Bakhchisarai coffee houses in the middle of the 19th –early 20th centuries

Abstract

Bakhchisarai, one of the oldest cities in Crimea, was founded in the first quarter of the 16th century. The public buildings of Bakhchisarai in the 16th–18th centuries: Turkish baths, fountains and coffee houses played an important role in the life of a Muslim. In the Crimea, coffee became widespread during the period of the Crimean Khanate, becoming one of the traditional drinks in the region. Coffee houses were a place of rest for the townspeople in the evenings. Coffee houses were of two types: for merchants in a convenient area and for a lower class. The city of Bakhchisarai turned into a district town in the Tauride province after the annexation of the Crimea to the Russian Empire. On the widespread distribution of coffee establishments on the territory of the peninsula in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are evidenced by a large number of sources. For the inhabitants of the city, coffee houses played a significant role in social and cultural life until the middle of the 20th century, being a kind of a club, a place of meetings and negotiations. This article analyzes the dynamics of growth and development of coffee establishments in Bakhchisarai, based on archival data and published materials. The purpose of this publication is a detailed examination of the issues of construction, reconstruction and rental of premises intended for coffee shops as commercial and industrial establishments in the city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, based on the materials of the funds of Bakhchisarai City Council. The author comes to the conclusion that successes were achieved in solving the economic issues of Bakhchisarai during the specified period of time thanks to the activities of the City Council and private initiative.