Yevpatoria — small Jerusalem

This one track tram is the proud of the city of Yevpatoria. There is no more such trams in the crimea and, perhaps anywhere else! Here we have four routes including “fairy” but rather real “tram of wishes”! On this sightseeing route the guide will tell you interesting things from 2500 years’ history of yevpatoria(its previous names are Kerkinitida and Gezlev) . The route goes along new micro districts, near moynaki lake-estuary, by the boundary of the resort zone, near the famous buildings and also by the quay and historic center of the old part of the city. Sightseeing tour by the tram, one of the city sights, will make you know about yevpatoria better. We have today the outing in this south-ukrainian town with mrs olga kozoriz, the chief of the department of health resort and tourism of the city of Yevpatoria.

The old part of the city

Currently the Crimea enjoys its ended summer’s season. Today our tourists-photographers have the walks around the medieval part of Yevpatoria. The small excursion allows to see twelve monuments of architecture including  religious buildings. The gathering of a big number of  ancient monuments to different religions in one city became the reason to create the second name of  the city — “small Jerusalem”.

Mrs Kozoriz, what would you recommend me to see in the first place?

Yevpatoria is a curative city, city-worker. People of different nationalities and believes always live in peace here. Minarets of Khan-Jami Mosque prick to the sky in the old part of the city at Revolutsyiy Street. The Crimean khans were presented to the people in the Mosque. There is an Orthodox St. Mykolay Cathedral at the same street 100 meters far from the mosque. It was restored at the end of the XX century. Cathedral kenasa is not far from here. It is a religious establishment of Karaite. Karaite is one of the native and the smallest nationality of the Crimea. Near it, at the former Odun-bazar square, there is a monastery (tekiye) of dervishes –a unique architectural ensemble of the XVI century, the only monument in the Crimea, representing Sufi direction in Islam. There are other historical monuments: an Armenian church of the XIX century, an operating synagogue, a Greek church, named after St prophet Illya. All these are at the small territory of more than 1,5 sq. km. By the number of religious establishments Yevpatoria stands behind only the city of Jerusalem! Aware people say that this place has a special aura. You can always feel yourself greatly here.

Yevpatoria is very old. I’d like to see the Greek settlement of Kerkinitida.

O, yes. This is possible. In the IV century B.C. at the place of modern Yevpatoria Greek colonists founded Kerkinitida city state. The part of excavations you can see at the territory of the sanatorium of the Ministry of Defense, at the quay, in front of the entrance to the regional museum has been laid up. At the museum, the building of Moorish style, you can see discoveries of archeologists: arms and sculptures. Lapidariy –a collection of stone statues is also here. The ancient settlement “Chaika” is situated in Zaozernе village, just 7 km to the West of Yevpatoria. Excavation has been conducting here for  many years  since 1959.

When was it built?

Ancient Greek settlement appeared in the V — beginning of the  IV century B.C. This was the fortified agricultural farmstead. Inhabitants of neighbor settlements brought grain, fish and salt to sell it at trading station. During excavations two antique masterpieces were discovered together with amphora with the grain, charred in the fire, lanterns and ceramics. The masterpieces are: a bronze statue of horse riding Amazon — one of the masterpieces of a famous antique sculptor of the second half of the IV century B.C., Lysippos, a court artist of Alexander the Great Macedonian  and another one is  lime-stone relief with the representation of resting Herculean. A copy of the statue of Amazone  is in the Yevpatorian regional museum.

How can I get to the Yevpatoria’s catacombs?

Underground galleries (kyarizy), incused in yellow porous shell rocks stretch for many kilometers under the city of Yevpatoria. These tunnels and galleries during hundreds of years were created by the labor of stone cutters, getting stones in underground rocks for the fortresses’ construction of the ancient Kerkinitida and the medieval Gezlev. Many narrow, curved ways and crosses created the whole underground city- a labyrinth. The indestructible rocks, intricate ways, turned into inaccessible underground fortress look like it was specially founded for protection or rescue from enemies.

Dolphin therapy and the sun

This territory is almost subtropical. The south-western part of the Crimea is influenced by hot dry winds from the South. What is the temperature today?
It is 30 degrees сentigrade above zero. Yevpatoria is the city of children’s recreation. Children like to spend their summer holidays by the sea. They spend their spare time in the open fresh air, bathe in the sea, go on excursions. It is such a pleasure to lie in the sun and have one’s skin tanned. Some people like to take a tour or a cruise across the Black sea.
As to me I like an organized rest, most of all, with nothing to worry about, say at a rest-house. I must recognize that I enjoy places where is the sea like this.

The bank of the bay of Kalamitska, where modern city of Yevpatoria is situated — has 50 kilometers of velvet sand. Swimming season begins here in the second half of May and continues to the middle of October. There are no powerful storms or sharp temperature’s change. Smooth sand bottom gradually descending from the coast makes Yevpatoria beaches attractive not only for adults but also safe for children. This is one of the reasons why Yevpatoria has a status of All-Ukrainian Resort for Children and reputation of accessible and fine family resort. The City is famous as well for its medicinal mud. Modern Yevpatoria’s appearance is created by a unique combination of old traditions and new things. You can find it everywhere — in architecture, culture and everyday life of the city.

What is this “dolphin therapy”?

Researches, carrying out at the base of Yevpatoria’s dolphinarium proved the positive influence of the new applied method of medical and psychological treatment called “dolphin therapy” on human body. It was mentioned that after contacts with friendly inhabitants of the sea, children who experienced big stress in their life, receive the great curative effect. In 2000, this method of treatment was recognized by the Government of the Crimea as the best elaboration in the sphere of sanatorium and resort treatment at the peninsula. The mechanism of this positive influence has not been finally studied yet. That is why there is no even sign of depressions, stresses and bad mood after the contact with the sea “doctors”. After some curative contacts some of the patients, who had been suffering from mental or speech pathology, children’s cerebral palsy or enuresis, etc.  recovered partially or completely. Now the researches in this field are carrying out and we hope that they will help to improve such treatment’s efficiency and to make the process of recovering more understandable.

Your city is very green. I was lucky with the weather. The day was warm and sunny.

The city is especially beautiful  in spring during the time of blossoming. Yevpatoria is covered with  green color. The city, at the streets of which you could hardly hide from the hot sun at the beginning of the last century, today can boast of almost two hectares of fragrant green beauty. Yevpatoria is the city of the tender sun. It is everywhere here: at the streets, at the beach, in the sea, in the names of cafes and children resorts. That is why the city is light and cozy.