In recent years, this building has been used as the office of the tourist company "Neofit".
According to the head of the company, the structure was built in 1887 by merchant Rafikov and originally served as a private wooden house. In 1918, after the building was transferred to the authorities, a hotel opened here. Later, it housed the State Security Committee, a training institute, and a state insurance company. In 1992, the building became private property, and since 2001 it has been used as the office of a tourist company.
The structure includes 13 rooms.
“The house of merchant Rafikov is a classic example of a one-story brick corner building with arched windows reminiscent of Russian masonry. The entrance design is similar to the window openings. A decorative belt runs around the entire perimeter, above which is a brick cornice. The building is adorned with carved wooden cornices, window frames, and shutters, as well as a wooden porch. The walls are brick, and the entrance and windows are finished in white. The roof is made of metal. After 1918, the house was transformed into the hotel 'Dom Dekhanina', and the roof has not changed since its construction,” the press release states.
The city administration also mentioned that according to other sources, this building belonged to merchant Fatih Sulaymanov, who is one of the most famous Tatar merchants.
Fatih Sulaymanov, who arrived in Karakol from Verny (now Almaty) in 1893 at the age of 25, had amassed a fortune of 300,000 gold rubles by 1914 and opened the first trading house "Sulaymanov and Co", which became the most successful in Central Asia.
Sulaymanov owned 16 stores throughout the region, as well as factories, plants, and two sailing barges on Issyk-Kul. His trading house represented the products of Przhevalsky County at the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. However, during the events of 1916, he lost his fortune. Fatih spent many years in captivity, survived, and lived to be 98 years old, leaving behind diaries written throughout his life. He passed away in his hometown of Karakol,” the message adds.
