Chufut-Kale
Chufut-Kale (Crimean Tatar: Çufut Qale Tatar pronunciation: [tʃuˈfut qaˈle]; Russian and Ukrainian: Чуфут-Кале - Chufut-Kale; Karaim: Кала - קלעה - Kala) is a medieval city-fortress in the Crimean Mountains that now lies in ruins. It is a national monument of Crimean Karaites culture just 3 km (1.9 mi) east of Bakhchysarai.
Çufut Qale
Чуфут-Кале | |
|---|---|
Historic settlement | |
Chufut-Kale cave city | |
Çufut Qale Location of Chufut-Kale in Crimea | |
| Coordinates: 44°44′28″N 33°55′28″E | |
| Country | Territory of Ukraine, occupied by Russia |
| Region | Crimea Crimea |
| Raion | Bakhchysarai Raion |
| Established | 6th - 10th century |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (MSK) |
Its name is Crimean Tatar and Turkish for "Jewish Fortress" (çufut/çıfıt - Jew, qale/kale - fortress), while Crimean Karaites refer to it simply as "Fortress", considering the place as historical center for the Crimean Karaite community. In the Middle Ages the fortress was known as Qırq Yer (Place of Forty) and as Karaites to which sect the greater part of its inhabitants belong, Sela' ha-Yehudim (Hebrew for 'Rock of the Jews').