The museum complex "Gezlevskiye Vorota" in Evpatoria is not just a front entrance to the Old City. This is a piece of living history, an opportunity to get acquainted with the medieval Gezlyov, the predecessor of Evpatoria.

Address Odun-bazaar qapusy - st. Karaeva, 13A. This is the intersection of Karaev and Matveev streets. Coordinates 45.198519, 33.380211.

Evpatoria is one of the oldest cities in Russia, it is more than two and a half thousand years old. First, on this place on the shores of the Kalamitsky Bay, the ancient Greek city of Kerkinitida arose, which by the IV century. n. e. fell into desolation due to the constant raids of nomads. In the Middle Ages, a large Ottoman port city of Gezlev (the Russians called him Kozlov) grew up in its place, one of the main places for sending Slavic polon to the countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

The city was surrounded by high stone walls, which had five gates. The eastern ones were called Odun-bazaar qapusy - the gates of the wood shed. The fact is that there was a market next to them, where firewood was brought from the Mountainous Crimea for sale.

By now, only a part of the wall has remained from those Gezlev gates. It can be seen on the first floor of a large tower, built over the ruins of the gate in our time, in the nineties of the XX century.

The builders not only restored the medieval gate, they turned it into an interesting tourist attraction.

On the first floor of the Gezlev gate, on one side, there is a workshop where coffee is ground on a special machine. There you can buy excellent freshly ground, properly roasted coffee.

On the other hand, on the first floor, exactly where a piece of the ancient gate has been preserved, there is a souvenir shop. There you can buy a beautiful Turk, a manual coffee grinder or some other souvenir to remember your trip to Evpatoria.

On the second floor of the wood-burning gate in the Kezlev Kiavesi cafe, you can drink excellent coffee, in fact, excellent, the best in Evpatoria and eat some cake. The cakes there are wonderful, we have tried many, they cook very tasty. And the cafe itself is cozy, atmospheric, in an oriental style.

3rd floor - You can only go here with a guide. Guided tours are held once an hour. Tickets are sold on the ground floor. Ticket prices: adults - 150 rubles, children - 120 rubles.

Moreover, the guide's story begins in complete darkness, and then sightseers, with quite natural light and sound effects, can see this miniature medieval city waking up. The dawn flares up above it, the voices of muezzins sound from the district mosques, the noise of the sea and the streets is heard.

There are other interesting exhibits around the model, including Crimean Tatar national clothes and a map of medieval Gezlev on a beef skin.

Also during the tour you will be shown a film about the history of the Crimean Tatar people, made on the basis of sand animation.

And also the gates of Odun-bazaar kapusy, this is a portal to the Middle Ages: behind them begins the Old City of Evpatoria.

Narrow cobblestone streets, old houses, souvenir shops and shops, many cafes with cuisines of different nations, an ancient hamam - oriental baths, as well as many temples belonging to different religions: mosques, Russian and Greek Orthodox churches, synagogues and kenases. Well, after a long walk, it is worth returning to the Gezlev gate of Odun Bazaar again for coffee in Kezlev Qavesi or for chebureks in one of the nearest restaurants.

Thanks to https://po-krymu.ru