Ak Mescit ('White Mosque', Crimean town later Simferopol, and a fortress on the Syr Darya)

Ak Mescit, "White Mosque", was the name of two places: a town in the Crimea that became Simferopol, and a fortress on the Syr Darya in the khanate of Khokand.

The Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd ed.), article signed W. Barthold, describes the first Ak Mescit as a town in the Crimea, founded by the khans to protect their capital, Bakhchisaray, from nomad incursions. The crown prince (kalghay sultan) had his palace outside the town, according to Evliya Çelebi. The town was destroyed by the Russians in 1736 and rebuilt in 1784 under the name of Simferopol, although the local population continued to use the Turkish name. ¹

The second Ak Mescit was a fortress on the Syr Darya that belonged to the khanate of Khokand. The Russians under General Perovsky captured it on 9 August 1853 (28 July old style) and rebuilt it the same year as Fort Perovsky. It was renamed Perovsk and became the capital of a district in the province of the Syr Darya. In 1924 it was renamed Kyzyl Orda, and it was the capital of the Kazakh republic until 1928. ¹