Attractions of Krym AR region

The Tarkhankut lighthouse is a well-preserved 200-year-old lighthouse that is still functioning and is located on the western edge of the Crimean peninsula, Cape Tarkhankut.

Presumably, the lighthouse at this dangerous place from the point of view of navigation existed even in ancient times. The current 42-meter-high tower was built of white Inkerman limestone in 1816. Due to the excellent quality of the construction, the building required only cosmetic repairs until now.

In 1851, the Tarkhankut lighthouse had 13 lamps with reflectors, in 1862 the lighting was improved and spread over 12.4 miles. During the fog, the sound of a pneumatic siren was heard or the bell was struck.

All buildings have been preserved. With the permission of the administration, you can climb the tower by climbing 142 steps of a cast iron spiral staircase.

The Hillfort of Tarpanchi is located on a promontory slightly protruding into the sea, on the eastern outskirts of the village of Okunivka (former Tarpanchi), bounded on two sides by beams.

These are the remains of an ancient manor, covered by a late Scythian fortification. In the 4th century BC, colonists founded a settlement here, which was part of the sphere of influence of Chersonesus. In the 2nd century BC, the settlement was captured by the Scythians and a fortress with four towers was built on the site of the manor. The defensive ditch was veneered with stone. Villages adjoined the fortress on two sides: East Tarpanchi and West Tarpanchi.

You can see the remains of primitive stone walls up to 2.8 meters thick, as well as the foundations of towers, residential and commercial buildings.

The ruins of the huge fortified Tash-Khan (Stone Yard) caravanserai, built in the center of Bilohirsk in the 15th century.

Only the gate and a part of the wall adjacent to it have survived.

In ancient times, powerful walls with loopholes surrounded a spacious courtyard, merchants were housed in wooden buildings along the northern and eastern walls. On the outside, there was a slave market, from where slaves were sent to different countries of the world: Turkey, Genoa, Venice, Egypt.

The fortified cave settlement of Tepe-Kermen ("mountain fortress") is located on a mountain plateau above the Kacha River near the Kiz-Kermen plateau near the village of Mashyne.

Probably founded in the early Middle Ages. In the 8th-14th centuries, icon worshipers expelled from Byzantium during the era of iconoclasm lived here. The cave church with columns is located in the northeastern part of the plateau. 250 caves were explored: temples, casemates, granaries, cattle sheds, etc.

Turkish Shaft is the name of one of the oldest defensive structures on the territory of Ukraine.

According to the legend described by Herodotus, the earthen Shaft crossing the entire eastern edge of the Crimea was built by Scythian slaves who went on a long military campaign, fearing retribution for cohabiting with Scythian wives. The rampart was probably built by the Cimmerians, which is why experts call it the Cimmerian rampart (also Akkosiv or Uzunlarsky).

The length of the Turkish wall reached 32 kilometers, at the base was a stone embankment. It runs from the northwestern edge of the village of Novovidradne past the Kerch Reservoir, crosses the E-97 highway 3 kilometers from the village of Hornostaivka, descends past Lake Marfivske to Lake Uzunlarske.

From the northern edge of the Turkish Wall, a wonderful view of the village of Novovidradne and the coast of the Sea of Azov opens up.

The Uchan-Su waterfall is the highest (98.5 meters) and the most spectacular waterfall in Ukraine.

It is located in the mountains 10 kilometers from Yalta. The name is translated from Tatar as "flying water".

The Uchan-Su River originates in limestone under the Yayla cliff at an altitude of 1,233 meters above sea level and has a very steep drop in its upper reaches. Below the river, at a height of 295, 280 and 270 meters, the waters of three smaller waterfalls pour down from the steep cliffs.

Uchang-su is especially beautiful in the spring during the melting snow, as well as during the autumn rains, when huge masses of foamy water fall down with force, sometimes capturing large stone blocks. A cloud of water dust hangs over the waterfall, and the sound of the stream can be heard a kilometer away. In the summer, the stream weakens a lot, running down the rocks in small streams.

On one of the cascades of the Uchan-Su waterfall - Eagle's Bay rock - there is a viewing platform from where the surrounding mountains can be clearly seen. During the season, the entrance is paid, the souvenir market is open.

The late antique Ust-Alma Necropolis is located one kilometer from the village of Pishchane, in the lower reaches of the Alma River (a special self-colored pebble is found in the sediments of the mouth).

Here passed the sea route from Chersonesos (Sevastopol) to Kerkinitida (Yevpatoriia) and further - to Olbia (Dnipro-Buh estuary).

The remains of an earthen rampart and a ditch on the high seashore have been preserved, several residential buildings and a burial ground have been investigated.

Visiting is free.

The ancient watchtower is located in the upper part of Cape Suuk-Su on the territory of the international children's center "Artek".

It existed already in the 6th century, when the legionaries of the Byzantine emperor Justinian came here.

Sometimes it is called "Girey's Tower" (one of the owners of these lands) or "Eagle's Nest" (a round tower hangs on the edge of a cliff, which really resembles a nest).

There is an observation deck on top, which offers a picturesque view of Ayu-Dag, Adalara and Shalyapin rock (according to legend, the singer bought it for a symbolic price - one ruble, and all the surrounding fishermen gathered to listen to his singing from this rock).

White Rock, which gave the current name Bilohirsk rises to the northeast of the city more than 150 meters. The Tatar name is Ak-Kaya.

The upper part of the southwestern slope is a grand cliff, exposing white limestone. Fossilized remains of various fossils of organisms from the Cretaceous period are often found in them. As a result of weathering, depressions, hills and ridges, canopies and caves appeared.

At the foot of the White Rock of Ak-Kaya, about twenty campsites and settlements of primitive man, as well as many Scythian monuments, were investigated.

A large panorama of the Crimean foothills planted with gardens opens from the top.

The one-of-a-kind landscape of the surrounding area on the border between the mountains and the steppe constantly attracts artists and cinematographers. Films popular in the 70s were shot here: "The Headless Horseman", "Mustang the Wanderer", "Cipollino" and others.

The Turkish fortress of Yeni-Kale is located in the narrowest part of the Kerch Strait in the northeastern part of the city.

The name in Turkish means New Fortress. Yeni-Kale could accommodate up to 12 thousand soldiers, controlled the passage of ships between the Azov and Black Seas, and even served as the residence of the Turkish Pasha.

It was built in several tiers, walls and powerful bastions surrounded the moat on three sides. A ceramic underground aqueduct from a source several kilometers away was used for water supply.

In 1771, the Yeni-Kale fortress was surrendered to Russian troops without a fight. The graceful South-Western bastion above the sea is best preserved. Access is free.