Fortress city Eski-Kermen in Crimea: features and location

The centuries-old history of the peninsula has left an indelible imprint on it. Therefore, today it is possible for vacationers and guests of Crimea to visit some truly unique places. Among the huge list of such attractions, the fortress city of Eski-Kermen should be highlighted, which will not leave indifferent any tourist.

On the peninsula, you can find interesting ancient buildings that are cave cities. Eski-Kermen is a vivid representative of the joint labor of man and nature, the result of which is an attraction that has survived to our times, filled with secrets and riddles. The place of the abandoned fortress is often visited today by Crimean vacationers, as well as directors and directors who use this archaeological site for filming films.

At one time, in the upper reaches of the crevices, there were battle walls intended for the defense of the city, in addition, fragments of overhead watchtowers and cave casemates have survived to this day.

The name of the city is translated as "old fortress", once the city occupied about 4/5 of the entire plateau with a length of 10 hectares. The approach to Eski-Kermen was a road going from the south, the eastern and western walls were sheer cliffs. In addition to the main road, it was possible to get to the settlement from the north, where the cliff was located, as well as from the eastern side.

Temples were built inside the fortress; among the buildings for this purpose, the most popular one should be distinguished, called the Temple of the Three Horsemen. Based on the available data, it was erected in the XII-XIII century. Famous soldiers, in whose honor the temple was built, are considered St. George the Victorious, as well as Fyodor Stratilat and Dmitry Salunsky.

The fortress was built with an emphasis on protection from raids and invasions of enemies, therefore the walls of Eski-Kermen had impressive dimensions, contained space for the location of stone throwers. In addition, in case of a siege, the fortress was provided with the most necessary - water. For these purposes, inside was built well, in which there is water to this day. It is this attraction that is the most important in the city.

The well is 50 meters deep and the descent stairs contain 84 steps. Its bottom is a spacious hall.

Residential buildings were built of stone, tiles were used as roofing materials, the buildings on the upper tiers had balconies. However, to save space, the yards were narrow and small. The dwellings contained spacious basements that were used for household needs.

Among the interesting places of the fortress city, it is necessary to note the numerous pits in the rocks, the purpose of which was the storage of grain crops. All rooms were well ventilated, therefore even with a long siege, the inhabitants were provided with food supplies. On the slopes of the fortress, there are thickets of once cultivated vineyards.

Now the fortifications of the fortress are almost destroyed, it is believed that most of them were destroyed in the VIII century as a result of the uprising against the Khazars. However, some staircases and caves can still be viewed today. Almost all of them were carved into the rocks by a human hand. At the top of the rock, there are the remains of a watchtower, which is called Kyz-Kule.

Information concerning the origin of Eski-Kermen was obtained only thanks to the archaeological work carried out in this area. In ancient writings, there is no mention of the fortress, and the true name of this majestic structure is also unknown.

So, according to historical research, the city is already about 15 centuries old, and the Byzantines were the founders of the fortifications on the territory of the Crimea. At that time, an important northern section of the trade route from the Black Sea to Chersonesos passed through the lands of the peninsula, and Eski-Kermen was a parking lot, which it was decided to strengthen for security.

The fortress was raided and attacked many times, and finally the city was plundered and destroyed by the Khazars in the 18th century. Later, the cave city continued to exist, but already as an ordinary point, which is the center of trade. It flourished in the 10th century, when, according to archaeologists, more than two thousand inhabitants lived in the city. Caves carved into the stone served as their dwellings. In addition to trade, the main craft, gardening and viticulture, various crafts, and fishing were actively developing in Eski-Kermen.

The city fell into decay during the reign of the Greek princes. Various myths and legends are associated with this period. According to one of them, terrible atrocities were committed on the stone mountain. And supposedly confirmation of this was the numerous remains of bones found in the caves of the city.Then such finds were regarded as targeted destruction of people inhabiting the area.

However, the rooms where the human bones were found were located near the temples in the city, and were chambers that looked like stone tombs with a narrow entrance. It was subsequently found that they played the role of family crypts. The indigenous inhabitants of the fortress city adhered to certain funeral rites, according to which the dead were buried in tombs, and not in cemeteries.

The attraction is located at some distance from modern highways and roads, therefore the most successful option to visit Eski-Kermen is to travel by private car. On the map, the ancient city is located 14 kilometers from Bakhchisarai. The nearest settlement near the attraction is the village of Red Poppy. In addition, when visiting the monument by car, you will also be able to visit another cave city - Mangup Kale, which is located 4 kilometers from the once majestic fortress.

