Evpatoria is situated on the Black Sea Coast of the Western Crimea. «Evpatris» translated as «born of the glorious Father», «noble. «

In the VI-V ^th century ВС ancient Greeks founded Kerkinitida near a bay and salt lakes.

In the IV century BC Kerkinitida was the province of Ancient Chersonesus — the last Greek colony in the Crimea.

In I -III centuries Kerkinitida became a province of the Eastern-Roman Empire.

From the IV century AD the Crimea exposed the raids of nomadic tribes of Gott, Huns, Pechenegs, Khazars, Polovets. From 500 to 1000 AD, Kirkinitida was a small settlement.

In 1475 (15^th century) Ottoman Turks invaded the Crimea, from this time the Russian merchants in the Azov and Cafe were subjected to harassment.

The Turks consolidated their position in Kirkinitida by building a town fortified with walls and towers. They gave a new name to the ancient town, they called it –Ghezlev (literally «beautiful house») In Russian language it sounds as Kozlov.

In 1552 the Constantinople court architect and engineer Mimar Khodja Sinan built in Gezleve his 77^th mosque, which was called «Tatar Khan Mosque in Gezleve or Jami Hahn”. Nowadays it has the name “Djuma-Djami” Mosque (“Friday Mosque). It’s really a unique architectural landmark of medieval Evpatoria .

The Mosque has two 33-metre minarets rise on the flanks of the building and a beautiful view from the seaside.

In 16^th century Jami Hahn mosque was of great state significance. A ceremony of the declaration of rights of the Crimean Khans was held at their enthronement at Jami Hahn mosque. Only after that ceremony the new Crimean Khans went to their palace in Bakhchisarai-city, the capital of the Crimean Khanate.

1783, April, 8 issued a decree of Catherine the Great on the annexation of Crimea to Russia. Gezlev renamed royal decree got the name of Yevpatoria in memory of the ancient town founded by military leader Diophantus and named after the tsar of Pontus Mithridates VI Eupator.

Yevpatoria (Evpatoria) elevated to the rank of the county town and began to grow as a trade port.

Adam Mickiewicz visited the town in 1825 and wrote one of his Crimean Sonnets here; it was later translated into Russian by Mikhail Lermontov.

In 1854 the city was briefly occupied by British, French and Turkish troops during the Crimean War. There was the site of the Battle of Eupatoria.

After the annexation of the Crimea by Russia Yevpatoria became a residence of the spiritual ruler of the Karaites, the Gakham. In this connection here a complex of two praying houses was built under the supervision of the Babovich brothers, in which forms of the Renaissance  and Moslem architecture entwined in a most unusual manner.

The ensemble organically incorporates three courtyards. The beautiful entrance gate of the Karaites Kenassa was build in 1900. It’s look like a refined triumphal arch decorated with the ornaments.

In 1905-1919 the City Mayor and Duma Deputy Simeon Ezravic Douvan built Evpatoria as a fashionable resort. There were four Orthodox churches, 4 synagogues, 14 mosques, a church, two male and one female high school in Evpatoria.

In April 20, 1910 there was a City Theatre opened in Evpatoria. It has been built after the project of the talented architects and engineers Adam Henrich and Paul Seferov. The theater’s facades were executed in the spirit of a modernized classical style. The auditorium with a seating capacity of 800 has good acoustics.

There was the first tram-line started to work in Evpatoria in 1914, 10, May.

1916, May 16, the imperial family of Nicholas II visited Evpatoria.

Nowadays Evpatoria turned into a major resort centre. There are over 20 children’s sanatoriums and 70 tourist hotels for parents with children.

The most popular tourist route at the medieval districts of Evpatoria is “Malyi Ierusalim”.  Here you may see the film about this excursion. You’ll enjoy visiting the churches of all confessions in Evpatoria. That is

-Jewish Synagogue Egie-Capai «

-St. Nicholas’ the Miracle Worker Cathedral

-The Shrine of the Prophet Elijah

-The Armenian St. Nikolaou Church

-Juma-Jami Mosque

-Karaite Kenassa

-Dervishes Tekje