The cave city of Tepe-Kermen in Crimea: what is it famous for and how to get there?

Tepe-Kermen is one of the most mysterious places in the south-west of the Crimean peninsula. In ancient times, it was known as the fortress of Gothia. This is a cave city, the least studied by science, therefore it is especially attractive and attractive for tourists.

Scientists attribute the emergence of Tepe-Kermen to about the end of the VI - the very beginning of the VII century. Most likely, his appearance was directly related to the rapid advance of the Byzantines in the Northern Tauris. For the first several centuries, the settlement served as a fortress, in which there was a large army of Goth-Alans. Later, residential buildings began to be built here, and the building itself was tightly surrounded by a solid red wall - this happened already in the 10th century, immediately after the vast majority of Crimean villages fell under the military attacks of the Khazars, as a result of which Tepe-Kermen was included in the structure Kaganate.

It is believed that it was precisely in the Khazar Khaganate that Tepe-Kermen managed to achieve its greatest prosperity, despite the fact that most of the population were Christians. In the XI century, after the fall of the Khazars in the territory of Crimea and the transfer of land under the rule of Byzantium, the flowering of the cave city continued. By the end of the XII century, it was already one of the most densely populated on the entire peninsula.

However, this well-being was relatively short - in the XII century. Tepe-Kermen was captured and completely defeated by the Mongol troops of the powerful Khan Nogai. In the time of the yoke, the territory fell into decay, the inhabitants left these places, by the end of the 14th century. the town turned out to be completely abandoned and was no longer being restored.

For some time Christian temples still functioned in the now deserted Tepe-Kermen, where residents of all the surrounding villages came to the service. In 1475, when Crimea came under the dominion of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish troops finally destroyed all Christian shrines, from that moment a period of total oblivion began, which lasted 500 years. Only in the middle of the last century the archaeologist Talis again began excavating here and thereby attracted the attention of tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to this place.

Today, Tepe-Kermen, like many other places of interest on the Crimean peninsula, is considered a historical and natural attraction and a popular tourist destination.

The ancient settlement now - it is more than 200 caves and grottoes, built in 3 tiers. The largest grottoes and caves are approximately half of their total number, historians attribute them to the earliest. In such caves there is something like a blockage with a depression - presumably they were used as a manger. There are ledges with holes that are most likely used to tie cattle.

In the caves you can often see the so-called "Stone rings" - circular protrusions in the ceiling with holes that resemble fragments of rings inserted into a large boulder. Some caves have an entrance in the shape of a hatch; spacious cellars with doors make an indelible impression; their total number is just over 50; they are tiny rooms without windows.

There are also a number of rather small caves, the height of which is lower than human growth - their purpose is unknown. Once on the top of the plateau, do not forget to pay special attention to the unusual sights of this amazing place.

• Residential Caves - they are a tunnel-maze of hozblokov and rooms in the lower part.

• Gatehouse Temple with its surviving room of the sacristy and an abundance of graffiti, made, however surprising it may seem, in Hebrew. By the way, it is precisely this fact that gives historians the basis to assert that Tepe-Kermen represented in the past one of the Karaite fortifications.

• Cave temple with a small baptismal tower, massive columns, bas-reliefs, an altar, a font and an altar. It is noteworthy that the font here is quite large and most likely designed for a teenager or adult, this indirectly confirms the theory that Tepe-Kermen was erected at a time when the entire population of Crimea began to convert to the Christian faith - around the 16th century. The height of the room is a little more than 2.5 m.

• Crypt - a place associated with a rather unusual rite of burial of the deceased, which existed at that time. The fact is that initially the body of the deceased person was placed in the tomb, and when his flesh completely decayed, the clergy washed the skeleton, and then moved to the crypt, this room was preserved until our time.

• Casemates - most likely, it was from this place that the archers reflected attacks on the fortress.

• Sun stone - This is a lonely boulder standing on the edge of a cliff, dotted with runic symbols. There are many legends about its purpose, but not one of them has found confirmation, therefore it remains only to guess what role this stone played in ancient times.

Each Tepe-Kermen cave is beautiful and connected to others through tunnels, passages and steps, and due to the so-called “light windows” it is always light inside, it is simply impossible to get lost.During archaeological excavations, traces of ancient land buildings were discovered, in particular, a large house of 4 rooms was erected on the plateau, a small room with a staircase - the period of their construction dates from about the XII century, the upper masonry is made of ordinary stone later - in the XIV century.

Near the cave a unique plate with the faces of Christian saints was discovered. Near the southern part of the plateau found the foundation of a small chapel of roughly hewn logs.

From ancient times, there are 2 main roads leading to the hillfort - in ancient times, the northern most popular. It has been well preserved to our times, here you can even see wheel prints from ancient carts and carts, the ruins of individual fortifications and ancient gates.

These ruins make the most mixed impression on tourists - on the one hand, they are almost the only buildings of Tepe-Kermen on the ground, on the other hand, they are in extremely poor condition, but even so, they amaze with their epic and monumental nature.

Tepe-Kermen is a remnant in the shape of a pyramid, which, if you look at the map, is in the Bakhchisaray district of the Crimean republic. The natural-historical monument is located 7 km southeast of Bakhchisarai and about 2 km separates the settlement from Kyz-Kermen, if you move to the northeast.

In the past, the outlier was part of the Crimean ridge, but due to tectonic processes and geological transformations, the peak split, now it rises lonely at 540 km above sea level, the difference with adjacent valleys is about 250 m. Tepe-Kermen is located 2 km from the village of Mashino and rises above the valley of the small mountain river Kacha. The size of steep cliffs from the southern and western sides reaches 12 m.

Tepe-Kermen is located at the very top of the mountain in the valley, which people have inhabited since ancient times. This is a picturesque and very fertile place, the inhabitants of which are actively engaged in agriculture. It is better to get from Bakhchisarai or Simferopol, a stop must be made near the village of Predushestvennoe. This is a surprisingly beautiful village, the special attention of tourists is attracted by the sheer mountain Tash-Air, which seems to soar in the air.

After the Ultimate, you can go further and stop near the village of Bashtanovka - in this place you should admire the remains of the ancient Christian monastery Kachi-Kalon. In the Middle Ages, a monastery was located here, the novices of which were actively engaged in winemaking. Nearby is the cave city of Kyz-Kermen, popularly known as the Maiden Fortress.

The final stop should be the village of Mashino, from which a smooth dirt road leads to Tepe-Kermen.

You can get to this monument of archeology in another way, starting from Chufut-Kale, a small cave town. In this case you need to go past the Karaite cemetery Balta-Tiimez. Travelers note that this road is much more picturesque. It is advisable to travel to Tepe-Kermen in April-May, when the valley near the cave is literally filled with the spicy smell of succulent herbs and flowers, this place is especially beautiful in dry, clear weather.

Keep in mind that the cave town is a monument of architectural significance, so entrance to its territory is paid.

Next, you can watch a video story about a tour of Tepe-Kermen.