Village of Salachyk in the Crimea reveals its secrets
Archaeologists unearth Crimean khans’ burial vault in Bakhchesarai
BAKHCHESARAI-SIMFEROPOL – In recent years the Bakhchesarai State Historical and Cultural Preserve (BDIKZ) has been engaged in restoration work and rebuilding the museum’s palace and the many architectural monuments located in the vicinity of Bakhchesarai.
The slow pace of restoration is explained by the fact that scholars are continuing to unearth new sites. During emergency repairs at the Crimean khans’ diurbe (mausoleum) in the vicinity of the village of Staroselie (Salachyk) a team of archaeologists unearthed a burial vault belonging to the Crimean khans. The archeologists expected not only to examine the remains and funereal objects dating to the Crimean Khanate, but also to form an idea about what the six Crimean khans looked like.
However, the scholars were in for a surprise. In addition to the khans, they discovered 12 other skeletons.
Oleksa Haivoronsky, BDIKZ’s deputy director for research, told journalists that the upper part of the unearthed diurbe, which was built in 1501, was restored in 2003, whereas the lower one had never undergone repairs. When they were studying it, the Ukrainian experts determined that the lower floor of the mausoleum was in dangerous condition, with cracks and breaks threatening the integrity of the structure. They decided to open this burial chamber and examine its interior.
It took the archaeologists one year to clear the lower part of the mausoleum of a two-meter layer of earth. In addition to the need for repairs, the researchers also pursued a purely scholarly interest. Studying the remains of the khans would allow them to form an idea of their appearance, in the absence of any extant portraits.
Unfortunately, there are inscriptions or other markings to help identify the 12 skeletons in this burial chamber. The scholars are working on ways to identify these remains and searching for historical materials relating to the mausoleum.
According to Haivoronsky, who has written several books on the history of the Khanate, there is clear-cut historical proof that this mausoleum contains the remains of Hazi I Giray, the founder of the Crimean Khanate, his son Menli I Giray, Sahib I Giray, the founder of Bakhchesarai, and his son Gazi Giray. Scholars are also certain that the other remains are those of Nur Devlet Giray and Menli Giray’s brother Yagmurchi. Unfortunately, written historical sources provide data only about these six individuals. As for the other 12 skeletons, Haivoronsky doubts that they will ever be identified, although they may have been members of the royal family.
Haivoronsky says that the most precious archaeological find is the cloth covering the wooden coffins of the khans and their relatives. It is red with embroidered designs done in yellow thread. Until now, Crimean archaeologists specializing in the history of the khanate have never had access to samples of fabrics produced in the 15th century. Fragments of these fabrics will be added to the collection of the khan’s palace, where they will be displayed as unique samples of Crimean weaving and funeral rites of the 15th-16th centuries.
However, the remains of the Crimean rulers will not be moved from the mausoleum, says Haivoronsky. The skulls would have to be examined by forensic experts. However, determining what they looked like is not a priority for the sake of which it would be worth disturbing the remains. The scholars have decided to let them stay where they are buried. Besides the historical significance of this discovery, the excavated remains are revered by the Crimean Tatar people.
Haivoronsky also noted that all the remains will be carefully photographed, so experts won’t have many problems determining their anthropological type. At the same time, the scholars say that this won’t be of much help to them. Theoretically, it is possible to reconstruct the faces of all 18 persons, but no one will ever be able to establish their names.
The restoration works and a detailed study of the mausoleum will be completed by the middle of this fall, after which it will be resealed. Digs will continue at Salachyk, where archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a whole town, complete with foundations and other structures, like homes and public buildings. Archaeologists hope to unearth Bakhchesarai’s predecessor, the Devlet-sarai Palace, built by Crimean khan Menli Giray at the turn of the 16th century and which vanished without a trace.
After the excavated area is studied and cleaned up, the Salachyk Historical-Memorial Museum will be built in this valley, which is the starting place of three Crimean religions: Christianity, Islam, and Karaism (the birthplace of the Crimean Karaim family tree). This will be an archaeological park complete with tourist attractions, including buildings and foundations of ruined structures, explained the deputy director of research of the Bakhchesarai State Historical and Cultural Preserve.
