Perekop

For other uses, see Perekop (disambiguation).
Perekop
Перекоп
Or Qapı
Urban-type settlement

A map showing the location of Perekop
Perekop

Location of Perekop within the Crimea

Coordinates: 46°9′42″N 33°41′34″E / 46.16167°N 33.69278°E
Country Disputed
 Russia,  Ukraine
Republic Crimea
Region Armyansk municipality
Elevation 5 m (16 ft)
Population (2001)
 • Total 894
Time zone MSK (UTC+4)
Postal code 96011
Area code(s) +380-6567
Former names Or Qapı, Tafgros

Perekop (Ukrainian: Перекоп; Russian: Перекоп; Crimean Tatar: Or Qapı) is an urban-type settlement located at the Perekop Isthmus connecting Crimean peninsula to the Ukrainian mainland. It is known for the Fortress Or Qapi that served as the gateway to Crimea. The village currently is part of Armyansk city, a historical Ermeni Bazar.

Name

The name Or Qapı in Crimean Tatar language means Or - trench and Qapı - gate, while Perekop in Slavic languages literally means an over-dug locality. Earlier the settlement also carried a Greek name Tafros which also means an over-dug locality.

History

During the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739), Russian Field Marshal Burkhard Christoph von Munnich successfully stormed the fortifications on June 17, 1736 and left the Tatar fortress in ruins. This was a serious, if not mortal, blow to the independence of the Crimean Khanate.

The town was virtually wiped out during the Siege of Perekop by the Red Army in 1920. The siege was a key episode of the Russian Civil War. The success of the Bolsheviks allowed them to oust Pyotr Wrangel's White Army from the Crimea. Twelve years later, the Soviets founded the new town of Krasnoperekopsk 32 km (20 mi) to the south. During World War II, Perekop was occupied by the German Army from September 27, 1941 to November 1, 1943. Perekop's capture (by both the Wehrmacht in 1941 and the Red Army in 1943) was used to cut off Crimea from the rest of Ukraine.

See also

External links

Coordinates: 46°9′42″N 33°41′34″E / 46.16167°N 33.69278°E