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

A natural and cultural-historical monument - the site of ancient settlement Mangup-Kale in the Crimea is of interest not only among specialists in the field of archeology, but also among ordinary tourists. Even the description of the cave city looks very impressive. But it would be much better to evaluate all the advantages of this place with your own eyes, because some sources date its ancient ruins to the 4th century BC, moreover, 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-tiered underground catacombs, carved directly into the rock. The cave city is a unique phenomenon, and in its history there were times of Ottoman siege and periods of peaceful coexistence of dozens of nationalities.

This is confirmed by Mangup-Kale himself, whose height above sea level reaches 600 m. Here are the burial places of representatives of various denominations - 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 fortress of Mangup managed to survive more than one attack of the militant invaders. Bloody battles took place here, and today this place on the map serves as a guideline for all history lovers of the Crimea and just for tourists who want to know a little more about the archaeological artifacts located on the peninsula.

Mangup Kale is not for nothing is considered one of the most mysterious architectural and cultural monuments of its era. The history and legends of this place diverge even in the founding dates. There are opinions that the first settlements were here already in the IV century BC. But many historians suggest revising these dates for eight centuries ahead.

Only one thing is reliably known - as early as the 5th century AD, the first fortifications were erected here, which were located in the realm of Goths. Almost a century and a half then passed into the hands of the Khazars, then 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 the princes of Theodoro ruled here. The terrain on the plateau has become a thriving city with a lively trade, wine and leather industry. 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 habitable land - there are no existing settlements here, only in the restored monastery cloister is full of life.

Today Mangup-Kale is part of the protected areas of the Crimea. From here there are magnificent views, including the man-made Maiden's Lake. And excursions to places of former greatness on the plateau are carried out by museum staff, always ready to tell a lot of 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 a tireless search for mystics of all stripes. Legend has it that it was created from the crown of the fallen ruler of the netherworld - Lucifer, a vessel hidden in the home of the walls of the fortress. Needless to say, the best forces of many states of the world were thrown at different times in search of a bowl exported from Constantinople in different years. The Nazis also tried to find the holy grail on the peninsula, and for this purpose they made whole archaeological expeditions. Modern enthusiasts, supporters of this theory, also from year to year go to the underground cities of Tavrida to try to take possession of the legendary cup, from which, according to legend, the communion of the apostles took place on the night of the Last Supper. It is worth noting that the symbolism of the golden cup-cradle is not at all uncommon for the Crimean Christian buildings of that era.

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

You can get to the natural monument of Mangup-Kale using a personal vehicle on the way from Simferopol or from Balaklava and Sevastopol. In the first case, having passed Bakhchisarai, you will have to move to the village of Zalesnoe, in the direction of Ternovka. Here will be Khoja Sala. If you drive from Sevastopol, you will have to look for the necessary signs in the reverse order - first drive through Ternovka and move in the direction of Zalesny.

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 from the main street, it is called Chelebi and comes to the ticket office of the reserve Mangup Kale. Here you can park the car, go forward on the same street about 40 m and turn right.

Features of the transport communication of the 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 is worth considering that the stop of transport here occurs at the request of passengers, the driver must be notified in advance.

From Bakhchisarai you can go by the same buses. Once at the lake, you need to turn off the road towards the village of Khoja-Sala and go out onto the main street. From Sevastopol, bus number 40, departing from the station 5th kilometer, goes only to the village Ternovka. Then you have to walk about 6 km, on average, the road takes no more than 60 minutes. From Balaklava, you can also get there - only get to Ternovka by bus number 129 (departing from the a / c "Square of the 1st of May").

Bus timetable is hardly convenient. They go quite rarely, and flights do not begin in the morning. In addition, you should definitely take into account that the sightseeing in this case will take much more time. You can go by taxi. If you do not plan to live near Mangup Kale, this solution will be the best option.

In the Crimea, hiking is well developed. Not far from Mangup Kale, you can find a suitable option. From the southern wall runs the route number 18. Also the options combined with WR1-№14,15, 16, laid through a beam of Gian-Dere will approach. But going there with a tent, it is worth considering that to camp on the plateau Mangup-Kale will not work - this is prohibited.

The trip to Mangup-Kale will be more successful if you find accommodation in advance during your stay in Bakhchisaray district. Having solved this question, it will be possible to easily master the most interesting and popular excursion routes. It is necessary to highlight 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-Calais" or "Kayak" in Orlin.

• Private accommodation. You can rent private cottages, family houses or choose a studio in Bakhchisarai, Sevastopol. But the level of residential properties can be very different.

• Recreation center. In Bakhchisarai district there is a sports and tourist complex “Inkomsport”, where all conditions for comfortable living are created.

• Guest houses. There are Zalesny, Falcon, for example, "Uncle Vasya", Eagle, Balaclava.

• Camping. Traveling by car, you can solve the housing problem by staying at the camping site Mangup on the territory of the village of Khoja Sala. This is the cheapest way to stay - just for 300 rubles per day you can stay in the immediate vicinity of the settlement.

