During the late 13th century, the town was known as either
Solkhat (
Solkhad,
Solghad, ) or as
Qrım ( ). Neither name is attested prior to the 13th century, but on the authority of
al-Qalqashandi,
Solkhat is the older of the two, dating to the period prior to the Mongol conquest in mid-1238. Both names coexisted during the 14th century, but the name
Qırım came to displace
Solkhat by the early 15th. The origin of either name is uncertain. Some consider
Solkhat to be related to the Greek
Colchis. Before the Mongol period, mention is made in Greek hagiography of the residence of the
Khazar governor of the eastern part of the peninsula, as a fortress named
Phoulla or Phoullai (Φοῦλλαι, although other sources identify this place with
Chufut-Kale) along with
Sugdaia (
Sudak); it is likely that the site of this fortress corresponds to the site of
Solghat. The name
Qirim may continue the old name
Cimmerium (after the
Cimmerians). The
Strait of Kerch was known as
Bosporus Cimmerius in the
Roman era (as reported by
Ptolemy,
Polybius, and
Strabo), after the city of
Cimmerium which stood nearby. The promontory or peninsula on which it stood was known as
Promontorium Cimmerium (Κιμμέριον ἄκρον). The 13th-century toponym
Qrim is likely explained as a corruption of the name
Cimmerium. There are however alternative suggestions, such as derivation from the Greek
Cremnoi (Κρημνοί, in post-classical Koiné Greek pronunciation, Crimni, i.e., "the Cliffs", referenced by Herodotus 4.20.1 and 4.110.2) or from a
Mongolian appellation. The name "Crimea" (for the
Crimean Khanate, and later also for the peninsula itself) is derived from the name of the city). It became adopted as an alternative term for what used to be known as
Tauris or
Tauric Peninsula in western languages from the 17th century. Since the annexation of Crimea by
Catherine II of Russia in 1783, the town has been known by the Russian name Staryi Krym (Russian
staryi meaning "old", rendered in Crimean Tatar as
eski; also transliterated as
Staroi Krim and variants). Although officially the town was renamed
Levkopol after the ancient Greek name of
Leukopolis (White City), this never gained popularity, perhaps because the town already styled a name from antiquity. == History ==