Rest on the lake Mangup in the Crimea

In the Crimean Bakhchisarai on the plateau Mangup-Kale, among the green mountains and hills, lies the beautiful Lake Mangup, known to travelers as the Maiden's Lake. It is hard to imagine that half a century ago this lake was not in the Crimea. The history of his education is quite interesting. Find this reservoir is easy and you can spend there a few days of wonderful rest.

At the southern side of the unique natural plateau Mangup-Kale, covered with greenery and representing four capes in the form of the paw of a huge animal, is located Lake Maiden.

When asked about the Lake Maiden, few people will answer that they are familiar with such a body of water, and all because the local name is Mangup Lake. It is located in the Bakhchsarai district at the foot of the ancient settlement of Mangup-Kale. The lake is quite young, he is not even 40 years old.. The uniqueness of this reservoir is that it is created by human hands.

It was created by Soviet builders in the early 80s of the last century, digging a large pit. Opened underground streams quickly filled the hollow, forming a watery surface among the majestic mountains covered with coniferous forest. Unfortunately, the resulting lake flooded part of the ancient history of this area of ​​Crimea. Before the builders, archaeologists worked here to study the ancient settlement.

Construction has become more important than archeology in Soviet times, and part of the ancient basilica still remains unexplored. It is said that when the pond grows shallower, the outlines of the ancient temple appear under the water, if this is true, one can only guess.

You can admire the sheer walls of Mangup-Kale by coming to bathe in the fresh waters of Mangup Lake. This cave settlement dates back to the III-IV centuries. BC, the man here cut through limestone caves, in which he was sheltered from the weather and enemies. With the conquest of these places Byzantium, the cave city became known as Doros, it was often taken by the Khazars. This they gave the name of this area Mangup-Kale.

In medieval time (XIV century), Mangup-Kale became the Khazar capital, its expansion and flourishing took place, and a basilica appeared. To protect the capital in these times, a three-story fortress is being built and a large freshwater well is being cut down in the rock, which has survived to the present day. Then the fortress defended itself for a long time from the Ottomans, who nevertheless conquered it, using cunning. The conquering Turks plundered and destroyed the ancient city.

Soon, Crimea passed into the possession of the Russian empire under Catherine II, but Mangup-Kale lost its former significance, and the ruins were not restored. And only after 1970 this unique territory was recognized as a historical monument. It is a pity that by this time many of the ancient artifacts did not get to scientists, but were freely available to ordinary ignorant people.

To get to the tourist to Mangup Lake (it’s the Maiden’s Lake) from the airport in Simferopol, you need to keep the course for the Bakhchisaray district. This journey from Simferopol to Bakhchisaray will take a little over 30 kilometers (or less than an hour by car). From Bakhchisaray it is necessary to choose the direction to the villages Ternovka and Kholmovka, just between them lies the village of Khoja-Sala. Usually this way is covered by car, but you can get a ticket for public transport at the central Bakhchisarai station.

25 km from Bakhchisarai itself, near the village of Khoja-Sala, there will be a lake of interest to tourists.A pointer to the village of Khoja Sala is difficult to miss, in the same direction you can see a pointer to Mangup Kale. After the tourist came out in the village of Khoja Sala or left his car in it, follow the signs to find a special tourist trail that is guaranteed to lead to the Mangup Plateau and the lake.

Before visiting Mangup-Kale and Lake Maiden, you can stop in the village of Khoja-Sala or in other nearby villages. Also, on one of the shores of the lake there is the Mangup-Kale hotel, although many visitors prefer a romantic tent rest and settle here for several days.

The popularity of Mangup Lake is growing, and every year more and more tourists visit it, which attract natural beauty, clean air, the smooth surface of the lake and green mountains.

• This place is famous for its legends, the authenticity of which can be believed or not. About them will tell a special guide, whose services can be used. There are always a lot of off-road vehicles in front of the Mangup motorcar, whose owners offer tours of cave sites.
• From a height of more than 500 meters above sea level, four capes stretched out with speaking names — Vetreny, Sosnovy, a cape for the Jews and Leaky — offer fascinating views. Any of the capes will be suitable for rest, from each of them you can admire the unique nature. Being on the Maiden (Mangup) lake, you can admire the surrounding beauty from below, which will allow you to feel all the greatness of the mountains. Tourists, who are fond of rock-climbing, gladly climb rocky plumb lines and watch the beauty of the lake from above.
• Bathing in the lake, you can feel the cold areas in the water - it is beaten by underground keys. The maiden lake has a muddy bottom, fish is found in it. You can fish here only for the bait, paying a nominal fee for this pleasure, the best season for this from May to June, and then in September. In the catch can be carp, carp, can be caught and a dace.
• You can also charge a ride on a catamaran, ride a horse or a donkey, add riding to jeeps to add extreme sports to rest. It provides rental of gazebos, sheds, tents, fishing gear, barbecues.
• Overnight in one of the many caves can give special impressions. However, it should be borne in mind that the whole territory is protected, and for every action it is better to take permission. Prices here are not too high, but depend on the season, rental property and type of service.

The beauty of Lake Mangup in Crimea is shown in the video below.