Mangup-Kale in Crimea: how to get to the city and what to see?

A natural and cultural-historical monument - the Mangup-Kale hillfort in Crimea is of interest not only to experts in the field of archeology, but also to ordinary tourists. Even the description of the cave city looks very impressive. But it would be much better to appreciate all the advantages of this place with your own eyes, because some sources date its ancient ruins to the 4th century BC, in addition, the history of Mangup-Kale itself deserves to be heard.

Mangup-Kale is a natural monument located on the mountain plateau of the Baba-Dag massif. The total area of ​​the object is more than 90 hectares, some of which are represented by multi-tier underground catacombs cut down directly in the rock. The cave city is a unique phenomenon, and in its history there were times of the Ottoman siege and periods of peaceful coexistence of dozens of nationalities.

This is confirmed by Mangup-Kale itself, whose height above sea level reaches 600 m. Here are the burial places of representatives of various faiths - the ancient Karaite necropolis and the tombs of Catholic monks. The wall with the Citadel and the main entrance leads to the monastery cellars and the monastery itself, carved into the rock like an anthill. The majestic Mangup fortress managed to survive more than one attack of warlike invaders. Bloody battles unfolded here, and today this place on the map serves as a guide for all lovers of the history of Crimea and just tourists who want to know a little more about the archaeological artifacts located on the peninsula.

Mangup-Kale is not in vain considered one of the most mysterious architectural and cultural monuments of its era. The history and legends of this place differ even in their founding dates. There are opinions that the first settlements were here already in the IV century BC. But many historians propose revising these dates eight centuries ahead.

Only one thing is known for certain - already in the 5th century AD the first fortifications were erected here, which were located in the Goths. For almost a century and a half, the fortress either passed into the hands of the Khazars, or again returned to the Crimean Gothia. It was then that she got her name - Mangup.

The heyday of these places came in the Middle Ages, when princes Theodoro ruled here. The area on the plateau has turned into a thriving city with lively trade, winemaking and leather production. Until 1475, Mangup belonged to the Theodoro dynasty, and after a bloody invasion of the Ottomans for three centuries passed into the power of the Turkish troops. Since 1790, Mangup-Kale has been deprived of the status of inhabited land - there are no active settlements here, only in the restored monastery monastery life is in full swing.

Today, Mangup-Kale is part of the Crimean protected areas. It offers magnificent views, including the man-made Maiden Lake. And excursions to places of former greatness on the plateau are conducted by museum staff, always ready to tell many secrets and legends.

Among them are the stories that Mangup could be the place where the Grail was hidden. This shrine to this day is the object of the relentless search for mystics of all stripes. Legend has it that created from the crown of the fallen ruler of the underworld - Lucifer, the vessel is hidden in the native wall of the fortress. Needless to say, in search of the bowl removed from Constantinople in different years, the best forces of many states of the world were thrown. The Nazis also tried to find the holy grail on the peninsula, and for this purpose undertook entire archaeological expeditions. Modern enthusiasts, supporters of this theory, also go from year to year to the underground cities of Tauris to try to take hold of the legendary chalice, from which, according to legend, the communion of the apostles was performed on the night of the Last Supper. It is worth noting that the symbolism of the golden cradle bowl is not at all uncommon for Crimean Christian structures of that era.

The ancient settlement Mangup-Kale is located in the Republic of Crimea on the territory of the Bakhchisarai district. The nearest village is Khoja Sala. It is it that is most often used as a guide when building a route.

You can get to the Mangup-Kale Natural Monument using a personal car on the road from Simferopol or from Balaklava and Sevastopol. In the first case, having passed Bakhchisaray, you will have to move to the village of Zalesnoye, in the direction of Ternovka. Here will be Khoja Sala. If you go from Sevastopol, you will have to search for the necessary signs in the reverse order - first drive through Ternovka and move towards Zalesnoye.

Having found the desired toponym - the village of Khoja-Sala, you need to drive past the lake, turning off the main road connecting Simferopol and Sevastopol. It should move without turning off the main street, it is called Celebi and reaches the box office of the Mangup-Kale reserve. Here you can park a car, walk along the same street for about 40 m and turn right.

The features of the transport connection of Crimea are such that there are no direct flights to the small village of Khoja Sala. But from the "Western" bus station in Simferopol you can go to the stopping point between Zalesny and Ternovka on one of the passing buses. It should be noted that transport stops here at the request of passengers, you need to notify the driver in advance.

