Presentation of the "Historical path of the Crimean Tatar people from Crimea to Lithuania" publication

On October 11, 2019, the "Historical path of the Crimean Tatar people from Crimea to Lithuania" publication was presented at the "Ukrinform" Ukrainian National News Agency.

The 64-page guide contains a tourist route of the Crimean Tatar people's historical and cultural journey from the Crimea to Lithuania as a separate component of the joint European heritage of Lithuania and Ukraine, which was developed this year. The route was built based on the cultural paths of the Council of Europe.

The author of the project is Beatričė Beliavciv, director of the East European Cooperation (EEC, Lithuania) non-governmental organization.

"The history of the Crimean Tatars in Europe is directly related to the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. However, this period is still poorly researched in the Ukrainian historiography. Based on the research, we "constructed" the historical and cultural route of the Crimean Tatar people from the Crimea through present-day Ukraine and Belarus to Lithuania for the first time. Owing to this historical journey, we can see the transformation of Crimean Tatars into Lithuanian Tatars, whose descendants moved to the territories of present-day Lithuania, Poland, and Belarus and now live there," the EES director said at the presentation of the publication.

The idea of ​​creating the route was supported by Gulnara Bekirova, a well-known female Crimean Tatar historian and PEN Ukraine member.

"The Crimea and Lithuania have had close contacts for many centuries. The founder of the Crimean Khanate, Haci Giray, was born here. The World Congress of Crimean Tatars suggests erecting a monument in his homeland in Trakai. For over 600 years there has been a village Keturiasdešimt Totorių (Forty Tatars) in the Vilnius district, where Crimean Tatars have been living for a long time. Therefore, preparation and publication of a guide that helps to explore the journey of Crimean Tatars from the Crimea to Lithuania is an important milestone in the restoration of the true history of the Crimean Tatar people and their close connection with European history and culture," Gulnara Bekirova noted.

The guide was developed by Ukrainian and Lithuanian scholars. Candidate of Historical Sciences Serhiy Hromenko built the Crimean part of the route, whereas Doctor of Historical Sciences Borys Cherkas built the path of the Crimean Tatars along the Dnieper, from its mouth to the now abandoned city of Chernobyl. The path of the Tatars through Belarus and their settlement in Lithuania were described by the head of the Union of the Communities of Lithuanian Tatars, Professor Adas Jakubauskas.

In total, the route passes through 33 settlements and contains over one hundred recommended sightseeings. These are architectural monuments, mosques, Tatar cemeteries (mizars), historical places, and towns associated with the journey of the Crimean Tatar people to Lithuania.

A separate section is devoted to the settlement of the Crimean Tatars in Poland and participation in the Battle of Grunwald, where Crimean Tatars fought on the side of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and played an important role in the historic victory.

"The historical experience of the Tatar diaspora gives a clear account of the Muslim people who have coexisted peacefully with the Christian peoples for hundreds of years. Contrary to the Soviet historiography, which always emphasized conflicting existence, the true history of the Lithuanian Tatars proves the peaceful and comfortable life of the Muslim people in the Christian environment. This is the part of the European history to which we are trying to draw attention," the EEC director said.

The route is presented in the printed tourist guide form. This is a brand new informational tourist product that promotes the development of regional cultural routes and the development of domestic tourism in Ukraine. It is designed for travel agencies that involve various community groups and help to expand opportunities for small businesses in the regions.

Alim Aliyev, program director of the Crimean House, and Serhiy Hromenko, Candidate of Historical Sciences, publicist, and expert on Crimean humanitarian issues, also participated in the event.

  

Additional information: The route was developed within the framework of the project "Active and resourceful participants contribute to formation of new social and economic relations in communities". The project is being implemented to promote successful integration of displaced persons into the local communities of Ukraine and social adaptation of vulnerable groups.

The project is implemented by the "East European Cooperation" NGO (Republic of Lithuania), partner organization – "Crimean Tatar Cultural Center "Crimean House in Lviv" (Lviv).

The project is funded by the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania.