Crimea: History and People

Crimea is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, land on the border of civilizations and religions, and a place where world history was made. However, what do you know about Crimea and its indigenous people — the Crimean Tatars? Today, they are being driven out of their homeland due to the temporary occupation of the peninsula by the Russian Federation. This is one of the reasons why the world needs to know the history of the peninsula and its inhabitants.

The period between the beginning of the 15th and the end of the 18th century was a time of flourishing political independence in Crimea. The Crimean Khanate, a descendant of the fallen Golden Horde, gained power.  You can find out where Crimean Tatars came from and what their state was like in this video.

For more than three centuries, there was a state on the Crimean peninsula that impressed its contemporaries with military might. In this video, you will learn about the Crimean Khanate, its role in European history, and the relations of the Crimean Khanate with the Zaporizhian (Ukrainian) Cossacks.

Do you know that Crimea has been at the center stage in competitions of great powers for centuries? In this video, you will learn about the infamous European war between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire supported by France and Britain — the Crimean War of the 19th century — and its consequences for the Crimean Tatars.

How did Crimea become the “gem” of the Russian crown? Why was the peninsula called the "imperial garden"? What did the modernization of Crimea cost to its population — the Crimean Tatars? You will find answers to those questions in the video!

The revolution of 1917 in the Russian Empire led to both great achievements and incredible losses suffered by the Crimean Tatars. This video is about the world's first democratic Muslim country, the Red Terror in Crimea, and the consequences of the Bolshevik revolution for Crimean Tatars.

The establishment of Soviet power in Crimea was one of the bloodiest events in the history of Crimean Tatars. Nevertheless, the Crimean Autonomous Republic was created at the same time. This video tells about the events of the 1920s-1940s and forcible deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944.

Even after their release from special settlements in the second half of the 1950s, Crimean Tatars were barred from returning to Crimea. As a people in exile, they began to fight for the right to return to their homeland. You will learn about their struggle in this video.

Until its occupation by Russia in 2014, Crimea had the status of autonomy in Ukraine. This video is about the Ukrainian government in Crimea, the Russian influence, the factor of the Black Sea Fleet, and the rise of Crimean Tatars as a political force.

Russian occupation of the Crimean peninsula continues. Thousands of Crimean Tatars have been forced to flee their homes. There are hundreds of people subjected to repression and dozens of political prisoners. Crimea is becoming a military base, while cultural and historical sites of the peninsula are being damaged and the landscape is changing. What events have led to such outcomes? Find that out in the video!

What was the daily life of the Crimean Tatars like before the beginning of the 20th century? What did they do? What is the religion of the Crimean Tatars? This video will answer your questions!