Pages: 133-143 |  DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp236133143

Three photographs of different years have fixed the same sightseeing located in the vicinity of the Sudak Fortress — the fountain in the territory of the former German colony in the village Uyutnoe. They are an eloquent demonstration of the metamorphoses this structure has been exposed to during over 150 years of its existence, and what’ s more, how the children’s entertainment and home duties have strikingly transformed over this time. All three shots exhibit one permanent feature, i.e. a carved architectural detail of unknown origin, reutilized by the builders as a decorative element of masonry in the fountain. The spolia is a well preserved fragment of a 215 cm high door framing. Its frame exceeded the plane of the wall just by 2 cm. The item can be dated within the third quarter of the 14^th century, although some wider chronological span is also possible, partly extending into the 15^th century. It would be challenging to identify the donor building with any degree of certainty, yet it is quite likely that it was the Mosque of the Sudak Fortress.

Keywords: Crimea, Sudak, fountain, çeşme, children’s entertainment and home duties, spolia, architectural décor in 14^th—15^th centuries, carved stone framing

Information about author:

Vladimir Kirilko (Simferopol, Crimea). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology of Crimea of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Academician Vernadsky Ave., 2, Simferopol, 295007, Crimea
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-5431-9127