A Bahçesaray-born master of filigree descended from a long line of artisans, the jeweller Ayder Asanov is the only artisan to survive deportation to Uzbekistan and return to Bahçesaray to rebuild his family’s business.

A gentle, soft-spoken man of great charm and talent, Ayder has his atelier at the back of an old stone house by the Çuruk Su river, a few minutes’ walk from the entrance to the Khan’s Palace (simply follow the palace walls downstream).

Ayder shares the house with his daughter Elmira, who makes cheerful Tatar costumes and costume jewellery – in great demand these days for Tatar weddings – and a young jeweller, the talented Ruslan Denislyamov, one of his many apprentices – Ayder has always been generous with his knowledge, helping to keep the flame of Crimean artisanship alive.