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Staryi Krym

Staryi Krym is an ancient town in the foothill and forested part of eastern Crimea (Kirovskyi district), the former medieval capital of the Crimean ulus (Solkhat / Crimea), which gave its name to the entire peninsula.

Overview

Staryi Krym (in the Middle Ages — Solkhat, and later simply Crimea) played a defining role in the history of the peninsula, bequeathing its name to all of Taurica. In the 14th century the town was the administrative and commercial center of the Crimean ulus of the Golden Horde and the hub of the region known as Maritime Armenia. At the end of the 18th century, after the russian annexation, the town nearly became the administrative center of the Taurida Oblast under the artificial Greek name of Leukopolis, but this name and the oblast status did not take root. Later Staryi Krym turned into a cozy county town amid the mountain forests, attracting many cultural figures, writers, and artists with its special atmosphere of bodily and spiritual calm.

Key details / Subtopics

  • Historical names and etymology: in the Middle Ages the town was known as Solkhat (or Qymry / Crimea). It is from this name that the Taurica peninsula derived its modern name "Crimea."
  • The attempt to create Leukopolis: after the first russian annexation of Crimea, the authorities of the russian empire wavered over the name and location of the capital of the newly created region. For a short time the town bore the artificial pseudo-Greek name "Leukopolis" and laid claim to the status of the main city of Taurida, but this project failed, and Simferopol became the capital.
  • Center of Maritime Armenia: surrounded by forested mountains, Solkhat served as the center of the so-called Maritime Armenia — a network of compact Armenian mountain towns (roughly 500 by 500 paces in size), connected by paved forest roads and supported by the activity of monasteries (in particular Surb-Khach).
  • Cultural and recreational calm: thanks to its cozy microclimate and natural silence, Staryi Krym became a refuge for many prominent figures (including writers and artists) who sought rest and inspiration in the "capital of forest silence."