Rest on Lake Mangup in Crimea

In the Crimean Bakhchisarai on the Mangup-Kale plateau, among the green mountains and hills, there is the beautiful Mangup Lake, known to travelers as the Maiden Lake. It is hard to imagine that half a century ago this lake was not in the Crimea. The history of his formation is quite interesting. It is not difficult to find this reservoir and you can spend several days of wonderful rest there.

On the southern side of the unique natural plateau Mangup-Kale, covered with greenery and representing four capes in the form of a paw of a huge animal, Lake Devichye is located.

When asked about Lake Devichye, few people will answer that they are familiar with such a reservoir, and all because the locals call it Mangup Lake. It is located in the Bakhchisarai region at the foot of the ancient settlement of Mangup-Kale. The lake is very young, it is not even 40 years old... The uniqueness of this reservoir is that it is man-made.

It was created by Soviet builders in the early 80s of the last century, having dug a large foundation pit. The opened underground streams quickly filled the depression, forming a surface of water among the majestic mountains covered with coniferous forest. Unfortunately, the resulting lake flooded part of the ancient history of this region of Crimea. Before the builders, archaeologists worked here on the study of the ancient settlement.

The construction became more important than archeology during the Soviet era, and part of the ancient basilica is still unexplored. They say that when the reservoir becomes shallow, the outlines of an ancient temple can be seen under the water, whether this is really so, one can only guess.

You can admire the steep walls of Mangup-Kale when you come to swim in the fresh waters of Lake Mangup. This cave settlement dates back to the 3rd-4th centuries. BC, a man here cut caves in limestone, in which he took refuge from the weather and enemies. With the conquest of these places by Byzantium, the cave city began to be called Doros, it was taken by the Khazars more than once. They gave the name to this area Mangup-Kale.

In medieval times (XIV century), Mangup-Kale becomes the Khazar capital, it expands and flourishes, a basilica appears. To protect the capital in these times, a three-story fortress was built and a large freshwater well was cut into the rock, which has survived to this day. Then the fortress defended itself for a long time from the Ottomans, who nevertheless conquered it using cunning. The conquering Turks plundered and destroyed the ancient city.

Soon Crimea passed into the possession of the Russian Empire under Catherine II, but Mangup-Kale lost its former significance, and the ruins were not restored. And only after 1970 this unique territory was recognized as a historical monument. It is a pity that by this time many ancient artifacts did not go to scientists, but were freely available to ordinary ignorant people.

To get a tourist to Lake Mangup (aka Maiden Lake) from the airport in Simferopol, you need to head for the Bakhchisarai region. This path from Simferopol to Bakhchisarai will take a little over 30 kilometers (or less than an hour by car). From Bakhchisarai, you need to choose a direction to the villages of Ternovka and Kholmovka, just between them lies the village of Khoja-Sala. Usually this path is overcome by car, but you can take a ticket at the central Bakhchisarai railway station for public transport.

25 km from Bakhchisarai itself, near the village of Khoja-Sala, there will be a lake of interest to tourists. The sign to the village of Khoja-Sala is difficult to miss; in the same direction you can see the sign to Mangup-Kale. After the tourist has left in the village of Khoja-Sala or left his car in it, according to the signs, you need to find a special tourist trail, which is guaranteed to lead to the Mangup plateau and the lake.

Before visiting Mangup-Kale and Maiden Lake, you can stay in the village of Khoja-Sala or in other nearby villages. Also on one of the shores of the lake there is a hotel Mangup-Kale, although many visitors prefer a romantic tent vacation and settle here for a few days.

The popularity of Lake Mangup is growing, and every year more and more tourists visit it, attracted by natural beauty, clean air, lakes and green mountains.

• This place is famous for legends, in the authenticity of which you can believe or not. A special guide will tell you about them, whose services you can use. There are always a lot of off-road vehicles in front of the Mangup camp site, whose owners offer excursions to cave places.
• From a height of more than 500 meters above sea level, spread out four capes with self-explanatory names - Vetreny, Sosnovy, the cape of the call of the Jews and Leaky - offer breathtaking beauty views. Any of the capes is suitable for relaxation; from each of them you can admire the unique nature. Being on the Devichye (Mangup) lake, you can admire the surrounding beauty from below, which will allow you to feel all the greatness of the mountains. Climbing tourists are happy to climb the cliffs and observe the beauty of the lake from above.
• Swimming in the lake, you can feel cold areas in the water - these are underground springs. The Maiden Lake has a muddy bottom and is full of fish. You can fish here only with a rod, paying a symbolic fee for this pleasure, the best season for this is from May to June, and then in September. The catch may include crucian carp, carps, and roach may also be caught.
• For a fee, you can also ride a catamaran, saddle a horse or a donkey, jeep riding will help to add extreme to your rest. Here you can rent gazebos, sheds, tents, fishing tackle, barbecues.
• An overnight stay in one of the many caves can give you a special experience. However, it should be borne in mind that the entire territory is protected, and it is better to take a permit for each action. The prices are not very high here, but they depend on the season, the rented property and the type of service.

The beauty of Lake Mangup in Crimea is shown in the video below.