The Khan's Palace (Crimean Tatar: Hansaray; Turkish: Han Sarayı) or Hansaray is located in the town of Bakhchysarai, Crimea. It was built in the 16th century and became home to a succession of Crimean Khans. The walled enclosure contains a mosque, a harem, a cemetery, living quarters and gardens. The palace interior has been decorated to appear lived in and reflects the traditional 16th-century Crimean Tatar style. It is one of the best known Muslim palaces found in Europe, alongside the Sultan palaces of Istanbul and the Alhambra in Spain.
In December 2022, Russian forces dismantled a damaged roof and an ensemble of colored stained glass windows in the palace and replaced it with the modern one. The move has been described by the Ukrainian side as part of an "ongoing assault" on cultural heritage.
The city of Bakhchysarai and the palace were commissioned by the Crimean Khan dynasty, who moved their capital here from Salaçıq in the first half of the 16th century. The palace's complex design and minarets were constructed in the 16th century by Ottoman, Persian and Italian architects. Later damages required partial reconstruction, but the structure still has a resemblance to its original form. Some buildings currently in the palace were attached later, while some of the original buildings could not stand past the 18th century.[1]
In 2017, the palace was subject to restoration, which was conducted by Moscow-based Atta Group, a firm with little experience in historical preservation.[2][3] As part of the process, the palace's centuries-old oak beams were removed and replaced with concrete, original tiles were removed, while its 18th century murals were damaged by a high-pressure water stream.[2] In addition, cracks appeared on the facade of the building and plaster fell off during pressure cleaning.[4] In response to the alleged damages, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sent a protest notice to UNESCO, which manages the World Heritage Sites, since the Bakhchysarai Place was added to the organization's Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in 2003.[5][6]
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