You can go from Bakhchisaray with the same buses. Once at the lake, you need to turn off the highway towards the village of Khoja-Sala and go out onto the main street. From Sevastopol bus number 40, departing from the station for the 5th kilometer, goes only to the village of Ternovka. Then you have to walk about 6 km, on average, the road takes no more than 60 minutes. You can also get from Balaklava - you can only get to Ternovka by bus No. 129 (departing from the Ploshchad Maya 1 airport).

The bus schedule is hardly convenient. They go quite rarely, and flights start not in the morning. In addition, it is worth considering that sightseeing in this case will require much more time. You can take a taxi. If you do not plan to live near Mangup-Kale, such a solution will be the best option.

In Crimea, hiking is well developed. Near Mangup Kale, you can find a suitable option. From the southern wall runs route number 18. Also suitable are variants combined with WR1-No.14.15, 16, laid through the beam of Gian-Dere. But going there with a tent, it is worth considering that it will not work to camp on the Mangup-Kale plateau itself - this is prohibited.

A trip to Mangup-Kale will be more successful if you find accommodation in advance for your stay in the Bakhchisarai district. Having solved this issue, it will be possible to easily master the most interesting and popular excursion routes. It is worth highlighting several options among the most popular and affordable.

• Hotels Hotels and pensions are in the village of Khoja Sala, and beyond. The budget option is the hostel "Mangup-Kale" or "Kayak" in Orlin.

• Private housing. You can rent private cottages, family houses or choose a studio in Bakhchisarai, Sevastopol. But the level of residential facilities can vary greatly.

• Recreation center. In the Bakhchisaray district there is an Inkomsport sports and tourist complex, where all conditions for comfortable living are created.

• Guest houses. There is in Zalesnoy, Sokolin, for example, "At Uncle Vasya", Orlin, Balaklava.

• Camping. Traveling by car, you can solve the housing problem by stopping at the camp site of Mangup parking in the territory of the village of Khoja Sala. This is the cheapest accommodation option - for only 300 rubles a day you can stay in the immediate vicinity of the settlement.

Which variant of living conditions to choose, each traveler decides for himself. The tourist infrastructure of the Bakhchisaray district is quite well developed, which allows you to find affordable housing for vacationers with a minimum budget, and those who are used to comfort.

On the Mangup-Kale plateau there are many unique historical and architectural monuments. On a tour of all the sights it is better to plan for two days. For one day off, they will definitely not be able to inspect.

The first thing Mangup-Kale meets its guests is a steeply going trail through the Tabana-Dere ravine. Vertical will have to climb 300 kilometers to the top of the plateau. Walking this path without comfortable hiking shoes will not be easy at all. On the plateau mountain Baba-Dag, travelers will find a steep cliff on the south side and four prominent capes from the North.

Moving along the trail, travelers can see the first attraction - fortifications dated to 1503. She was assigned the letter A and number XI by archaeologists. There is a plate on the wall, thanks to which it was possible to establish the exact date of the construction. The text refers to the reign of the governor of Tsula. It is worth noting that this fortification wall is built of material from another fortification, which was located down the path until 1475. But after the Turkish capture of the plateau, this line was destroyed and was not restored to its former borders.

The next attraction of Mangup Kale is widely known to most tourists. The Karaite necropolis, the resting place of the dead, dates from the 15th – 18th centuries. It has a very typical view for burial. There are commemorative tombstones cut down from rock, and displaced from their former places by landslides typical of the highlands.

It is interesting that the records of the Karaites are made in Hebrew, and the plates themselves have such a form as:

• with one or two "horns";
• in the form of a flat parallelepiped;
• prismatic.

At the time Mangup was located here, multinationality was the norm - Representatives of many nationalities lived in the city. Karaites were called the Jews who followed the corresponding branch of Judaism, which denied the traditional holy books, but accepted the Bible. It was their descendants who were the last to leave Mangup-Kale after the events that took place here when the Ottomans captured the plateau.

The remains of the walls of the fortress tower are one of the few real evidence of the location of the borders in Mangup-Kale. This second line of defensive fortifications defended the village itself.

Among the Crimean religious buildings located in the highlands, the basilica on Mangup-Kale is the largest. Initially, it arose in the VI century under the reign of Emperor Justinian and existed presumably until the XV century. Today, among the ruins, it is quite difficult to recognize the former splendor of the Catholic church. It is known that the basilica had three naves and a two-row colonnade. Outside, you can see the remains of a necropolis with 400 graves.

This central city building once together with the basilica formed the most important and prestigious building area. The princes of Theodoro, the ruling dynasty, lived in the palace. One of its representatives - Alex erected a family residence in 1425. The Principality of Mangup-Kale was considered one of the key figures in the political arena of the time, and the building was fully consistent with the status of its owners. Today, among the ruins, it is hard to imagine how magnificent the building was. The Turks who seized these territories had a hand in its destruction.

