The street Griboedov in Odessa has been renamed Jinistrivska, reflecting an important period in the city's history.
The decline of Greek settlements in the Northwestern Black Sea region, triggered by invasions of nomadic tribes around 375 AD, turned the lands around Odessa Bay into desolate steppes for centuries. It was only in the late 13th century that the former Greek port of Istrian saw the establishment of the Genoese trading post Jinistra. Ancient Italian maritime maps confirm its location coincides with today's historic center of the city.
Jinistra was a vital stop for maritime vessels and a point for exporting grain and other goods. There are several theories regarding the origin of its name: from the Italian word ginestra — “broom,” or derived from the name of the Dniester River.
During the Middle Ages, as in antiquity, the Khadjibey and Kuyalnik estuaries remained navigable and served as a safe harbor for merchants from Amalfi, Pisa, Venice, Genoa, Ancona, and other Mediterranean republics. This is evidenced by the discovery of ancient anchors.
It is believed that the bars at the mouths of the estuaries began forming in the 14th century. Jinistra declined in the mid-15th century after the Ottomans captured Constantinople.
After the full conquest by the Ottoman Empire, the Turks displaced the Genoese from the shores of the Black Sea. There is also a suggestion that Jinistra ceased to exist during the catastrophic plague pandemic of 1346-1349 AD.