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

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

The first thing that Mangup-Kale meets with its guests is a path that goes steeply upwards through Tabana-Dere ravine. Along the vertical it is necessary to climb 300 kilometers to the top of the plateau for 1.5 kilometers. Making this way without comfortable tourist shoes will be very difficult. On the mountain-plateau Baba-Dag travelers await a steep cliff on the south side and immediately four prominent capes from the North.

Moving along the trail, travelers can see the first attraction - fortification objects, dated 1503 year. Scientists and archaeologists assigned her letter A and number XI. There is a sign on the wall, thanks to which it was possible to establish the exact date of construction of the structure. The text mentions the time of the rule of the vicar of Tsula. It is worth noting that this fortification wall was built from the material of another fortification, which until 1475 was located down the path. But after the Turkish seizure of the plateau, this frontier was destroyed and was not restored to its previous limits.

The next attraction Mangup Kale is widely known to most tourists. Karaite necropolis - the place of rest of the dead, dates from the XV – XVIII centuries. It has a very typical form for burial. There are memorable tombstones, carved out of rock, and landslides displaced from previous places, typical of highlands.

Interestingly, the Karaim records are made in Hebrew, and the plates themselves are of such form as:

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

At the time when Mangup was located here, multinationality was the norm - on the territory of the city lived representatives of many ethnic groups. Karaites called the Jews who followed the corresponding branch of Judaism, who rejected the traditional holy books, but accepted the Bible. It was their descendants who were the last to leave Mangup-Kale after the events that occurred 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 fortifications was defended by the town itself.

Among the Crimean religious buildings located in the highlands, the basilica on Mangup Kale is the largest. Initially, it originated in the 6th century under the rule of Emperor Justinian and presumably existed until the 15th century. Today, among the ruins it is quite difficult to recognize the former magnificence 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 the necropolis at 400 graves.

This central city building used to form the most important and prestigious development area together with the basilica. The princes of Theodoro, the ruling dynasty, lived in the palace. One of its representatives, Aleksey, 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 difficult 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 sightseeing trail, one can see the Mousetrap gorge located along the cliff of the southern wall. Wise rulers 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 male Holy Annunciation Monastery, located in caves. The monastery carved into the rock was created here in the XV century, and after long years of oblivion was restored. Now here is the current monastic compound, the visit to which is better to allocate most of the day - the descent and ascent back up the hill is quite steep and take time.

Moving further along the path 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, built and consecrated in honor of St. Constantine. Archaeologists and historians date it from the 15th – 17th centuries.

The most magnificent views of Mangup-Kale are opened from the top of Baba Dag, which is the highest point of the plateau. Here you can see a clearer version of the stone carved in the stone. In addition, in the rock, you can explore the underground room, carved underground - it is impossible to precisely date its origin, but even in the times of Theodoro, and under the Turks, winemaking flourished here. A small basilica, erected in the 9th – 10th centuries, was once located on the southern precipice. Today, from a three-century structure, there is only a foundation that allows to estimate the size and outline the boundaries of the structure.

On one of the most well-preserved parts of the medieval architecture of Mangup-Kale, near the Southern cliff you can see rocky monastery caves. They were cut down by hand, and inside the breed formed real labyrinths, created by the hands of monks. Then you can see the site with the crypts, where the graves of the departed residents of the monastery were located.

The main medieval frontier of the principality of Theodoro was the citadel, which to the last was a bastion that held back the invasion of the Ottomans.This fortress was built 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 donjon tower, the prince’s temporary residence was located.

The ruins of the fortress walls are preserved quite well. On the surface around the window and door openings, even today we can clearly see the original pattern facing the cape. To the left of the fortress you can see the arched main entrance. Part of the architecture of the Citadel was changed by Turkish troops during the capture of the plateau. In addition, for a long time the fort just crumbled, only at the end of the 20th century it was decided that it was necessary to restore and reconstruct it.

The cape from which the history of Mangup-Kale - Teshkli-Burun began. It is located just outside the main gate of the Citadel. Passing through the arch, travelers get to the places of formation of the first artificial caves in this territory. Here you can also see an ancient underground well collected for safety by a modern grate. You can go down to some caves, but this should be done very carefully - the slope is very steep.

Of particular interest to tourists is one of the objects. Inside the Acoustic Cave located to the left of the Gate of the Citadel you can see the symbolism of the Hindu and esoteric character. Here often come pilgrims - followers of Hinduism. A chain of caves leads to a monastery located on Teshkli-Burun ravine. The underground facilities here are also fairly well preserved.

Rest in the city-fortress Mangup-Kale is represented mainly by excursion tours and hiking tours that allow you to fully appreciate the beauty of the local nature. The opportunity to climb on foot to the majestic mountain slopes and see with your own eyes the settlement, which survived the change of eras and peoples, is well worth it. But when planning a trip, you should take into account some aspects of the local infrastructure, as well as the rules of behavior on the territory of a natural monument.

Important! Entrance to the territory of the historical monument is paid. You can get to Mangup-Kale every day 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. The closing time of the ticket office is 16 hours.

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

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

It is worth noting that the benefits that operate in the entire Bakhchisarai Museum-Reserve, which includes Mangup-Kale, are relevant for persons who have full rights to them, and for certain categories of citizens of the Russian Federation and other states. It is necessary to clarify the possibility of obtaining a ticket at a reduced price when contacting the cashier.

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