17\u00a0April\u00a01938\u00a0marks the day of remembrance for Usein Bodaninsky, a prominent Crimean Tatar artist, historian, ethnographer, museologist, and the founder and first director of the museum at the Khan’s Palace. On this very day, the so-called troika handed down his sentence, and he was executed by shooting in Simferopol that same day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Usein Bodaninsky was born on\u00a013\u00a0December\u00a01877\u00a0in the village of Bodana, Simferopol district, into the family of a Crimean Tatar language and literature teacher. He studied at the Tatar Teachers’ School in Akmesdzhit (Simferopol) and later pursued art at the Stroganov Higher School of Art and Industry. He worked in Paris, Istanbul, Dresden, and St. Petersburg, and studied Renaissance monumental painting in Italy. He spent nearly\u00a0two\u00a0decades outside Crimea, honing his artistic and professional expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He returned to his homeland during the revolution in\u00a01917\u00a0and immediately engaged in active public life. He became a delegate to the First Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar People, held in November\u00a01917, and settled in Bakhchysarai. It was here that his life’s main mission began: the preservation of cultural heritage. In\u00a01917, he took charge of the newly established Museum of Turkic-Tatar Culture at the Bakhchysarai Khan’s Palace, transforming it into a scientific and cultural\u00a0centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was thanks to his dedication that the palace itself was preserved and enriched with historical content. He\u00a0organised\u00a0a branch of the “Society for the Protection of Antiquities”, initiated archaeological research at Chufut-Kale, Mangup-Kale, Eski-Kermen, and Tepe-Kermen, and secured state protection for dozens of historical sites. He assembled and\u00a0systematised\u00a0a vast ethnographic collection, which included over\u00a03,000\u00a0of his own drawings and watercolours. These artworks documented vanishing crafts, traditional clothing, ornamentation, and architectural details, playing a crucial role in preserving Crimean Tatar heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In\u00a01925, he led a major ethnographic expedition that, according to his diary, “travelled\u00a0500\u00a0versts, visiting\u00a064\u00a0settlements in Crimea. In\u00a042\u00a0days, approximately\u00a0150\u00a0ethnographic household items and\u00a050\u00a0epigraphic monuments (as individual manuscripts) were collected. Around\u00a01,000\u00a0folklore samples were recorded,\u00a0200\u00a0monuments were photographed, and\u00a0300\u00a0were sketched”. The researchers recorded folklore, documented the daily life and traditions of the Crimean Tatars, and gathered unique collections of everyday items, including exquisite filigree\u00a0jewellery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an artist, he painted portraits of prominent Crimean Tatar cultural figures, created sketches of local daily life and architecture, and provided illustrations for historical publications (such as the book “Crimean Tatar Children’s Songs”). He also painted landscapes of Bakhchysarai and the Crimean Mountains, including his famous work “Moonlit Evening”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His artistic and academic work made a profound contribution to the preservation of Crimean Tatar heritage. However, this very dedication to his people and his desire to protect their culture ultimately led to his persecution by the Soviet authorities. In\u00a01934, he was dismissed from his position as the museum’s director. In August\u00a01937, he was arrested on fabricated charges of “counter-revolutionary activity” and “espionage”. His sentence was handed down at the height of the Great Terror, swiftly and with no right to a fair trial. The NKVD “troika” operated with ruthless efficiency: arrest, torture, a closed trial, a verdict with no right to\u00a0defence\u00a0or appeal, and finally, execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Usein Bodaninsky was executed by firing squad on the very day the decision was made \u2014\u00a017\u00a0April\u00a01938. His burial place remains unknown. The subsequent fate of his family, who likely also faced persecution, is equally unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many years, his name was erased from the public sphere; he was only posthumously rehabilitated in\u00a01957.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite this, the historical monuments, museum collections, and ethnographic materials he safeguarded remain the foundation for the study of Crimean Tatar culture today. His name stands as a poignant reminder of the ultimate price paid for the right to preserve it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":87397,"template":"","publication-type":[],"class_list":["post-87408","press-center","type-press-center","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n