Balzimachi

The coast around the Yeya spit lies between the Sea of Azov and the Yeya estuary, where fisheries and steppe routes met. In 1777–1778 Russian forces built a fort at Chebakleya, near the base of the spit, as a reserve residence for the Crimean khan Shahin Giray. A wooden palace was moved there, while fishing settlements on the spit caught and salted fish. Nearby, a market associated with Shahin Giray served trade with the Nogais, bringing merchants and herders together on this coastal frontier.