The Crimean Turks in the 19th century according to Western travelers

Crimea is a peninsula that has hosted various tribes, especially Turks, throughout history. Crimea, which was under Turkish domination on a large scale before the Golden Horde State and after the destruction of the state, later came under the Ottoman protectorate between 1441-1700 and became politically stronger. Crimea, which is the center of attention of Russia in terms of its strategic and geopolitical position, has entered a new era with the Russian occupation. There have been different studies on Crimea in Turkey since the period when it came under Russian domination, but there are still issues and resources that need attention or are overlooked. At this point, the works of travelers who came to Crimea in the 19th century, which constitute the subject of the study, appear as a very important source. The information given by the travelers reveals the social, cultural and economic situation of the Crimea under Russian domination and the Crimean Tatars as an external eye. The determination of the fact that the travel books of the travelers who came to Crimea in the 19th century were not used enough in the research of the history of Crimea played an important role in the emergence of this thesis. The information provided by the travelers confirms the results of the research works. Thus, this study aimed to reflect the situation of the 19th century Crimea and Crimean Tatars from the perspective of travelers. In this context, it is seen that the Tatars, who lived under the pressure of the Russians in every sense, preserved their own culture even though it was difficult, and the purpose of continuing their existence in the Crimea was recorded by the travelers.