Demidov's Voyage Illustrations

View of Count Mikhail Vorontsov's palace in the distance with Crimean Tatar men gathered in a circle in the foreground. According to Demidov, the (coastal) region around Alupka, "washed in sunlight and bathed by the sea," was quite the fashionable…

View of Russian soldiers resting at the side of the road. In peacetime, Russian soldiers were tasked with public works projects. This group was building the road between Yalta and Alupka.

12 August 1837

A Crimean Tatar family travels on horseback and on foot near Yalta. Women in burkas carry infants in their laps. Demidov writes that "throughout the summer season, the influx of wealthy people who inhabit the southern coast of Crimea offers farmers a…

Two "common Tatars" distribute alms to the poor as they exit the mosque. There is a mulla wearing a turban and a haji next to him - recognizable due to the white band. Among the mendicants there is a chapelet and another haji. According to Demidov,…

Karaite woman with children. Crimean Karaites are an ethnic group derived from Turkic-speaking followers of Karaism found in in Eastern Europe. Karaism is a denomination of judaism. Demidov notes that on a visit to the home of the rabbi of Chufut…

View of main street in Bakhchisaray. Crimean Tatars in ox-driven wagons ride down the street while others walk or sit on the side of the street. Demidov notes that this main street is "lined with shops selling things Tatar have produced for two…

View of Crimean Tatar butcher and other merchants, smoking and talking in the street outside their stalls. Meat hangs from hooks at the butcher's stall and a pack of dogs sit opposite the merchants.

20 August 1837

View of Crimean Tatar peasants's homes, which were often built into the sides of hills. A man and a small boy stand on a terrace looking into the distance. Demidov notes that the terrace is the most important part of the house because it serves many…

Panorama of a bazaar in Kerch. People sit or stand in groups; a man rides by on a horse; camels, oxen, dogs, chickens, ducks, and birds walk freely around the bazaar.

8 October 1837

Interior view of a cafe. Men sit around a table cross-legged smoking pipes. They have taken off their shoes.

18 October 1837

Tatar dervishes sit or stand in a circle at the Istrim Cami Mosque in Karasubazar.

18 October 1837

Crimean Tatar men pray inside the Istrim Cami mosque in Karasubazar.

19 October 1837

Interior view of a Tatar home near Kapsikhor. A large family is gathered around the father. Food and drink rest on the ground and on a low table. Small tapestries cover the floor. Plates, pitchers, and cloths are are displayed on a high shelf.

21…

Panorama of Alushta on Crimea's southern coast. In the foreground, a shepherd herds goats with the help of a few dogs. Crimean mountains (the high peak is Demirdzhi) and the Black Sea, complete with a vessel with furled sails, can be seen in the…

Crimean Tatar women walk with jugs of water toward a house in the distance. A pregnant woman in the foreground wears a head covering; the younger women wear skullcaps (tiubeteikas) - all but the bareheaded women with a jug balanced on her right…