Kutlak fortress is one of the most beautiful sights of the Crimea. The ancient building is a famous place in Tauris, an antique monument of the 1st century BC. e. In Crimea, the fortress received a second name - Bospor. It is located in a bay near Veselovsky Bay.
Fortress history
Kutlak fortress (Crimea) was originally called Athenion. The ancient fortification was built by order of Asander, the governor of Farnak the Second, the Pontic king. He ruled in the Bosporus of Cimmeria. Asander overthrew Farnak, but did not manage to transfer power to his descendants.
The fortress served as an outpost in the west of the state. Kutlak became the last refuge of Asander. In the 14th century, Armenians who came from the city of Ani inside the fortress walls erected a fort. Crimean Tatars called Kutlak a pit, according to the terrain.
Location
Kutlak is located near the sea, on the western cape of Mount Karaul-Oba. The fortification is located between Veselovsky Bay and the Blue Bay. The land where the remaining ruins are located belongs to the urban district of Sudak. The remains of the fortress lie four kilometers from the modern village of Veseloe.
The functioning of the fortress in ancient times
In ancient times, a military garrison was located inside the fortification. He totaled hundreds of soldiers. The fortress walls protected the state from the sea from pirate barbarians and the invasion of the Tauri. There is an assumption that near the fortress there was a port, which was also under the protection of Kutlak.
Her soldiers were most likely from Feodosia and Thrace. They were not trained to read and write, but they made excellent clay products and masterly worked with metal. Due to the confrontation between Theodosia and the Bosporus state, the inhabitants of the fortress left the defensive fortification. This ended his 60-year existence. The fortress was abandoned.
Description
The Kutlak fortification, located on the plateau of the Karaul-Oba massif, had a 5-coal shape. The territory before the construction of the fortress did not level out, so it was built in record time. Kutlak was surrounded by a two-hundred-meter wall with a height of 4 to 6 meters. The thickness of the stone fence varied. Over a cliff of the wall was only 0.6 meters, on the eastern and northern sides - 3 meters each.
Kutlak fortress had 5 towers, each in two floors. Also in the fortification were built a bastion and a dungeon. They were located on the northwest side. The largest tower was square, measuring 10.7 x 8.5 m. On the first tier were utility rooms. There were no doors there, and it was possible to reach only by stairs through the second floor.
A separate bridge led to it. When a threat arose, it was simply destroyed, and the tower became a significant obstacle to the enemy. Kutlak is very different from similar ancient monuments. The fortification initially had a large gate through which carts could pass. But then this entrance was walled up.
People fell into the Kutlak fortress through the eastern and southwestern towers. A modest alternative to the central gate was small narrow gates. From one there was a path to the sea itself. In the lowland near the fortress was a source of fresh water. The second small narrow gate was on the opposite side of the defensive structure.
Inside the fortification were barracks and four houses. Separately, there was a workshop for processing iron. The roofs of the buildings were covered with slate tiles and fastened with clay. Walls were built from the same material with the addition of local sandstone.
An excavated well was located on the territory of the defensive fortress, providing people with drinking water in siege time. The civilians took fresh water from a source located outside the fortification.
Remains of a fortress in modern times
Crimean defense fortification Kutlak was discovered by archaeologist Baranov. In 1982, the first finds and subsequent expeditions were able to help establish the size of the Bosporus kingdom. Before the discovery of the fortress, it was believed that the state was located on a smaller territory.
Looking at the remaining ruins, it seems that nothing is left of the ancient architectural monument. But according to archaeologists, the Kutlak fortress was preserved very well to determine what the fortification was, its functions and significance for the Bosporus kingdom.
For example, it became known that foci and braziers were once installed in residential premises. The tower, which was located in the southwestern corner, simultaneously served as a lighthouse. The ancient defensive structure has a clear layout, which is why it was called the Pentagon. The main tower has survived to the second tier, the top of the building collapsed over time.
From weapons, an iron ax and very large arrowheads were found. Most likely, they were intended for ballista. Around lay various stone kernels for slings and stone-throwers.
Excavations and studies are still being carried out in the ancient fortification. The fortress was included in the list of historical monuments of antiquities and its museumification began. But in recent years, work has stopped.