I visited this site during my tour of Ukraine on July 2013. The former capital of Crimean Khanate with its diverse cultural sites and great sceneries made a good impression on me, and it is also a very nice place to visit. Bakhchysarai is one of those sites which deserve to be included to the World Heritage List, but the current situation is very difficult for it.

At the moment there are two sites of Bakhchysarai on the Ukrainian tentative list: the other one is just for the Khan’s Palace, and the other one is the historic monuments of Bakhchysarai Valley from the Khan’s Palace to the Chufut-Kale. I would support the latter because there are a rich array of cultural sights in and around the city of Bakhchysarai.

A bus trip from Sevastopol to the city of Bakhchysarai is about one and a half hour. In the city I quickly realised how Turkish the atmosphere is: the people, the buildings, and food served in the restaurants. Soon it was clear that I was going to like this place. Bakhchysarai is a nice place both for its cultural sights and also for outdoor activities. During my visit I saw lots of hikers, cyclists and rock climbers. After I had visited the Khan’s Palace I walked along the valley floor all the way to the foothills of Chufut-Kale and visited all the major sights along the route.

Many people know Bakhchysarai only for the Khan’s Palace, and it is a …