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 One
of the contemporary of A.S.Pushkin called Chufut-Kale "Airy
town". It seems as if houses and serf walls of this medieval
town are sticked to a inaccessible bluff rock likewise aquiline
nests. The rock is situated on the plateau of the mountain offshoot,
dominated over the three deep valleys. The nature prepared an inaccessible
constructive stand, but the human being created the town on it.
The fortifications amplified a natural protection.
In XIII century there were alans who lived in
a fortress. They are the most powerful tribe of iranian origin.
They practised agriculture, stock raising and craft. Also they merchandised
with neighbour and faraway countries. They growed fruits and grapes
on the loams of surrounding valleys, besides. However, suddenly,
tartar troops of Golden Horde conquered the fortress.  Men-warriors,
as usual, were killed and the last population was slaved. Tartars
overruned the town, and allocated a garrison in it and called it
'Kirk-Or' ('40 fortifications'). The first Crimean knan Hadji-Girey
in XV c. invalued the fortress with great dignity. He turned it
into his fortified residency and created a dependable shelter in
a period of fighting khans with Golden Horde for their independance.
After Crimean knans migrated to a new capital
- Bahchisaray, Kirk-Or was a citadel of the capital and a prison
of the famous captives. Lithuanian ambassador Lez, polish hetman
Potozkiy, a favourite of Ivan-the-Terrible - Vasiliy Griaznoy, yearned
here, in the torture-chambers, in different times. Russian ambassadors,
Vasiliy Aytemirov and a prince Romodanovskiy spent 3 years in the
khan's prison. But one of the favourites of the tsar, a russian
voivode, Vasiliy Sheremetyev lived the hardest frustrationsg. He
spent 21 years in a dungeon. During this time 4 khans were replaced
in Bahchisaraj. However, the prisoner didn't agreed for exchange
the cities of Kazan and Astrahan for his freedom.
 Only
courage, stern faith and love for Russia helped the patriot live
through all that long years of hard captivity. In 1681 y. Sheremetyev
was freed by his relatives and returned to his motherland, being
helpless, disabled and blind old man.
In the middle of XVII c. tartars left Kirk-Or. Only karaites stayed
there. Tartars considered them to be jewry. Since that time they
began to call the town Chufut-Kale that means 'Jewish Fortress'.
Karaites lived there more than 2 centuries.
Became the part of Russia, karaites called themselves
its adherents. Soon the reign admitted that karaits were not jewry
and permited them liberties.
In particularly, they allowed them to give officer's ranks in the
army. So they could occupy the whole territory of empire.
Since that time Chufut-Kale became deserted. Population left the
severe plateu and migrated to Bahchisarai, Simferopol, Evpatoria.
In 1852 last inhabitants quited Chufut-Kale.
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