Bakhchysarai Raion (russian: Бахчисарайский район; uk, Бахчисарайський район; crh, Bağçasaray rayonı) is one of the 25 regions of

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

, currently subject to a territorial dispute between the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. Population: The Bakhchysarai Raion is situated in the southwestern part of the peninsula. Two thirds of the raion's area is mountainous, while the northwestern part of the region is occupied by the coastal plain.

Places of interest

The raion contains a great number of historical landmarks of the ancient history and the Middle Ages history of Crimea, among which are so called cave cities

Chufut-Kale __NOTOC__ Chufut-Kale ( crh, Çufut Qale, italic=yes ; Russian and Ukrainian: Чуфут-Кале - ''Chufut-Kale''; Karaim: Кала - קלעה - ''Kala'') is a medieval city-fortress in the Crimean Mountains that now lies in ruins. It is a nati ...

Mangup , settlement_type = Historic settlement , image_skyline = Mangup Fortress2.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Ruins of the Gate of the Citadel at Mangup , pushpin_map = Crimea , pushpin_re ...

, and others. The administrative centre of the raion, Bakhchysarai, in the past was a capital of the

Crimean Khanate The Crimean Khanate ( crh, , or ), officially the Great Horde and Desht-i Kipchak () and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary ( la, Tartaria Minor), was a Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to 1783, the long ...

. In addition, the

Crimean Astrophysical Observatory The Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO, obs. code: 095) is located at Nauchnij research campus, near the Central Crimean city of Bakhchysarai, on the Crimean peninsula. CrAO is often called simply by its location and campus name, ...

is located in the town of Nauchniy. A few other important attractions located within the raion: *

Bakhchisaray Palace The Khan's Palace ( tr, Han Sarayı) or Hansaray is located in the town of Bakhchysarai, Crimea. It was built in the 16th century and became home to a succession of Crimean Khans. The walled enclosure contains a mosque, a harem, a cemetery, livi ...

* The "cave city" of Çufut Qale * The "cave city" of

Eski Kermen Eski Kermen or Eski-Kermen was a cave town and fortress in the Crimea in the south of the Ukraine. Founded by the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century to defend against the Göktürks, it was conquered by the Khazars in the 7th or 8th century. Th ...

* The "cave city" of Tepe Kermen * Uspensky Cave MonasteryBakhchisaray historical and cultural preserve.
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Footnotes and references

External links

{{Authority control Raions of Crimea