Catherine herself wrote to Grimm, on her way to Bakhchisarai, on May 21: “Yesterday, at about 6 o’clock, after lunch, everyone arrived here in good health and in the most cheerful mood; we were accompanied all the way: the Tatars were waiting... E10 there was an excellent sight: - surrounded in front, from the sides and from behind, in an open carriage, in which sidflo 8 people, we went to Bakhchisarai, and went straight to the house of the khans; there we are surrounded by minarets and mosques, where they shout, pray, sing and spin on one leg 5 times every 24 hours.
Segur describes his stay in Bakhchisar: “Their imp. The people occupied the Khan's large chambers. Fitz Herbert, Cobenzel, de Ligne and I settled into the rooms of the seraglio; adjoining them was a beautiful garden, surrounded by a high wall. The only furniture in these rooms were wide sofas along the entire table. The middle of the room was occupied by a water container made of white marble with a fountain that continuously flowed a stream of clean, fresh water. The room was half-lit, the glass in the windows was painted; when we opened the window, even then the rays of the sun barely penetrated through the thick rose, laurel, jasmine, pomegranate and orange trees that covered the windows with their greenery and served as curtains for us.
"I remember that once I was lying on my sofa, relaxed by the extreme heat and enjoying the murmur of the fountain, the coolness of the shade and the smell of flowers. I indulged in the eastern sky and daydreamed like a true pasha. Suddenly I saw before me a little old man, in long clothes, with a white beard and wearing a red cap on his bald head. His appearance, appearance obedience and an Asian bow complemented my enchantment, and for a few minutes I imagined myself as a perfect Muslim ruler, to whom some aga or bostanji had come for orders.”... (It turned out to be the khan’s gardener, and Segur took him as his guide). “He led me through all the winding passages of the eastern palace... The conquered Mohammedans did not dare to refuse us anything, and we entered the mosque at prayer time.”...
“The Empress spent only 5 days in Bakhchisar.
Pleasure was expressed in all the features of her face: she enjoyed the pride of an empress, a woman and a Christian at the thought that she had taken the throne of the khans who had once been the rulers of Russia.”...
De Lin wrote from Bakhchisarai: "I am in the harem of the last Crimean Khan. Fate has chosen for me the room of his most beautiful sultana, and Segur - the first of his black eunuchs... In our palaces, which were built partly in Arabic, Chinese and Turkish tastes, there are many ponds, small gardens, paintings, gilding and inscriptions; among other things, in the spacious and magnificent hall, the following is depicted in gold letters, in Turkish, around the cornice: “Contrary to envy, the evil saint is aware that neither Ispaganf, nor Damascus, nor Istanbul has such wealth as this.”
"From Kherson itself," de Ligne continues, "we have come across dwellings everywhere among the steppes, enchanting with their Az1at majesty. I don’t know where, where and what place I am in. When I see mountains rising and moving, I consider it a dream: instead, herds of dromedaries, rising to their feet their own, in the distance, and like the mountains, brought into motion. Aren’t the animals, I said to myself, serving as a carriage for the three kings for the glorious journey to Bethlehem! I see. When I see them armed with bows and swords, I am transported to the ancient times of Cyrus... From the windows of the ancient
Nice Crimea, from which they made a palace in order to spend one night in it, I discover the most delightful views in two parts of the world, stretching almost to the Caspian Sea: it seems to me that this can serve as a comparison to the temptation of Satan, who could not show anything better to our Savior...
“It still seems like a dream to me that time when I sit in a large carriage, similar to a ceremonial chariot, decorated with monograms made of expensive stones, between two great persons, and when, lulled by the heat, I often bow my head on their shoulders, and waking up, I hear the following conversation of my comrades: “I have 30 million subjects, counting only the male half. “And I have 22 with all,” answers the other. “I need,” continues the first, “at least 600 thousand troops from Kamchatka to Riga.” “And half will be enough for me,” answers the other.”