ZYNDZHYRLY MEDRESE (МЕДРЕСЕ ЗЫНДЖЫРЛЫ)

Completely restored in 2010, this magnificent madrasas, a Muslim religious school, was built in 1500 by the Khan Mengly Girai. At the entrance is a chain (zyndzhyrl) that gives the school its name. It guaranteed that any person entering the school would drop their head to the wisdom of Allah. The school then became a prestigious university in the Crimean khanate. Adjacent to the school is the mausoleum of Hadji Girai, father of Mengly Girai, built in 1501. The two bodies are based here with 16 other members of the dynasty of Crimean imams. The madrasas is located in the old quarter of Salachik where traditional Tatar architecture dominates with high walls which border narrow and winding streets. This is where the trail to Chufut-Kale begins.