Surely everyone noticed that nowhere so sharply and vividly do you feel the transience of time, as in dilapidated castles - witnesses of former glory and greatness. On a small piece of land, almost completely surrounded by the turquoise water of the sea, the Crimean peninsula, you can meet an incredible number of fortresses from different eras. Some of them are still in excellent condition today and continue to amaze with their magnificent beauty, others have turned into ruins. And we can only guess what they really were. However, there is something in common that unites all the fortresses of Crimea. This is their amazing environment: picturesque mountains, framed by greenery and flowers, a turquoise sky and a magnificent horizon.
The historical heritage of Crimea
This miraculous peninsula at different periods of its existence was under the rule of various powers, and therefore of different cultures. That is why the fortresses of Crimea are so different from each other. Here there are very ancient, in the Hellenistic style, and medieval-European, and Jewish, and Muslim. Thousands of tourists come here every year to visit the ruins of ancient monuments of architecture, make a journey into the past and get in touch with history.
Tauric Chersonesos
This fortress is called Russian Troy. It is located near the hero city of Sevastopol. Archaeologists believe that Khersones is more than 2000 years old. It was founded in the 5th century BC and existed until the 15th century of the new reckoning. This fortress served as a stronghold for the Pontic kingdom, and then for Ancient Rome and Byzantium. Since each of the rulers of Chersonesus wanted to make the city more fortified and impregnable, already by the Middle Ages the height of the fortress wall reached 5 meters, its width was 4 m, and its length was 3 kilometers.
Particularly noteworthy is the flank tower of Zeno, one of the first owners of the fortress. We have also reached the ancient theater, which is the only one on the territory of the former USSR, and the central square - the agora, and the basilica in the basilica (medieval Christian church). At the very end of the 20th century, the fortress of Khersones was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the 100 most outstanding monuments of world culture.
Fortress Kalamita
The first foundation stones of this magnificent building were erected by the Greeks in the VI century on the site of the city of Inkerman. The fortress was erected to protect Chersonesos. Kalamita has a great location. It is protected from enemies from all sides by natural guards - cliffs. Other Crimean fortresses have the same location. For reliability, walls were often erected around them and a moat was dug.
Today, only ruins have remained of former greatness. However, they also give us an idea of what the fortress was like in the days of its glory. Under Kalamita you can see the cave monastery. He is two centuries younger than the fortress itself. In the Middle Ages, Kalamita belonged to the Principality of Theodoro, protecting the port of Aulite from an external enemy. For some time the fortified city was the main port of the principality, after the fall of which it fell under the rule of the Genoese, Turks, Tatars.
Aluston
Like other Crimean fortresses, Aluston came to our days almost completely in ruined condition. It is located in the center of Alushta, among residential buildings. This fortress, like Kalamita, was built in the 6th century AD at the insistence of the emperor of Byzantium Justinian I. It served to protect local residents from nomads. In the Middle Ages, the Genoese attacked the fortress, captured it and reconstructed in its own way. In the mid-15th century, Aluston was destroyed by the Turks who captured it. After that, the fortress was no longer restored. At the end of the 90s of the last century, the Ukrainian authorities built a departmental sanatorium on the territory of the fortress. Today, only one round tower of Ashaga-Kule remains from it.
Medieval fortresses of Crimea
In the 12-14 centuries, the peninsula was often attacked by the Genoese. They are the builders of medieval fortresses. By the way, they most often chose the ruins of cities as a place for their work. The Genoese trusted the Crimean flair in this matter. Between modern Alushta and Gurzuf several fortresses were built precisely in the Middle Ages. When in the VIII century the Khazars attacked the Gorzuvity fortress, they almost destroyed it. However, the Genoese who sailed to the peninsula in the same place built another fortress, but in the Mediterranean style.
Genoese fortress in Sudak
This wonderful building also has an ancient history. In its place, the first buildings were made in the 5-6 centuries, precisely at the time when the Byzantine rulers had power over the Crimean peninsula. The Genoese fortress, the photo of which you see in the article, was built later by Italians who came to the peninsula. Some of its defensive structures have survived to our times. Today, various festivals are often held in these parts, which attracts large flows of tourists to this area.
Funa
The name of this fortress is translated from Greek as "smoking". The Funa fortress in Crimea is also located in the Alushta region - in the valley of Mount Demerdzhi. She played the role of the eastern outpost and was a help to the Aluston fortress. Funa is of particular importance for the inhabitants of Alushta, and the Crimea as a whole. Legend has it that it was here that one of the queens was buried. They say that she was lying in a coffin with a golden crown on her head. Of course, many dream of finding her among the ruins of the castle, but all searches have so far been useless.
Ottoman rule
Yeni-Kale is translated from Turkish as "new fortress". It rises on the rocks on the banks of the Kerch Strait. The author of the construction was the Italian architect Goloppo. They say that he changed the Christian faith to Islam, so many see in his "handwriting" an oriental trace. At one time, a garrison was located inside the fortress. It consisted of a thousand people. Since 1771, the Turks occupying the fortress gave it to Russia, and at the end of the 2000s, a treasure with 77 gold coins was discovered here. Yeni-Kale is the most famous Turkish fortress on the peninsula. Crimea, of course, was unsweetened during the Ottoman rule. However, after the departure of the Turks, the territory remained beautiful fortresses, which today are among the best local attractions.
Conclusion
This is just a small group of fortresses that were built by different rulers of the peninsula. That's why their architecture is so different. This can be seen even in the ruins.