Yevpatoria - Eupatoria

Yevpatoria is a city of Crimea.

To know

Background

Yevpatoria is an ancient city with more than 2500 years of history. The first registered settlement in the area, called Kerkinitis (Κερκινίτις), was built by the Greek colonists around 500 BC. Together with the rest of Crimea, Kerkinitis was part of the possessions of King Mithridates VI of Pontus, from whose surname, Eupator, derives the modern name of the city.

Between the seventh and tenth centuries. AD, Yevpatoria was a settlement of Khazar; it was then subordinated to the Mongols and the Crimean Khanate. During this period the city was called Kezlev by the Crimean Tatars and Gözleve by the Ottomans. The medieval Russian name Kozlov is a Russification of the Tatar name.

For a short period between 1478 and 1485, the city was administered by the Ottoman Empire. Subsequently, it became an important urban center of the Crimean Khanate. In 1783, along with the rest of Crimea, Kezlev was conquered by the Russian Empire. The name was officially changed to Yevpatoria ("Евпатория" - after Mitithates VI of Pontus, "aka Eupator Dionysius") in 1784. The city was briefly occupied in 1854 by British, French and Turkish troops during the Crimean War when it was the site of the battle of Yevpatoria. Adam Mickiewicz visited the city in 1825 and wrote one of his Sonnets; it was then translated into Russian by the powerful poet Mikhail Lermontov. During the summer, more than 100,000 people from Eastern Europe, Ukraine and Russia visit the area due to the famous annual Kazantip festival

How to orient yourself

How to get

Simferopol is the main transport center in the region.

On the train

• 45.19994133.3548581 Yevpatoria Station. From Simferopol 1 hour and 55 minutes away. 

How to get around

Walking along the ancient streets you will find the atmosphere of Yevpatoria's multicultural heritage and have the opportunity to try real Karaite food. You can also take a walk called "A little Jerusalem" by analogy with the real one, as the ancient part of this city has brought together different religious confessions: Christians, Muslims and Jews.

By public transport

The city owns a tram system that allow excellent movements.

What see

• 45.19583333.3772221 Juma-Jami Mosque. Ottoman mosque from the 16th century.  
• 45.19861133.3741672 Karaite Temple of Yevpatoria. It is a beautiful complex consisting of various buildings including synagogues dedicated to the worship of the Jewish community of Canaites.  
• 45.19950533.3813 Former dervish monastery.  
• 45.189233.18754 Yevpatoria radio telescope. This radio telescope is very important because it helped to maintain contact with the Venera spacecraft in the 1970s and for sending extraterrestrial messages.  

Events and parties

• Kazantip. is an electronic dance music festival held every year, and the main reason for tourists to come to the area. The entrance ticket is called "viZa". More than 150,000 "paradiZers" visit it every year. There is a cult for the color orange and yellow suitcases associated with the festival. With over 300 DJs on more than 14 dance floors playing 21 hours a day, it is the biggest event on the electronic scene in the world, avoiding even the famous festivals held every month on Koh-pang Nga in Thailand. The size of the party is so immense that the nearby town of Popovka (where the festival is actually located, about a 15 minute drive from Yevpatoria) basically earns its own life, unsurprisingly because the amount of ravers (or "paradiZers") exceeds the local population by a factor between 100 and 500). 

What to do

• "Little Jerusalem" Route. A path inside the old part of the city in which to discover the links between the three religions present in the city. 

Shopping

In the kazantip area there is a Bio area that sells health products and body remedies after a tiring day of celebration and sport. Among their services, alongside tea, a bathtub, Thai massages and the like, all available in a particularly air-conditioned area, built to resemble a real jungle. Meals from around 70 EUR (3,000 RUB) and bathroom shift from 100 USD / h.

How to have fun

Where to eat

Moderate prices

• Casanova pizza. From 3 EUR. It sells pizzas made with fresh, clean and natural local food. 

Where stay

Safety

How to keep in touch

Around

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Yevpatoria
• Commons contains images or other files on Yevpatoria

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