Usta

Crimea


Ten years ago Crimean Tatar handicrafts were on the verge of extinction, but Ayshe Osmanova resolved to rescue her people's culture from the precipice. Retrieving old manuals from the Khans' Palace, she taught herself the ancient art of Crimean embroidery and was soon teaching the craft to other Tatar women returning from exile. A veteran silversmith and other craftsmen joined in.

These efforts culminated in a small workshop, where you can watch artists at work and buy embroidered shawls and tablecloths, woven rugs and hangings, pottery and filigree jewellery. The turn-off to vul Rechnaya is just before the palace when coming from the train station.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Crimea attractions

1. Khans' Palace

0.09 MILES

When she was busy ordering the mass destruction of Bakhchysaray's mosques in the 18th and early 19th centuries, Catherine the Great spared the Khans'…

2. Devlet-Saray

1.46 MILES

The site where Crimean Tatar khans originally settled in Bakhchysaray now consists of a modest museum, ruins of a public bath, a mausoleum where 18…

3. Uspensky Monastery

1.6 MILES

Stop for a moment and say 'aah!' at possibly the cutest little church in a country absolutely jam-packed with them. Part of the small Uspensky Monastery,…

4. Iosofatova Valley

1.94 MILES

The forested Iosofatova Valley beneath the Chufut-Kale plateau hides a breathtaking and spooky sight. Thousands of moss-covered gravestones covered in…

5. Chufut-Kale

2.02 MILES

Rising 200m, this long and bluff plateau houses a honeycomb of caves and structures where people took refuge for centuries. It's wonderful to explore,…

6. Taurida Central Museum

17.39 MILES

Crimea's largest museum consists of three main sections. The first is a collection of golden artefacts, produced by Hellenized Alano-Goths in the…

7. Kebi-Djami Mosque

17.76 MILES

The restored 16th-century mosque dates back to the Tatar town of Ak-Mechet (White Mosque), a predecessor of Simferopol.

8. Eagle Column

19.72 MILES

The Eagle Column commemorates Russian ships deliberately scuppered at the mouth of the harbour in 1854 to make it impossible for enemy ships to pass.