Nuriye Jeter, Crimean Tatar actress and dancer

In the front right corner of the Reading Hall in the Gasprinsky Library, there is a revolving display of information about different Crimean Tatar artists, writers, poets, intellectuals, and political leaders. With documents taken from the library’s collections, the displays highlight the achievements of prominent Crimean Tatars and the vast creative and intellectual wealth of the Crimean Tatar people.

Susanna Rezaevna, head of the Readers department, stands in front of a display about Nuriye Jeter, who was a famous Crimean Tatar actress and dancer in the 20th century. Born in Bakhchiseray, Crimea in 1912, Jeter studied at a theater school in Simferopol. In 1925 when she was only 13, she began to perform at the Crimean Tatar theater in Simferopol. She soon became one of the prominent artists in the company, playing leading roles is such classic plays as The Last by M. Gorky (the role of Anastasia) and Shakespeare’s Hamlet (the role of Ophelia), and also Crimea Tatar plays such as The Fountain of Bakchiseray, in which she played the role of Zarema, written specifically for her.
Jeter performed at the Crimean Tatar theater for sixteen years until 1941. She also became part of a trio that included vocalist S. Eredzhepovoy and violinist A. Parikova in which she performed traditional Crimean Tatar dances. The trio became well known beyond Crimea and planned an overseas tour, but their plan, like so many others, was interrupted by the war.
In1944, Nuriye Jeter was swept up in the deportation of the Crimean Tatars and ended up in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. After the war, she continued to perform in drama theaters in Uzbekistan. She died in Tashkent in 1991.