Tepe-kermen, Kachi-kalon and Bashtanovka

Tepe-Kermen (a fortress on a flat hill) – separate hills with flat top the elephants forming a characteristic silhouette of a trapeze. It is created by the nature as the ideal strengthening dominating over several valleys. In its breakages and above is to 250 caves among which ranne-Christian church of the German tribe it is ready.

The crosses which later have become very known as "Teutonic" clearly testify To it cut on either side of from an altar of the special form - they were carried on the white raincoats by knights-crusaders. But the Crimean images of years on one thousand are more senior. Tepe-Kermen does not suit at all an economic life. Any time it was the military lock, but its basic purpose was preparation for the second coming of the Christ, for a doomsday and revival. The rests of the crypts hollowed in rocks and the caves-kostnitsy hammered once in thousand of skulls and bones, restore before us a certain conveyor of death, like the Italian monasteries of Capuchins. Dead men from neighbouring valleys in the beginning stacked in crypts, and then "imperishable" bones densely stacked in storehouses-kostnitsy (they here, really, remained better, than in valleys, thanks to equal temperature of calcareous thickness).

At bottom of vertical breakage of Tepe-Kermen the rests big vinodelcheskoj manors are interesting, only do not accept them for a bidet and toilet bowls - these deepenings with trenches between them were pressami, graters and capacities for technological operations with a grape mash.

With Tepe-Kermen one of the best reviews of Mountain Crimea, including Mangup, silvery domes of the Crimean observatory, a tower of Sjujrensky strengthening in the west, and in the east of lacy cut of breakages of Bakly opens. The ancient city of Kyz-kermen nearest from Tepe-Kermen (the Maiden fortress) is directly on the West through small, but very deep gorge. Kyz-kermen conditionally enough is called among cave cities - there there were only land constructions, and rocks are for some reason stronger than other files. So there is nothing to look there. And here on the north from Tepe-kermen there is the most visited and interesting ancient city of Crimea - Chufut-kale .

To it it is possible to pass on a track over Iosafatovoj a valley in which upper courses it is possible to examine ancient karaimskoe a cemetery.

Having gone down from Tepe-kermen on the south, to a river Kachi valley, it is possible to examine local sights.

Kachi-kalon

Over the most beautiful valley of the river Kacha of village opposite Bashtanovka (jugo-to the west Bakhchisarai) grandiose breakages of rocks with five landslide grottoes tower. The cave monastery Kachi-kalon consists of several hundreds the cave cells hanging directly over highway. In the big rocks economic constructions are cut, the arches of the destroyed churches are seen. Set tarapanov for wine manufacturing, and also the rests of a laying of fortifications from large tesanyh stones.

In a separate block among rocky chaos at breakage bottom the small church is cut. And under the arches of the most grandiose fourth landslide grotto of thousand years contrary to physics and hydrogeology laws the spring Anastasii Uzoreshitelnitsy is filled with water. Under the legend, it helps the successful permission from sorts. Before destruction in 1930th years here there was a female monastery. The huge old sweet cherry growing at a spring, also a doubtless miracle.

Is famous all around and ancient a source of Tash-Air below at highway, to the leader from here to Bakhchisarai. All local visitors hasten to type waters in flasks, bottles and other to rise more to the left of a source to breakage bottom. If over it to pour water will appear executed reddish ohroj magic drawings. Nearby to it, directly at highway under breakage of rocks darkens the Kachinsky canopy – usual parking for such places of the primitive hunters hammering in mammoths and other ancient living creatures by stones from above.

The In itself village Bashtanovka especially does not represent anything, but the pond is nearby very good. Water in it warm and pure throughout all summer – in good years from May holidays till October. On an abrupt southern slope it is arranged quite extreme tarzanka. Sawtooth breakages of Kachi-kalona are very effectively reflected in pond waters, in all decent picture albums about Crimea it is easy to learn these places. In the top part of the stream feeding a pond long since there is a convenient glade for installation of tents.

Varnishes

To the south with. Bashtanovka the excellent dirt road conducts on the south, to with. High, through some km the extensive glade and ruins of an orthodox temple opens. In it in days of a Patriotic War all inhabitants of the Greek village Varnishes have been burnt for the help to guerrillas.

The Building of a temple and now amazes with a remarkable laying from beautiful vytesannogo bodrakskogo white limestone. The arches, a dome and carved details of a facade are especially good. The rests of orchards and chairov in wood please a sight with flowering, and in the autumn fragrant fruits in the spring.

Igor Rusanov