Стари надгробни паметници от района на Судак, Крим
Old Gravestones from Sudak Region, Crimea

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents the authors’ research on gravestones found in villages near Sudak. Most gravestones date back to the second half of 19th and early 20th centuries. Gravestones in the villages near Sudak have their own history. The most ancient one is dated by 1218 a.h./1802–1803 c.e., and the most recent one – by 1362 a.h./1943 c.e. The gravestones found in Khoz, Tokhlukh and Tarakhtash can be classified in three groups:1. Ancient gravestones;2. Fragments (remnants) of ancient gravestones; 3. Top parts of the ancient gravestones – fez, dal fez [turban], sarykh, fragments of an astrakhan cap.Crimean Tatar gravestones found in these three villages were made in pillar on in slabstone form. The face plate contains inscriptions, called epitaphs (from Greek έπιτάφιος – “specific of gravestone”). The other sides of gravestones contain engravings (decorations and drawings): the Islamic symbol of a star and crescent, Koran, ewer and plants, including fig-tree, six-petal flowers, etc.The tradition of Crimean Tatar gravestones, found in Khoz, Tokhlukh and Tarakhtash villages near Sudak, originated from Ottoman Turkey. There is also some similarity between the gravestones in Sudak and the thombstones from the Roman period on the territory of contemporary Turkey.

• Details
• Contents