Bear Mountain in Crimea: Legend of Origin and Location

One of the main attractions of the Crimean peninsula is the famous Bear Mountain Ayu-Dag, located on the south coast. In the article, we consider the location and legends about the origin of this mountain.

It is enough to see Ayu-Dag once in a lifetime in order to forever keep in memory its solemn beauty and stunning splendor. The rounded top of the mountain range rises above the ground at an altitude of more than 571 km, propping up white fluffy clouds.

The mountain lowers its sharp cape 2.5 km into the warm Black Sea. Brown sandy slopes are covered with a train of stones and lush green hats of forests. At the foot of the mountain, between protruding cliffs of rocks, there are small sections of land - wild beaches. Even from a height you can see that the water in these tiny bays is clean and clear as a baby’s tear. Through the crystalline sea surface a rocky bottom is far visible.

In the valley of the mountain are the villages of Gurzuf and Partenit. Houses drowning in gardens, motels, squares and parks surround the approaches to Ayu-Dag in a dense semicircle.

The road to the top of Bear Mountain lies past the famous Artek camp. Those who climbed up have a wonderful panorama of the slopes of the Crimean ridge and the southern coast of Crimea. The total area of ​​the mountain range is 4 square meters. m

Since ancient times, people have noticed that the array is very reminiscent of a lying bear. Therefore, the mountain is called Ayu-Dag, which means “bear mountain” in Tatar. Many tales and legends tell where Ayu-Dag came from. The most beautiful of them is about a beautiful girl and a mighty and fierce bear.

Once upon a time, there were no people on the southern coast of Crimea.Only huge ferocious bears lived here, making constant raids and destroying everything around. No one dared to encroach on the territory of predators.

Once, the remains of a broken ship were nailed to a bear’s shore. Among them was a small bundle, in which there was a tiny girl who survived in a shipwreck. The heart of a mighty lone leader trembled at the sight of a helpless tiny baby. The bears spared the girl and left in their pack.

Years passed. The girl turned into a beautiful girl with an unusual voice. When she sang, everything froze around, enjoying the bewitching sounds of her songs. The old bear loved the girl with all his heart, the bears did not look for souls in her.

It seemed that the idyll would be eternal, but fate decreed otherwise. The waves washed ashore to the land with a sick and weak youth who fled from captivity to his homeland. The girl went out to the boy secretly from the animals.

Young people fell in love and decided to escape. The lovers boarded the boat and sailed forward. But then the predators returned to the shore. The old leader looked into the distance and understood everything: the heart of his pupil now belongs to another. She has forgotten her former attachments and wants to return to people.

In a fury, in the mad rage that there are forces, a bear roared. He fell ashore, lowered his mighty head into the water and began to drink water quickly. The whole flock did the same. And the water in the sea began to decrease, the boat began to approach back to the shore, where the youth was inevitably awaited by a fierce death. And then the beautiful girl began to sing. In her song, she prayed for the salvation of heaven, the bears for mercy for her lover, and the leader, who replaced her relatives, for forgiveness. Having disobeyed, the bears involuntarily retreated.

Forgave the old bear and his favorite, stopped drinking water. But he did not want to get up and take his head out of the water. He could not calm his heartache. And so he lies here, on the seashore in anguish and grief from the fact that he lost the only love and affection in his life. The powerful body and huge legs of the predator were petrified, the muzzle turned into a sharp rock, the back was covered with dense forests. And so the Bear Mountain Ayu-Dag appeared in Crimea.

Another legend says that the Greek king Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Ephigenia to the gods. The hunting goddess Artemis took pity on the poor girl and at the last moment laid a doe on the sacrificial altar instead.

In gratitude for the salvation, the young virgin was to become a priestess in the temple of Artemis and perform sacrifices. The temple was located on the territory of Tavria, where the Taurus tribes lived with cruel temper and customs. All who tried to get to them from the sea, Efigenia was supposed to sacrifice.

Such barbarism was not to the girl’s liking; she suffered very much. To facilitate her fate, Artemis taught her to understand the language of animals. The beauty made friends with a huge bear and spent all his free time with him.

Once a brother of Efigenia Orest was captured. Young people managed to trick the Taurus and flee away from Tavria by sea. And the abandoned bear, missing her friend, lay on the shore and looked into the distance, waiting for her return, but in vain. And without waiting for Efigenia, her faithful friend petrified, turned into Bear Mountain.

Ayu-Dag appeared on our planet more than 150 million years ago. This is one of the failed volcanoes of the Crimean peninsula. In those days, the territory of the Crimean peninsula had a huge freshwater pool called Tethys.

