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The Assumption Monastery of the Caves is located in Crimea, Ukraine, near Bakhchisaray. It is a cave monastery carved out of a cliff. The date of the monastery's foundation is disputed, although local monks assert that it originated as early as the 8th century but was abandoned when Byzantium lost its hold on the region. The current monastic establishment dates back to the 15th century. In 1921 the monastery was closed by the Soviet government. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Ukrainian independence the monastery was reopened to the public.
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Simferopol (Ukrainian: Сімферополь; Russian: Симферополь, meaning in Greek: city of common good; Crimean Tatar: Aqmescit, literally: The white mosque) is the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in southern Ukraine. As the capital of Crimea, Simferopol is an important political, economic, and transport center of the peninsula. As of 2006, the city's population is 340,600. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simferopol