Caffa

Caffa, also Kaffa, is a historic port city on the eastern coast of the Crimean Peninsula. Today it is the site of Feodosia in Crimea, a Black Sea port. Since 2014, Crimea's status is disputed; de facto it is controlled by Russia and de jure claimed by Ukraine, but Feodosia remains part of the region internationally recognized as Crimea.

The city originated as a Genoese trading colony established in the 14th century. As Caffa, it functioned as a major link in the Genoese network between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, serving as a fortress and commercial hub. The name Caffa (Kaffa) is the historical designation used in medieval European sources.

In the 1340s Kaffa was the scene of a major siege by the Golden Horde. Accounts describe the use of plague-infected bodies against the defenders, with the resulting epidemic spreading to Europe through trade routes, contributing to the Black Death's spread. The incident is a landmark in the history of disease transmission, though details are debated among historians.

After the Crimean peninsula came under Ottoman suzerainty, Kaffa remained under Ottoman control for centuries. The Russian Empire annexed Crimea in 1783, and the city was renamed Feodosia. It then developed as a commercial port and, in the modern era, as a coastal resort, with historic sites including the remnants of Genoese fortifications.

Today Feodosia remains a port city and regional center in eastern Crimea, with historic fortifications and museums reflecting its Genoese and multi-ethnic past.