Mount Cat - the famous natural monument of Crimea

For many decades, the Crimean peninsula has been the most favorite vacation spot for residents of different countries. This territory is famous not only for its unique climate, unusual plants, clean and salubrious air, azure sea and comfortable beaches, but also for its unique landscape.

Nature has surprisingly collected in one region a huge number of unique monuments, whose age reaches millions of years. In order to see all the sights, tourists have been returning to Crimea for many years and enthusiastically listen to the bewitching and mysterious legends and tales. One of the most memorable and popular monuments is Mount Koshka.

Mountain Cat - a unique natural monument that arose as a result of seismic vibrations of the earth's surface and is located 19 km from Yalta near the small village of Simeiz. The territory of the picturesque village is located on the Black Sea coast and is an adornment of the southern part of the Crimean peninsula. The main attraction of the village for many years has been the mountain range, which is located on the western border of Simeiz. The mountain range stretches from west to south and goes straight into the sea.

The name of the natural object comes from the ancient Tatar name Kosh-Kaya, which means a double rock. The mountain consists of the following parts:

• head with ears;
• arched back;
• tail.

Mount Koshka is a moving limestone massif that a million years ago detached from the main ridge of the Crimean Mountains and began to move along the southern slope of the peninsula. The age of limestone deposits is no more than 150 million years.

The relatively young relief is in constant dynamic movement, during which cracks, voids, rocks and mudflows, as well as mountain formations with pointed peaks appear. The inner part of the mountain consists of karst caves, the length of which can reach 100 meters, and their outer part is hidden in dense thickets of trees.

The height of the highest point of the mountain is 250 meters, and the height of the tail section does not exceed 210 meters. The total area of ​​this territory is 50 hectares. The massif consists of two elongated parallel heights - western and eastern, between which there is a plain. This area has inaccessible and constantly crumbling precipices.

The southern side, despite its difficult terrain, is more attractive for tourists, who can get to the flat plain through a small gorge. The best way is to climb the mountain from the north side, where there is a narrow road.

The guides recommend paying attention to the objects surrounding the mountain:

• Diva rock;

• the remains of the Monk rock;

• Mount Panea

• Swan wing

Mount Cat is not only a beautiful natural site, but also the historical heritage of the ancient and medieval period. The result of the long and painstaking work of researchers and archaeologists was the remains of settlements of the Early and Middle Bronze Age.

At the highest point of the cliff, evidence was found of the presence of a Tavrian village and burials in these places. Later in the 7th century, Greeks who fled from Constantinople lived on this territory, but already in the 14th century the territory was occupied by the Genoese. The invaders built the Panea fortress to strengthen the defense line. In the middle of 1400, the Turks took possession of the territory and built a haven for pirates and slave traders on it.

Historians claim that the original appearance of this massif was significantly different from the modern one. In ancient times, the mountain was connected to the plain of Islay, and all the lowlands were barricaded with huge stones. This structure was a reliable barrier that protected the southern side from the invasion of enemies. Today, tourists can only see the remains of a fence no more than 100 meters long, about 2.5 meters wide and no more than 3 meters high.

The original history of the appearance of the village and the surrounding mountain sculptures is covered with secrets and legends. According to one of them, many centuries ago, ancient people built a small village, in which after a while an unusual person appeared. As a dwelling, the stranger chose a mountain cave and lived far from people. Many residents of Simeiz turned to the hermit for help in solving life problems and difficulties with health.

A modest, calm and unsociable person did not refuse anyone and helped everyone. His main tool in healing the sick has always been prayer. Since then, he acquired the status of a saint, but behind the mask of a savior was a robber and a swindler who wanted to atone for his evil deeds.

For a long time, the monk's life was watched by evil spirits, who with all their might wanted to return him to their ranks. To realize their plan, the dark forces turned into a cat that came to the monk's house. The priest took pity on the animal and sheltered it in his dwelling. The insidious animal tried with all its might to harm a person and provoke him to bad deeds. The hermit did not like the behavior of the furry beast, and he drove the beast out of the house.

The thought of provocation did not leave the dark forces, and after a short time, while fishing, they sent a beautiful girl to the monk.As soon as the hermit saw the beauty, all the images of women whom he had harmed came to his mind.

All that was happening was closely watched by the light forces, and when the priest remembered all the evil he had done, a piercing light illuminated the sky, and under its rays all the characters in these events turned into stone rocks. Huge and silent mountain sculptures have survived to this day in the form of a Cat, Monk and Diva.

The tourist attraction of a natural object lies not only in the geological and landscape features, but also in the botanical one. Scientists and ordinary tourists from many countries of the world come to admire the nature of this corner, on the territory of which you can see the following plants of the sub-Mediterranean woodland:

• fluffy oak;
• high juniper;
• blunt-leaved pistachio;
• Crimean cistus;
• pontic butcher;
• shrub jasmine;
• fumana thyme;
• small-fruited strawberry.

Astronomers and lovers of the starry sky will be interested in visiting the Simeiz Astrophysical Observatory, located on the top of the mountain. This scientific center is equipped with a huge radio telescope with a diameter of 22 meters.

In mid-1960, the center's workers were the first in Europe to be able to capture the reverse side of the lunar surface. The guides tell the visitors to Crimea about dolmens - ancient tombs, which consisted of four slabs and were covered with a fifth slab. The weight of one slab is about 1 ton. Most of the many structures are buried in the ground, and some are completely covered in soil and vegetation, and adventurers can explore the coastline and uncover hidden and unexplored sides of the mountain.

The road to the monument will not be difficult even for novice travelers. Regular bus routes go to Simeiz, and private carriers will take travelers to the very foot of the attraction, but you will have to walk the distance from tail to head on your own. Before you go to enjoy the natural beauty, you need to buy comfortable clothes and shoes, as well as make the necessary supply of water and food.

If there is no self-confidence or desire to overcome the difficulties of the ascent, experts recommend abandoning the planned event and enjoying the beauty of the mountain from the adjacent village. Having come into contact with the beauty of Crimea, one must remember that this region is a nature reserve and it is necessary to treat its nature carefully and carefully, trying not to harm it.

Climbing to the very top of the ridge, you can see the endless expanses of the sea, mountains and the entire territory of Simeiz. Even professional travelers are delighted with these landscapes, and the pictures taken will become a vivid reminder of the journey for many decades. The guides draw the attention of tourists to the possible disappearance of the mountain sculpture due to its constant movement towards the sea.

Of course, this process will last for several hundred more years, but nature is full of mysteries, the answer to which even scientists do not know. In order to have time to enjoy the miraculous beauty of nature, do not delay the trip to the picturesque and amazing Crimea.Indeed, for this it is not necessary to go to distant countries and spend huge financial resources. Scientists recommend that you first study the nearby beauties and memorable signs, which will give no less pleasure and no less vivid palette of sensations.

About what legends the Cat Mountain in Crimea keeps, see the next video.