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Bilohirsk

Bilohirsk is a town in the foothill part of Crimea and a district centre, known in the past as Karasubazar — one of the most important caravan market towns of the late Middle Ages. It is situated on the Karasu River, near the famous White Rock (Ak-Kaya), to which it owes its modern name.

Overview

The town lies almost halfway between the south-eastern coast of the peninsula and its administrative centre. Today it is the district centre of a small foothill district that long-distance Crimean routes pass by. Historically, Karasubazar was a major trading hub at the crossroads of routes leading from the west of the peninsula to the port of Kaffa and from eastern Crimea to Bakhchysarai, which contributed to its rise and to the influence of the Shirin clan in the Crimean Khanate.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Geography and name: The town lies on the Karasu River ("black water" in Turkic languages — rivers fed by underground springs). It received its modern name "Bilohirsk" after the war, after the nearby White Rock (Ak-Kaya).
  • Ancient history: The first mentions of the town (as Karasubazar) date back to the 13th century. The first inhabitants of the area are believed to have been Neanderthals (a site in Chervona Balka). Some 14 km away, "Taurian cists" — Bronze Age burials similar to dolmens — have been found; the name of the Neolithic Kemi-Oba culture derives from the Kemi-Oba kurgan in the area.
  • The Tash-Khan caravanserai: According to historians, it was built as early as the 13th century (or earlier); only ruins survive — testimony to the town's oriental trading past.
  • Cossack campaigns and Khmelnytskyi: In 1620–1622, Bohdan Khmelnytskyi was held in Tatar captivity in Karasubazar. In the 17th century, the town — the main centre of the slave trade — suffered raids by the Zaporozhian Cossacks (1624, 1628, 1630, 1675).
  • The 18th century: Johann Thunmann described it as one of the largest cities of Crimea (Greek name — Mavron Kastro, "black fortress"). For about a year, Karasubazar served as the residence of the Crimean khan and the de facto capital of Crimea. In 1772, the Treaty of Karasubazar was signed here, which sealed the transition of Crimea under russian protectorate.
  • Natural landmarks: "Suvorov's Oak" (over 750 years old; the legend about the russian-Turkish negotiations does not correspond to reality) and the little-known Kok-Asan canyon with a cascade of waterfalls and healing springs.
  • A Town on the Sidelines — article by Alex Verba in the newspaper "Krymska Svitlytsia" (2019, No. 33-34), the main source on the history and nature of Bilohirsk.
  • Kherson and Taurida Governorates — the Crimean Khanate, whose transition under russian protectorate was sealed by the Treaty of Karasubazar of 1772, later became part of the Taurida Governorate.
  • Chufut-Kale — a cave town in the neighbouring Bakhchysarai Raion, connected with the history of the Crimean khans.
  • Bulgarians in Crimea — the Bulgarian village of Kyshlav (now the village of Kurske in Bilohirsk Raion) as part of the history of the ethnic group in Crimea.
  • The King and the Khan (concept page) — in 1782, russian regiments passed through Karasubazar (now Bilohirsk) without firing a single shot in order to restore Şahin Giray to the throne.
  • Kozu-Bash — a Crimean apple variety — in 2018, an old tree of the rare kozu-bash apple variety was found in Bilohirsk (Karasubazar) Raion.
  • Krymchaks — Karasubazar (Bilohirsk) was the main centre of the Krymchaks, where the "Krymchak Quarter" — a compact settlement of the Krymchak community along the left bank of the Kara-Su River — existed.
  • Maritime Armenia (Armenians in Crimea) — Karasubazar (Bilohirsk) served as one of the largest craft and trading centres of the Armenian community of Crimea, where an Armenian self-governing community operated after 1783.