A part of the Living block seen from the Palace Square

The Living Rooms of the Crimean khans and their retinue were arranged at the second floor of the Main Part of the Palace. A complex of halls for official ceremonies and audiences made a separate block in the same area. Some of these numerous chambers of the second floor have their own names, like “Khans’ Dining room” or “Khans’ Bedroom”. However, it is difficult to state that the khans of Crimea did actually eat and rest exactly in these premises as the layout of the second floor has been considerably changed since the times of the Khanate. This happened because of visits of Russian emperors to Bakhchisaray when they stayed in the living rooms of the khans. Probably, it would be pleasant to them to spend a couple of days in exotic eastern interiors, still their zealous servants tried to please the czars, altering much in these rooms in a "European" manner. They didn’t succeed in their intention: having lost much of its initial stylistics, the apartments of the khans did not become “a Petersburg" either.

But despite all changes and replannings, the decoration of the chambers still keeps a lot of original features like stained-glass windows, ceilings with geometrical ornaments, carved fireplaces. An ethnographic exposition arranged in these rooms nowadays demonstrates various aspects of material and spiritual culture of the Crimean Tatar people.

Halls of official audiences

In comparison with the Living Rooms, the ceremonial halls (called the Ambassadorial Hall, the Coffee Room and the Golden Cabinet) keep much more from their initial look. The khans of the 18th century gave audiences to representatives of foreign governments there, held business negotiations and rested after official ceremonies together with their honourable guests. These halls are currently being restored and after a while will be opened for visiting by tourists.

Golden Cabinet

The interior of the Golden Cabinet is of a special interest. The walls of the Cabinet are richly decorated with beautiful wall-paintings and stucco-moulded images of fruits. A decorative Ta’aliq inscription on the walls gives a poem which glorifies in solemn phrases Qırım Giray (reigned in 1758-64 and 1768-69), who made the Palace a piece of Paradise by repairing it and inviting the best Crimean artists for its decoration.