Located in the center of the Old City in the valley of the river Churuk-su. The founder of the dynasty Hadji Gerai in the middle of the 15th century. moved the capital from the city of Crimea (Old Crimea) to Kyrk-Er (Chufut-kale), seeking independence from the Golden Horde. The construction of the palace and the capital was initiated by his son Mengli Giray I (1467–1515). He was brought up in the Cafe with the Genoese, having mastered both European and Asian culture. In a military alliance with the Moscow kingdom, he expands his influence to the north and east of the Crimea. Khan Kyrym Gerai (1717–1769), an admirer and connoisseur of everything French, founded the “Crimean Rococo” style.

Studying the architecture of the palace, Russian architects of the 19th and 20th centuries, primarily P.N. Krasnov, spread and developed this style for villas and hotel buildings, as well as mosques and public buildings of resorts. But the palace and its “Fountain of Tears” became world famous only thanks to A. Pushkin, who visited the Crimea in 1820.
Now it is the Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve. The archaeological exposition introduces evidence of life in ancient times, from the time of the glaciation of Europe. The ethnographic collection is dedicated to the culture, life, crafts and folk art of the Crimean Tatars.