By 1783 there were 308 houses in the town (of which 84 had been partially destroyed by Russian Imperial forces under the leadership of Burkhard Christoph von Münnich in 1736), seven mosques, three maktabs, and one madrassa.

[7] In the minutes of a meeting of Taurida Oblast's government, it is noted that "from Aqmescit, the local capital city of Simferopol will be created."

In 1784, under the leadership of Prince Grigory Potemkin, work began on administrative and residential buildings as well as an Orthodox church in the area north-west of Kebir-Jami Mosque.

In May, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin ordered the deportation of the Crimean Tatars to Central Asia as collective punishment for perceived pro-Nazi collaboration.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Old Simferopol became part of newly-independent Ukraine, and many Crimean Tatars were allowed to return to their historical homeland.

The city of Simferopol, including the Old Town, became the subject of a number of land disputes between residents of houses seized from deported Tatars, and the descendants of deportees wishing to return.

International organisations continue to express concerns about collective punishment and ethnic cleansing directed against the Crimean Tatar population.

[16] In 2018, however, Chief Architect of the Republic of Crimea Irina Solovyova announced that the authorities intend to carry out renovation works in Old Simferopol, including the demolition of dilapidated housing.