Ukraine · 5th century
Chufut-Kale (Crimean Tatar: Çufut Qale, pronounced [tʃuˈfut qaˈle]; Russian and Ukrainian: Чуфут-Кале; Karaim: Кала, קלעה, romanized: Kala) is a medieval city-fortress in the Crimean Mountains that now lies in ruins. It is a national monument of Crimean Karaites culture just 3 km (1.9 mi) east of Bakhchysarai.
Its name is Crimean Tatar and Turkish for "Jewish Fortress" (çufut/çıfıt - Jew, qale/kale - fortress), while Crimean Karaites refer to it simply as "Fortress", considering the place as a historical center for the Crimean Karaite community. In the Middle Ages the fortress was known as Qırq Yer (Place of Forty) and as Karaites to which sect the greater part of its inhabitants belong, Sela' ha-Yehudim (Hebrew for 'Rock of the Jews').
Text adapted from “Chufut-Kale” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Chufut-Kale ranks #488 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #8 of the 195 mapped in Ukraine. Founded c. 500, it is older than 97% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 37 atlas entries founded in the 5th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 6,367 times in the last 60 days, more than 89% of the atlas. 8 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Simferopol, 27 km away. See how Ukraine compares in the castle statistics.
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