Vol 12, No 2 (2025)

The city of Bakhchisarai turned into a district town in the Tauride province when the Crimea became the part of Russian Empire. The emergence and design of the local city government system gave an opportunity for more efficient and rational municipal economy management in the second half of the nineteenth century. This was reflected in the development of urban infrastructure. The central part of the city government system was the City Duma, headed by the chairman, who was also the head of the Uprava. Numerous questions depended from the actions of the mayor and the members of Duma: the development of urban economy, improvement issues, the support of the public education system and etc. This article analyzes the activities of the Crimean Tatar leaders of the Bakhchisarai city administration based on archival sources and published materials. The realities of everyday life of city residents and the changes that became possible thanks to the rational actions of city government bodies were shown. The purpose of this publication is to analyze the main issues and problems that were solved by the local authorities of Bakhchisarai, when the City Duma was headed by I. Gasprinsky, S. Chubukchi, M. Davidovich, S. Krymtayev, based on the materials of the City Council funds. In conclusion, the author comes to the opinion that the city administration leaders have achieved certain successes in solving individual issues of urban development, city improvement (road paving, water supply, electrification, construction of a cement plant), health care, and the everyday life of city residents. The archival materials also recorded cases of resistance from both local government officials and city residents.

In this article the readers are offered analysis of the servicemen and partisans awarding from among the Crimean Tatars with State awards of the USSR for participation in the Great Patriotic War. There the dynamics of awards not only for each year of the war is presented, but also the dynamics for each individual award is given. For the first time the awarding of Crimean Tatars with toponymous medals “For defense ...”, “For liberation ...”, “For the capture ...” is shown. It is clearly evident that the number of awards has sharply decreased since 1944 as a result of the indiscriminate accusation of the Crimean Tatar people of mass betrayal. The coefficient was proposed which provides for the ratio of the number awarded representatives of a specific nationality to the total number of awarded, which clearly demonstrated the neutral attitude in awarding Crimean Tatars in 1941–1943 and bias in all subsequent years and decades. Examples of awards of individual servicemen of the Red Army and Navy awarded in different years and periods of military conflict are also given. The quality of awards and their gradation by war years were evaluated. An accurate calculation of the awards received for performing combat missions and participating in the largest Soviet military operations for each individual period is presented.

Almost 120 years passed since publication of A.S. Aivazov’s voluminous article “What Determines the Life of Nations?” in the magazine “Füyuzat” (“Blessing”) published in Baku in 1906–1907. This article remains unknown to contemporary Crimean Tatar researchers and Turkologists. Published over five issues of the magazine, it foreshadowed his public and political thought, which was fully reflected later during the work of the First Parliament – Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people in 1917–1918, where he served as a chairman for a certain period of time. The history of formation of nations, their life, culture, literature, economy, traditions and duration of their existence are the main questions raised and explored in this article.

The various features of life and everyday life of the Crimean Tatar shepherds thanks to the notes and memoirs of travellers, local historians and eyewitnesses, who visited Chatyr-Dag in the 19th – early 20th centuries, were identified and comprehensively investigated in the article. The Chatyr-Dag’s role as the important centre of shepherds culture in the Crimea was considered. Based on written sources of personal origin, the main pedestrian routes of ascent to the plateau of the above-mentioned mountain range (from Alushta and Simferopol) and the conditions of seasonal stay of shepherds on pastures, associated with the terrain and natural and climatic features (unpredictable weather conditions associated with sudden changes in air temperature, gusts of wind, precipitation (rain, snow), as well as with a food base for herds (presence of grass cover) and water sources, suitable caves for shelter (Emine-Khosar-Koba, Suuk-Koba, Binbash-Koba etc.)) were clarified and characterized. The important role of domestic animals accompanying the herd (guard herding and management dogs and goats) was determined. The specialization, professional responsibilities and working conditions of shepherds as well as the form of payment for work and the specifics of interaction, controversial issues that were resolved at general meetings of shepherds from different groups (atamans, shepherds, shepherds' assistants) were researched.

. This article examines diplomatic and political relations of the Crimean Khanate with its northern neighbors, such as Poland–Lithuania and Muscovy in the 16ht–17th centuries. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of equality and inequality in these relations and their impact on the peacebuilding process. Chapter 5, “The Procedure of Peacemaking,” from the second part “A Study in the Crimean and Polish-Lithuanian diplomatics and diplomacy” of the scientific work “The Crimean Khanate and Poland-Lithuania. International Diplomacy on the European Periphery (15th–18th Century). A Study of Peace Treaties Followed by Annotated Documents. The Ottoman Empire and its Heritage” (pp. 444–470) examines the recruitment and status of ambassadors sent by the Crimean Khanate, including their selection criteria, social and political status, and role in diplomatic missions. The subtopic from Chapter 5 analyzes the size, logistics and routes of the Crimean embassies, detailing the organizational aspects of diplomatic missions, including transportation, supplies, and routes. The study also touches on the economic aspects of diplomacy, including the costs of maintaining ambassadors and providing gifts. Conclusion of the article is about the importance of these relations for maintaining peace and stability in the region.