To the right of the Feodoro Palace, following the excursion path, you can see the Myshelovka gorge located along the cliff of the southern wall. Wise rulers have used its natural relief for centuries to their advantage, without fear of an attack from the south. But under the wall is one of the main attractions of Mangup-Kale - the Holy Monastery of the Annunciation, located in caves. The monastery carved into the rock was created here in the 15th century, and after many years of oblivion was restored. Now there is an operating monastery compound, on a visit to which it is better to highlight most of the day - the descent and ascent back into the mountain are quite steep and take time.

Moving further along the trail you can see the remains of the walls.These ruins are of great historical value, as they are the only remaining evidence that once there was a small church with one nave, erected and consecrated in honor of St. Constantine. Archaeologists and historians date it to the 15th – 17th centuries.

The most magnificent views of Mangup-Kale open from the peak of Baba-Dag, which is the highest point of the plateau. Here you can see a clearer version of a carved in stone scratched. In addition, in the rock you can explore the underground building, cut down underground - it is impossible to date its origin exactly, but in the times of Theodoro, and when the Turks winemaking flourished here. A small basilica, built in the 9th – 10th centuries, was once located on the southern cliff. Today, from a three-century construction, only the foundation remains, allowing us to estimate the size and outline the boundaries of the structure.

On one of the best-preserved sections of the medieval architecture of Mangup-Kale, next to the Southern precipice, you can see the rocky monastery caves. They were cut down by hand, and inside the breed formed real labyrinths, created by the hands of monks. Further, you can see the platform with crypts, where the burial places of the deceased inhabitants of the monastery were located.

The main medieval frontier of the Principality of Theodoro is the citadel, which until the last was a bastion that restrained the invasion of the Ottomans. This fortress was erected in the XIV-XV centuries of our era and is represented by two long sections of the wall with a tower in the middle. The total length of the fortification is more than 83 m. Inside the three-story tower-dungeon was the temporary residence of the prince.

The ruins of the fortress walls have been preserved quite well. On the surface around the window and doorways, today we can clearly distinguish the original ornament facing the cape. To the left of the fortress you can see the arched main entrance. Partially, the architecture of the Citadel was changed by Turkish troops during the capture of the plateau. In addition, for a long time the fort simply crumbled, only at the end of the 20th century a decision was made on the need for its restoration and reconstruction.

The cape, which began the history of Mangup-Kale - Teshkli-Burun. It is located right behind the main gate of the Citadel. Passing the arch, travelers get to the places of formation of the first artificial caves in this territory. Here you can see the ancient underground well, taken away for safety by a modern lattice. You can go down to some caves, but you need to do this very carefully - the slope is very steep.

Of particular interest to tourists is one of the facilities. Inside the Acoustic Cave Citadel, located to the left of the gate, you can see symbols of Hindu and esoteric character. Pilgrims, followers of Hinduism, often come here. A chain of caves leads to a monastery located on the Teshkli-Burun ravine. Underground facilities here are also quite well preserved.

Rest in the fortified city of Mangup-Kale is represented mainly by sightseeing tours and hiking, allowing you to fully appreciate the beauty of the local nature. The opportunity to walk on foot to the majestic slopes of the mountain and see with your own eyes the hillfort, which survived the change of eras and peoples, is worth a lot. But when planning a trip, it is worth considering some aspects of the local infrastructure, as well as the rules of conduct on the territory of the natural monument.

Important! Entrance to the territory of the historical monument is paid. You can get to Mangup-Kale daily by buying a full ticket for 100 rubles or a discount ticket for 50 rubles.Ticket sales are conducted daily, except Tuesday and Wednesday, from 9 to 17 hours. Checkout time is 16 hours.

When you visit the objects of the cave city of Mangup-Kale, you should focus on weather conditions. With a significant deterioration in their territory, the facility may be closed. It is forbidden for people to stay on the territory of the ancient settlement without the following points:

• a water supply of at least 1.5 liters per person;
• comfortable sports shoes without slippery soles;
• hats.

It is worth considering that the benefits that apply throughout the Bakhchisaray Museum-Reserve, which also includes Mangup-Kale, are relevant for people who have full rights to them, and for certain categories of citizens of the Russian Federation and other states. It is worth clarifying the possibility of obtaining a ticket at a reduced price when contacting the ticket office.

How to get to the cave city of Mangup-Kale in Crimea, see the video below.