Bear Mountain in Crimea: a legend about the origin and location

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

It is enough to see Ayu-Dag once in a lifetime to preserve in memory its solemn beauty and stunning magnificence. The rounded peak 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 for 2.5 km into the warm Black Sea. Brown sandy slopes are covered with a train of stones and green lush hats of forests. At the foot of the mountain, between the protruding cliffs, there are small areas of land - wild beaches. Even from a height you can see that the water in these tiny coils is clear and transparent like a baby’s tear. Through the crystal sea surface is far visible rocky bottom.

In the valley of the mountains are located villages Gurzuf and Partenit. Houses that are buried in gardens, sanatoriums, squares and parks surround the approaches to Ayu-Dag with a dense half ring.

The road to the top of the Bear Mountain lies past the famous camp "Artek". Those who went upstairs enjoy a wonderful panorama of the slopes of the Crimean mountain range and the southern coast of Crimea. The total area of ​​the mountain - 4 square meters. m

People have long noticed that the array is very similar to a reclining bear. Therefore, the mountain is called Ayu-Dag, which means “bear-mountain” in Tatar. Many legends and legends tell where Ayu-Dag came from. The most beautiful of them is about a beautiful girl and a mighty and ferocious bear.

Long ago, there were no people on the southern coast of the Crimea. Lived here only huge ferocious bears, making constant raids and destroying everything around. No one dared to attack the territory of predators.

One day, the remains of a wrecked ship were nailed to a bear beach. Among them was a small bundle, which turned out to be a tiny girl who survived a shipwreck. The heart of a mighty lonely leader trembled at the sight of a helpless tiny baby. Bears spared the girl and left in their pack.

It has been a year. The girl turned into a beautiful girl with an extraordinary voice. When she sang, everything froze around, enjoying the enchanting sounds of her songs. The old bear loved the girl with all his heart, the bears didn’t see the soul in it.

It seemed that the idyll will be eternal, but fate decreed otherwise. The waves nailed the prow to the land with a sick and weak youth who fled from captivity to his homeland. The girl came out a young man secretly from animals.

The young people fell in love with each other and decided to escape. The lovers boarded the boat and swam forward. But here 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 the people.

In a frenzy, in a mad rage that has strength, the bear roared. He fell on the shore, put his mighty head in the water and began to quickly drink water. Also made the whole pack. And the water in the sea began to decrease, the boat became closer back to the shore, where a fierce death inevitably waited for the young man. And then the beautiful girl started singing. In her song, she prayed for the salvation of heaven, bears for mercy to her lover, and the leader who replaced her relatives for forgiveness. Having heard, the bears involuntarily retreated.

Forgiven and the old bear his favorite, stopped drinking water. But he did not want to rise and take his head out of the water.He could not relieve his heartache. 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. Petrified mighty body and huge paws of a predator, the muzzle turned into a sharp rock, the back was covered with thick forests. And so the Bear Mountain Ayu-Dag appeared in the Crimea.

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

In gratitude for the rescue, the young maiden was to become a priestess in the temple of Artemis and perform sacrifices. The temple was located on the territory of Tavria, where the tribes of the Taurians lived in cruel temper and customs. All who tried to reach them from the sea, Ephigenia had to sacrifice.

This barbarism was not like a girl, she suffered a lot. To ease 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, the brother of Efigenia Orestes was captured by the Taurians. Young people managed to deceive the Taurians and run away from Tavria by the sea. And the abandoned bear, missing his girlfriend, lay on the shore and looked into the distance, waiting for her to return, but in vain. So without waiting for Epigenia, petrified by her faithful friend, 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. At that time, there was a huge freshwater pool called Tethys on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula.

Molten magma tried to find a way out of the bowels of the earth under its waters for 1 million years, but it never got out. Under the pressure of magma in the crust formed extensive faults and dome-shaped elevation. Over the years, the Tethys disappeared from the face of the Earth, the sandy rocks on the slope gradually disappeared, revealing hard stone massifs. The wind blew here the seeds of trees and plants, which gradually mastered the top.

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

• tourmaline;
• amethyst;
• porphyrite;
• Vesuvian;
• pyrites.

From gabbro diabase, most of the palaces in the Crimea were created. They decorated the stands of the Moscow Kremlin, the metro station of the capital, wearing 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 state reserve of republican significance. The unique flora and fauna of these places is one of the main attractions of the region. Rising on the mountainside, in the cool forest you will be met by mighty, moss-covered oaks, sorcerers, bare barrels of "shameless" - small-fruited strawberries, fluffy evergreen junipers, long-livers - stupid pistachios.

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

The fauna of Ayu-Dag is diverse. Roe deer, squirrels, hares, stone martens, badgers, and volatile species inhabit here. There are reptiles, nesting and stopping during the flight of various species of birds. Of these, 16 animals 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 descended to the foot of the mountain to work in the fields.

Bishop John of Goths (according to the testimony of church records) there was founded a stone monastery of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. An earthquake in 1423 destroyed many springs, there are few water sources left. And after the conquest of the 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 face is a cape with a stunning view of the Artek and Gurzuf. From the eastern observation deck one can see Partenit, the Small Lighthouse, and in good weather - Alushta.

All must be in the glade of Ai-Constant, where they feed on good energy, inspect the ancient ring-shaped defensive fortification of the VIII century, climb to the top - Kurgan of desires and descend to the Monastic Cape, and then to the Cleissura meadow, where the ruins of temples built in the VIII – IX centuries remained. The journey ends in Panair Bay, where the temple of the X century was located.

The reserve divides the two largest resort areas of the Crimea: the Big Alushta and Yalta. On the east side of the mountain is the village Partenit, the village of Lavrovoye, Frunzenskoe and the sanatorium of the Ministry of Defense "Crimea". On the western side are Gurzuf and "Artek".

Looking at the map, you can see the bay of Panair and Tashir-Liman, which are viewed from the Monastic Cape, located in the south of the reserve. 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 follow these steps:

1. you need to get to the village of Partenita along the E105 and M-18;
2. go to the turn to the Bypass Road, move past the Aivazovsky Park towards the sanatorium "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 out onto the Turists Highway and follow to the South Coast H19 Highway;
2. follow to the sanatorium "Crimea" on the street Solar in Partenit.

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

1. follow the bus from Yalta №110; You can take any other bus from the bus station in the direction of Alushta.
2. get off at the Cemetery stop, as drivers do not always stop at the turn to Artek;
3. Drive along the road until the turn to “Artek” approximately 0.8 km.

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

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

Review of the trip to Bear Mountain, see the next video.