This year marks 520 years since the founding of one of the oldest educational institutions in Eastern Europe – Zyndzhyrly madrasah.
Madrasah was founded in 1500 by Mengli-Giray Khan as a “centre of learning.” The building of the madrasah, even in the absence of decorations, captivates with the strict beauty of arched structures and vaulted ceilings.
In his memoirs, the famous Crimean Tatar politician Jafer Seydamet wrote: “The second khan of the Crimean Khanate Mengli-Girey, founded in 1428, a scholar and poet, decided to lay a large madrassah on a high hill near his new capital Bakhchisaray and began to build it before his palace. Giray ordered all the inhabitants of the capital to be present at the beginning of the construction and said to them: “With God’s help, we are starting today the construction of the monastery of science. It will help us become more perfect people in this world and pave our way to paradise in another world. We will all give our strength to serve this cause”. After that, the khan approached the construction workers, began to dig the earth and toss stones to lay the foundation. And until the construction of the madrasah, the khan used every opportunity,to work with the people. At the ceremonial opening of the madrasah, the khan held the following speech: “Reason makes a person a noble creature, and the path to perfecting the mind lies through science. Whoever does not respect science, whether he is a khan or a padish, cannot create anything solid, nothing that is designed for the future, and sooner or later dishonour will fall upon him. I ordered this chain to be hung in the doorway of the madrassah so that everyone, no matter who he is, bowed his head at the entrance to this holy temple of science, thus expressing his respect for science.” This is where the name Zyndzhyrly Madrasah came from (Madrasah with a Chain).
Hundreds of worshipers, scholars, writers and public figures graduated from Zyngyrly Madrasah: Abibulla Kerim, Shamil Tokhtargyazy, Abdullah Ozenbashly, Ablyakim Ilmiy, Yakup Shakir-Ali, Dzhemil and Yakub Kermenchikli, Abibulla-effendiem Efendet and many others.
