenir.

Kara-Tobe Museum

Kara-Tobe is a museum of the ancient Greek-Scythian settlement and a place of active archaeological excavations. Located not in the city itself, but on the way from Yevpatoria on the outskirts of the city Saki.

Excavations indicate that the first Greek settlement on this site arose in the 4th century BC and was called Eupatorion. In total, the settlement survived six periods: Greek, Scythian, Greco-Pontic, second Scythian, third Scythian and fourth Scythian. All these periods ended in the early 2nd century AD, when the settlement was abandoned for centuries. People returned to him only after the Great Patriotic War, when the military erected an observation post and a communications center on the hill (Kara-Tobe translates as "Black Hill").… However, you can learn in detail the whole history of this place during a visit to the museum. Learn more about the museum "Kara-Tobe" and photos here.

Memorial monument "Krasnaya Gorka"

The memorial monument "Krasnaya Gorka" is perhaps the most memorable and saddest place in Yevpatoria. At least 12,560 civilians were shot at this place during the Great Patriotic War. Yevpatoria was one of the first cities captured by the Nazis in the Crimea, and they began brutal reprisals against local residents in November 1941. The bodies of the executed were dumped into an anti-tank ditch. Executions continued until the spring of 1944, when the city was liberated by the Red Army.

Today, this place has become the venue for the victory parade, and, of course, is visited by tourists. The territory of the complex is quite large, there are monuments and eternal flame, information stands about those terrible events and the feat of the inhabitants of Yevpatoria, several units of military equipment.

It can not be said that visiting "Krasnaya Gorki" will appeal to most tourists, but to come here and honor the memory of the Dead will not hurt anyone. In addition, this is one of the few places in the center of Yevpatoria, where you can just quietly walk with children. In the evenings, the complex is very beautifully illuminated. Learn more about the monument "Krasnaya Gorka" here.

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.

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.

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 to 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.

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.

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 appropriately there and not forget that this is not only a historical object, but also a functioning 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.

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.

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 Nikogayos is included in the tourist route "Little Jerusalem", and it is recommended to visit with a guide.

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, old 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.

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.

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.

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".

Monument to the plumber "giving life"

There are a lot of monuments in Yevpatoria, including famous people. But the monument to the plumber is one of the most unusual.

In total, there are hardly a dozen monuments dedicated to plumbers in Russia, and there are only a few that are presented in the form of a full-length plumber. One of these is just in Yevpatoria. And at the time of the actual ownership of the peninsula to Ukraine, it was the only such monument in the country. As soon as he appeared, he immediately became the subject of jokes and ridicule, since the half-naked muscular torso of a bronze plumber is directly opposite the windows of the women's clinic building. The name of the monument "to The Giver of life" in this context sounds very funny.

Sasyk-Sivash Lake

Sasyk-Sivash Lake it can be interesting for tourists for three reasons. The first is the largest lake in the Crimea and one of the most picturesque. In good weather, you can see a beautiful pink shade in its waters, so tourists often come here to see and photograph a wonderful fantastic landscape. Another reason is that you can swim in the lake. It is so salty that it is impossible to drown in it, and due to the shallow depth it warms up very well, and you can swim comfortably in it in mid-May. And finally, the third reason to come to the lake – its healing black mud. And although experts do not recommend taking mud procedures on their own, here you can often see vacationers smeared with soot-black mud. If you also decide to try self-medication, at least read the article "Therapeutic mud of the Crimea". Read more about Lake Sasyk-Sivash here.

Moynak Lake

Another lake with therapeutic mud is located on the outskirts of Yevpatoria-Moinakskoye or simply Moinaki. It was thanks to him that Evpatoria gained fame as a balneological hospital and began to develop as a resort. The therapeutic mud of Moynak was so effective that even the Germans during World War II exported it in large quantities to their hospitals. But, unfortunately, today the healing effect has greatly decreased due to desalination of water as a result of human action, as well as for natural reasons (fresh Springs). Black mud ceased to be used as a treatment, the mud clinic was closed. Locals and tourists still believe in the healing properties of mud and use it for self-treatment, and perhaps it really has some effect.

In the high season, the lake is visited by a large number of vacationers, getting silt from the bottom and smearing the body. Those who do not self-medicate, just walk around the lake or on it, because its depth is very small and you can cross it to the waist in the water. By the way, the water here is very warm. Conveniently, across the street is the beach and the sea, and after the procedures you can wash off very salty water in the sea or in the shower on the beach.

Saka Lake

Among all the lakes in the vicinity of Evpatoria, Sakskoye is the most "therapeutic". Its black healing mud mud is officially considered curative, and even more effective than the mud of the world-famous Dead Sea. On the shores of the city of Saki, to which the lake belongs, there are several mud baths with qualified medical personnel who use this gift of nature for therapeutic and recreational purposes.

Of course, it is best to take mud procedures under the supervision of the staff of mud clinics, but, despite the recommendations of specialists to refrain from self-medication, local residents and tourists constantly visit the shores of Lake Saka for mud procedures. Indeed, you can take advantage of the riches of the lake for free, despite the warning signs about the presence of snakes and the Prohibition of swimming. Learn more about Lake Saki here.