Description of the attraction
In Evpatoria, there is a unique architectural monument of the 15th century - the abode of mendicant Muslim monks, the tekke of dervishes. This is the only monument of this kind that has survived to this day in its original form on the territory of the former USSR.
The complex consists of three buildings: the tekke proper, a mosque and a madrasah. Tekke is distinguished by the simplicity of its monumental forms, the absence of decorations on the facades and inside. Inside the monastery, along the perimeter, there were one-story vaulted cells of dervishes. The premises are dark and cramped, the floor is earthen. The lancet doorway of each cell opens onto the hall. The building is covered with a flattened dome with a tiled roof. In addition to the habitat of the dervishes, the tekke also served as a hospitable home.
Much later, a small mosque, Shukural Efendi, was added to the tekka from the west, which is now reminiscent of the walls and the partially collapsed minaret located at the eastern wall. Next to the mosque, there is a madrasah building, in which, after restoration work, a museum of Crimean Tatar culture is located.
Having existed for 300 years, during the persecution of religion in the 1930s, the tekie was closed and until recently was used as a warehouse for the Black Sea Fleet. During this period, the buildings of the tekie and the madrasah as a whole were preserved, while the mosque was half destroyed. In the past few years, the tekie building has undergone minor renovations, but a full restoration has not yet been carried out.
