Crimean Legend - Origin of Bahchisarai

Once the son of khan Mengli-Girey went on hunting. It was a successful day for hunting as a lot of foxes, hares and 3 wild goats were hunted down. The son of the khan wanted to be alone. He sent the slaves with the prey away to the fortress, penetrated into the thicket, jumped off the horse and set on the stump near the Churuck-Su river. Suddenly he heard a rustle. A snake crawled out of the bushes. Another snake followed it. A death skirmish began... One snake, biten and broken down, stopped resistance and hung it's head. The third snake hurried to a fighting field. It threw over the winner and a new slaughter began.

But the son of the khan observed the snake which had been won. He thought about his father, his kin. Now they are like that half-dead snake. There is a battle somewhere and who will be the winner: the Golden Hordes or the Turks? Goodness knows. But he and his father do not arise, like this snake...

Some time had passed. The young khan noticed that the snake began to move, it creeped to the water with difficulty. Having strained every nerve, it reached the river and sank into the water. The half-lived snake coiled quicker and quicker. When it creeped to the shore, there was not a sign of wounds to be seen.

The son of Mengli-Girey was exulted, that was a lucky sign! They are to be arisen! They will be revived as that snake...

He jumped up the horse and darted off to the fortress. He told his father what he had seen near the river. They started waiting news from the battle-field. And it came at least: Ottomanskaya Porta overcame khan Akhmed, who exterminated all Girey's warriors long ago and Girey was driven to the fortress on the steep rock.

The old khan ordered to build a palace where the 2 snakes gripped at the death battle. That was the history of Bahchisarai. The khan ordered to carve the 2 snakes, creeped in death skirmish on the coat of arms.

Bahchisarai means the palace in gardens, built at the end of 14 century. It became the capital of the Crimean khanate in the 15 century. The khan Mengli-Girey fought with the Golden Horde for the independence of the Crimean khanate for a long time. The Golden Horde fell to pieces in 1502 and khan Mengli-Girey had built the palace on the left coast of the river Churuck-Su. There is an image of the 2 fighting snakes at the gates of khanate Palace up to now.