The molten magma tried to find a way out of the bowels of the earth under its waters for 1 million years, but did not get out. Under the pressure of magma, extensive faults and a domed elevation formed in the earth's crust. Over the years, Tethys disappeared from the face of the Earth, sandy rocks located on the slope gradually weathered, exposing solid rock masses. The wind carried the seeds of trees and plants, which gradually mastered the peak.

Scientists consider the natural complex formed in the Middle Jurassic period to be unique. This is evidenced by the minerals found at the foot of the mountain, of which there are more than 30 items. The following stones are found here:

• tourmaline;
• amethyst;
• porphyrite;
• vesuvian;
• pyrites.

Most palaces in the Crimea were created from gabbro diabase. He decorated the stands of the Moscow Kremlin, the metro station of the capital, he dressed the banks of the Moscow River.

Ayu-Dag is the largest open-air museum of the southern Crimea. Since 1974, the mountain has the status of a state reserve of republican significance. The unique flora and fauna of these places is one of the main attractions of the region. Climbing a mountain slope, in a cool forest you will be greeted by mighty, moss-covered sorcerers' oaks, stripping bare “shameless” trunks - small-fruited strawberries, fluffy evergreen junipers, long-livers - blunt pistachios.

These are unique plants that existed on the planet back in the preglacial period. Of the 577 plant species found in the conservation complex, 44 species are listed in the Red Book. The reserve is especially beautiful in spring, when fog spreads between the trees with a thin light haze, and the ground is covered with an endless carpet of snow-white snowdrops, blue primroses and multi-colored crocuses. The real "enchanted wild forest" from a song by Vysotsky.

The fauna of Ayu-Dag is diverse. Roe deer, squirrels, hares, stone martens, badgers, and flying species live here. There are reptiles, nesting and stopping during the flight different species of birds. Of these, 16 animals are listed in the Red Book.

On the territory there are unique historical monuments. In the VIII-XII centuries there was a settlement of Christians. According to scientists, people lived behind rounded defensive walls and went down to the foot of the mountain to work in the fields.

Bishop John of Gotha (according to church chronicles) a stone monastery of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul was founded here. The earthquake in 1423 destroyed many springs, there are few sources of water left. And after the conquest of Crimea in 1475 by the Ottoman Empire, people completely left the mountain. The ruins of the monastery and the remains of fortifications can now be seen on the territory of the hill. On the Cape Monastery, where the ancient temple was located, there is a cross in memory of its founder.

The bear's muzzle is a cape with a stunning view of Artek and Gurzuf. Partenit, the Small Lighthouse are visible from the eastern viewing platform, and Alushta in good weather.

Everyone is sure to be in the clearing Ai-Constant, where they are fed by good energy, they examine the ancient ring-shaped defensive fortification of the VIII century, climb to the top - the Mound of Desires and descend to the Cape Monastery, and then to the clearing of Klissura, where the ruins of the temples built in the VIII-IX centuries remained. The journey ends in the bay of Panair, where the temple of the X century was located.

The reserve shares the two largest resort areas of Crimea: Big Alushta and Yalta. On the east side of the mountain is the village of Partenit, the villages of Lavrovoye, Frunzenskoye and the sanatorium of the Ministry of Defense “Crimea”. On the west side is Gurzuf and Artek.

Looking at the map, you can see the bays of Panair and Tashir - Liman, which are viewed from the Cape Monastery, located in the south of the reserve. The geographical coordinates of the reserve: 44 degrees 33 minutes 25.89 seconds north latitude and 34 degrees 20 minutes 10.72 seconds east longitude.

To get by car from Alushta to the mountain, you should do the following:

1. you need to get to the village of Partenita on the highways E105 and M-18;
2. take a turn to the Bypass Road, move past Aivazovsky Park to the resort "Crimea", from where the ascent begins.

If you go by car from Yalta, you should adhere to the following algorithm:

1. drive along Drozhinsky street, get off on the Tourists highway and follow the Southern coastal highway N19;
2. follow to the sanatorium "Crimea" on Solnechnaya street in Partenit.

To get from Yalta by public transport, the following algorithm is possible:

1. follow the bus from Yalta No. 110; can be reached by any other bus from the bus station, going in the direction of Alushta.
2. get off at the Cemetery stop, as drivers do not always stop at the bend to Artek;
3. follow the road to the turn to Artek for approximately 0.8 km.

From Alushta and Simferopol you need to get to the Lavrovoye stop, and then also continue on foot along the highway to the turn. The cheapest but the longest way is by trolleybus, namely:

• Simferopol and Yalta - route number 52;
• Alushta, Yalta - No. 53;
• from the airport of Simferopol - No. 55.

Watch the tour of Bear Mountain in the next video.