All about Mount Falcon in Crimea

The Crimean peninsula is one of the most beautiful places in Russia with a huge number of attractions. One of the many natural cultural monuments is Mount Sokol, which offers a bewitching view of the expanses of Crimea and the coast. The rock itself looks so impressive that it annually attracts thousands of tourists who come to the peninsula to appreciate such a wonderful formation.

In the article we will talk about the uniqueness of Mount Sokol and its natural features, consider the various options for the route along it and find out which legend accompanies such a beautiful place.

The rock is located in the south-east of the Crimea a little west of the city of Sudak, next to the resort village of New World, which is located at the very foot of the Falcon. This rock has several other names. In ancient times it was called the Senator, and modern Tatars call the peak none other than Kush-Kaya, which in translation from their language means Bird Rock. Mountains with that name already exist on the peninsula, therefore local the population calls education short - Falcon.

At the foot of the small rock Sokolenok, here in the last century, Prince Golitsyn was going to build a estate for his daughter, under his leadership, the construction of the road began in the direction of the mountain from the house in the New World. Unfortunately, the plans of the prince were not destined to come true, since he died, and did not finish the construction of the road. A collection of local “bird mountains” is completed by the Maly Sokol rock, located a little closer to Sudak.

The most interesting feature of this attraction is that in fact, by its origin the Falcon is not a mountain or even a ridge. Geological studies of the structure and hard rocks of the giant proved that it is a huge coral reef that arose millions of years ago.

Of course, this is hard to believe, because the height of education is 473 meters (almost half a kilometer) above sea level. It turns out that many centuries ago the level of ocean water was several times higher than the height of this reef.

From a geological point of view, the peak has a 4-tier structure. In the lower part of the Falcon there is a layer of clay shales, then comes the thickness of the conglomerate, on which huge layers of sandstone are located.

The Sokol massif itself consists of marbled limestone and is covered with alluvial soil. The site at the foot of the reef is officially recognized as an archaeological reserve. On its territory are the ruins of one of the monasteries of the Byzantine era, preserved from the 9th century, as well as a small cave monastery of the 10th century.

Between the rocks Sokol and Sokolenok are the ruins of a small settlement of the ancient period, which flourishes in the 4th century. They can be found in juniper bushes. Tourists will be delighted with a walk along the Golitsyn path leading to the source of St. Anastasia, which was consecrated by the Orthodox Church in 2000. In the XV century, not far from this source was located a large Christian church in a medieval style.

Another feature and uniqueness of the Falcon is the ability to change the shade depending on how the sun's rays fall on its surface. If the sun shines brightly, from the side the attraction of the New World seems snow-white, and after the rain takes on a purple or purple color.

The height of the rock of 474 meters is so impressive that rising to its top and inspecting the lower settlements, they will seem like a toy model. The length of the peak is 1.2 kilometers in length and 1 kilometer in width.

The slopes are very steep, and the closer to the peak, the more impregnable they are. To climb to the top of the giant, you have to go "light" and only along the northern slope, since in other cases it will be necessary to use climbing equipment and be able to climb rocks at least at an amateur level. Even a novice can climb the northern slope without any problems, not to mention the professionals.

In total there are several climbing routes to the top of Sudak's sights, differing from each other in difficulty from level 1 to 6. Each of them is good in its own way and unlike the other either in complexity or in the beauty that opens from it. The only thing that unites the routes to the Falcon is the beauty of the area and the fascination of climbing, but do not think that climbing to the top of the reef will be an easy walk.

According to the mysterious story associated with the appearance of Mount Sokol, many centuries ago a rich governor Pansy Zarvalyga lived in these parts. He was known among the local population not only as a very evil and insensitive person, but also as a sorcerer and warlock, who knew many spells and recipes for potions. With the help of his knowledge, Pansy could subjugate any person, making him his slave. For this reason, the peasants tried not to come across him, and if they ever crossed with the nobles, they never contradicted him and always carried out his orders.

A young servant Aliya lived in the Zarvaligi estate, she had a small son named Tsute. The brave boy was the only person in the whole area who was not afraid of the sorcerer. He never hid it, on the contrary, he tried to spoil his master as much as possible.Each time, his mother tried to reason with her son, explaining that other servants were suffering because of his tricks, but all her efforts did not lead to anything, the naughty Tsute continued his tricks.

One day, one of the employees heard Aliya scold the boy once again, and realized why they were being punished constantly. He immediately talked about the other servants heard, and they went to Zarvalyga and issued a naughty boy with his mother.

Pansy was in a rage, and Aliya and Ziuet had to flee the house that night to save their lives. They hid in a dark forest and got lost, and then lost each other. It was impossible to see anything in the night darkness, the child cried for a long time and called for his mother, but in response did not hear anything, as if she had disappeared into the darkness. At dawn, the crying boy heard an old magician who lived at the forest edge, he found Tsute and took to his home. The kind man fed him and put him to bed.

Upon awakening, Tsiute accepted the magician's offer to become his student. For 20 years, the guy lived in the forest and studied the art of magic, he learned a lot from a wise teacher, got stronger and matured, but he did not grow wiser. Each time he played through the events of that time in his head, and with more hatred he thought of the cruelty of Pansiya Zarvaligi. One day the young man revealed his secret to the mentor, who categorically forbade him to take revenge on the old master, since the training had not yet been completed.

Secretly from the old man, Ziuete took his magical pipe, the strength of which he did not even suspect. He reached the sea coast, where Pansy was and began to play. At the same second, the soil split into two parts, and a huge rock grew out of it, which broke the Zarvaligi estate into chips, killing a huge number of people. Among the dead, Tsiute saw the body of his mother. The grief of the guy knew no bounds, after that no one saw him.

That is how the mountain Sokol appeared in the southeast of the Crimean coast. Guides like to tell this legend to tourists.

It’s easiest to get to the giant by car from Sudak or from the New World. On the way you can see many signs that help to get to the place. The exact address of the peak: Novyi Svet, Sudak urban district, Crimea, Russia. Local people are always welcome guests who are serious about the upcoming climb.

Drink lovers and irresponsible people have no place here.

In the next video, you will be able to observe the hiking climb of tourists to Mount Sokol.