However, access directly to Eski-Kermen is not possible, therefore tourists will have to walk a certain part of the way from the village. You can get from Bakhchisarai to Zalesnoye by a regular bus, as well as route routes to the sights go from Simferopol, Yalta and Sevastopol. From there, following the signs, you can get to the cave city.

Private excursion services organize transportation of tourists in jeeps to the very foot of the mountain, but the ascent is carried out without any additional equipment. The railway will become an alternative to road transport. By train from Bakhchisarai, you need to get to the platform "1509 km", and then follow in the direction of the village of Kholmovka. Following the Kaya-Bash mountain, fields and gardens, in 30-40 minutes you can reach the plateau.

The main interesting places in Eski-Kermen are caves, only in the city itself there are more than three hundred of them. Also, tourists can visit the caves located on the slopes of the mountains, there are about five dozen of them.

The most memorable surroundings of the ancient city will be if you follow the route through the South Gate of the fortress. Tourists will have the opportunity to see the temple of the Three Horsemen as well as the ancient frescoes carved inside. It was cut in a separate piece of rock at the very foot. The building had two entrances; high benches along the walls have survived to this day. To allow light to enter, two windows were made in the rock.

Also among the interesting places in Eski-Kermen should be highlighted temple "Judgment", the Church of the Assumption and the ancient casemate... At the main entrance to the city there was a large temple with a baptismal place, an altar and an armchair. They are the most ancient premises in the temple; later the size of the temple was increased. The Church of the Assumption is small in size, according to archaeological work, earlier this room in the rock was used for other purposes. Ancient frescoes depicting Christ, as well as the main fresco of the Assumption, have been preserved on the walls. These murals date back to the 12th century.

The main attraction will be the siege well, as well as the fragments of the basilica.

Visitors will be offered to explore Northern sentinel complex, which was located a little further from the rest of the buildings. A staircase and an entrance are still preserved in the thickets. There are two caves here, each of which performed its own function. The city-fortress ends from the north with two detached rocks, previously they were connected with each other by reversible staircases.

Not far from the historical monument of ancient culture is Cherkes-Kermen. The former settlement today is geographically located in the village of Krepkoye. It has been used and flourished on the peninsula since the late antiquity. Until now, only koshars have survived from the buildings, some of them are located in the fragments of rocks and rock sheds.

"Temple of Donators" is another ancient structure that is located nearby. The name of the church is due to the murals inside, which once depicted the family of the donors of the church.

In the Djurla gully, located in this part of the peninsula, at a short distance from the ancient walled city, you can find a recreation center intended for tourists. For everyone who wants to relax after a sightseeing tour, there is an opportunity to stay overnight in rooms or spend time in a tent camp.

Now the fortress is one of the historical and archaeological monuments that are under the protection of the state. There are no restrictions on the number and duration of visits to the attraction. However, there are certain rules that are binding on everyone. So, on the territory of Eski-Kermen it is prohibited:

• carry out any excavations, up to the violation of the integrity of the soil;
• spread the fire;
• set up tent camps;
• stay on the territory with an overnight stay;
• litter, harm the environment;
• leave inscriptions on any fragments of the structure.

To make a tour of the surroundings and the city itself as convenient as possible for vacationers, posters are posted throughout the territory, which contain information about all the main sites suitable for visiting. Also, for review, there is general map of the area.

To explore the ancient city, you can use services of an excursion company, thanks to which during the walks it will be possible to learn about each attraction separately. Also, the fortress is available to visitors for self-study and walks.

Photo and video filming on the territory of the monument is allowed, therefore, vacationers can rent the fortress without any restrictions. The beauty and mystery of this place is conducive to photography.

So that in the process of acquaintance with the ancient buildings there are no all sorts of problems, tourists are advised to select the most comfortable shoes with non-slip soles. The ascent to the mountain will contain several options for surfaces underfoot: soil, stones, medium-sized gravel.

It will be quite windy upstairs at any time of the year, in addition, unlike the temperature below, the air will be 5-10 degrees cooler. For a comfortable rest of tourists, at the very climb of the mountain there is a cafe, it is located in the open air.It offers visitors separate gazebos, barbecue facilities for cooking. Guests of the institution can taste local cuisine performed by professional chefs, as well as traditional oriental delicacies and seafood.

For those wishing to spend time in Crimea with a maximum of positive impressions, there is the possibility of horseback riding, as well as climbing the mountain on off-road vehicles.

Sightseeing tour of the Eski-Kermen fortress, see below.