On the western coast of the Crimean Peninsula there is a city, the age of which exceeds 2500 years. Evpatoria — and we are talking about it — originally bore the name Kerkinitida, given to it by the founders-Greeks.
Destroyed in the III century AD after the invasion of the warlike Scythians, Kerkinitida was reborn again in the times of the Crimean Khanate, but already under the name of Gezlev. Preserved to this day the name of the city acquired in 1784, after the annexation of the Crimea to the Russian Empire.
The rich past has left a special imprint on the image of Evpatoria. Its center and sanatorium-resort zone abound with hotels, and the eastern district of the Old Town keeps the charm of times gone by. Walking along the ancient sidewalk in the heart of the city, it is easy to turn into a researcher, penetrating into the mysteries of another era. Bizarre frescoes on the walls and ancient facades create a fantastic feeling of unity with the past.
One of the most striking sights of the city is the majestic Gezlev Gate. The three-storey monument of the Middle Ages is only a part of the once grandiose defense complex. Inside the gate there is a cozy coffee house, where you can enjoy a cup of fragrant oriental drink.
In the old part of the city you will not meet comfort inn hotels and other modern buildings — here every architectural structure keeps the secrets of the past centuries. Behind the high gates and unremarkable facade hides Tekiye Dervish. This is the only monument of Sufism, preserved on the territory of the Crimea to this day. A lot of discoveries await guests who look into the Karaite kenasses located nearby. This religious complex in the XVIII century was founded by the Karaites — an ancient people, small descendants of which today live in Evpatoria.
A hundred meters from the seafront is a mosque Juma-Jami, built in the XVI century. Next to the mosque is a beautiful Orthodox St. Elias Church and St. Nicholas Cathedral. Under the churches and houses of the old part of the city branch kiryazy — an underground network of ancient tunnels, shrouded in legends.
Yevpatoria has something to see. Numerous monuments, excavations Kerkinitida, museums and natural attractions magnetically attract tourists arriving from near and far abroad. And if in summer numerous guests flock to the city to bask on the beaches with marvelous golden sand, in winter Evpatoria is visited mainly by connoisseurs of historical and cultural heritage.