Ukraine/Bakchysaray: Charm of Crimean Tatar's souls | The Family Without Borders

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Charm of Crimean Tatar’s souls

Ayshe Bakhchysaray Usta (work)shop (Ukraine; Crimea)

Crimean Tatars, their tradition and culture – best place to go is USTA workshop of Ayshe Osmanova and her husband Lutfi in Bakchysaray.

All Crimean Tatars were mass deported by Stalin from Crimea, in a form of collective punishment, on 18 May 1944. Most of them to Uzbekistan. They were practically not allowed to return to Crimea from exile until the beginning of the Perestroika in the mid 1980s. Most came back after 1991, until now more than 250 000 people. Their and their parent’s homeland didn’t welcome them with open arms. Took many years to find their place in politics and cultural life.

Ayshe Osmanova and her husband Lutfi by making traditional gold embroidery and pottery are making a small difference. They were both born in Uzbekistan but as fast as they could they moved back to parents motherland. She has finished art design studies and he was a teacher but after coming back they got involved in movements. He founded Revival of the Crimea NGO, she – Marama organization and courses for local women (not only Tatars!).

Now USTA workshop, just two minutes walk from Khan’s Palace in Bakchysaray, is a place to visit for those which want some real Tatar’s craft and stories. Workshop with store has unique souvenirs and even we bought two cups. Ayshe and Lutfi are lovely people and if girls wouldn’t be hungry (their big daughter and our Hanna) – I wish to talk more and more. Because such a sentence that *they only dreamed about coming back to Crimea and they didn’t have any expectations, just living here* makes me really think twice how lucky are those which never experienced any stupid deportation. However easy it sounds.


Our first book is out!

We have published our first book (for now just in Polish:) about our Central America Trip.
See, read and order here »

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