Did mammoths live in Crimea? Crimean landscapes: natural wonders and ancient ruins. The main halls of the Emine-Bair-Khosar cave

“Today we cannot boast that we have a good coherent presentation of the entire history of Crimea. Let’s be honest, we still don’t have anything, not even a bad one.”

N. L. Ernest, 1936.

“Crimean peninsula, a peninsula in the south of the European part of the USSR. Area 25.5 thousand square meters. km. It is washed in the west and south by the Black Sea and in the east by the Azov Sea. In the north it is connected to the East European Plain by the narrow (up to 8 km) Perekop Isthmus. In the east of Crimea, between the Black and Azov Seas, is the Kerch Peninsula; in the west, the tapering part of Crimea forms the Tarkhankut Peninsula.”

Great Soviet Encyclopedia.

“This whole country is characterized by unusually cold winters; here for eight months the frost is so unbearable that if you spill water at this time, you will not get dirt... The sea and the entire Cimmerian Bosporus freezes... This kind of winter happens for eight months continuously; and in the remaining four months it is cold here.”

The Crimean peninsula is the “natural pearl of Europe” - due to its geographical location and unique natural conditions Since ancient times, it has been a crossroads of many maritime transit roads connecting various states, tribes and peoples. The most famous “Great Silk Road” passed through the Crimean Peninsula and connected the Roman and Chinese empires. Later, it connected together all the uluses of the Mongol-Tatar empire and played a significant role in the political and economic life of the peoples inhabiting Europe, Asia and China.

Tavrika - this was the first name of the peninsula, which was assigned to it since ancient times and, obviously, received on behalf of the ancient tribes of the Taurians who inhabited southern part Crimea. The modern name "Crimea" began to be widely used only after the 13th century. “Kyrym” was the name of the city, which, after the capture of the Northern Black Sea region, was built by the Tatar-Mongols on the peninsula and was the residence of the governor of the Khan of the Golden Horde. Probably, over time, the name of the city spread to the entire peninsula. It is possible that the name “Crimea” also came from the Perekop Isthmus - the Russian word “perekop” is a translation of the Turkic word “qirim”, which means “ditch”. Since the 15th century, the Crimean peninsula began to be called Tavria, and after its annexation to Russia in 1783 - Tavrida. This name was given to the entire Northern Black Sea region, which since ancient times was considered north coast Black and Azov seas with adjacent steppe territories.

The Crimean peninsula consists of plain-steppe, mountain-forest, south-coast and Kerch natural-climatic zones. Short warm winter and long sunny summers, rich plant and animal world Crimea allowed the tribes and peoples who had settled on its lands since ancient times to engage in hunting, beekeeping and fishing, cattle breeding and agriculture. The presence of a large number of iron ore deposits on the peninsula helped the development of many crafts, metallurgy, and mining. The Yayls, the plateau-like treeless peaks of the Crimean Mountains, running in three ridges along the south of the peninsula from Sevastopol to Feodosia, were convenient sites for the construction of fortified settlements, which were practically impossible to suddenly capture. The narrow eight-kilometer Perekop Isthmus connected the Crimean Peninsula with the European mainland and prevented warlike tribes from entering Crimea undetected to capture slaves and booty. The first people appeared on the Crimean land about one hundred thousand years ago. Later in Crimea different time lived Tauris and Cimmerians, Scythians and Greeks, Sarmatians and Romans, Goths, Huns, Avars, Bulgarians, Khazars, Slavs, Pechenegs, Polovtsians, Mongol-Tatars and Crimean Tatars, Italians and Turks. Their descendants still live on the Crimean Peninsula. The history of Crimea - their life and achievements.

Chapter 1. TRACES OF PRIMITIVE MAN’S STAY IN THE CRIMEA

100,000 years - II millennium BC. e.

The first traces of human presence on the territory Crimean peninsula belong to the ancient Stone Age, divided into the early and late Paleolithic, and lasting from 2 million years to the XIV-X centuries BC. e. The Crimean Peninsula is located in southern Europe and was almost not affected by the glacier. IN Crimean mountains there were many caves, grottoes and rock overhangs, convenient for parking. The mild climate, many wild animals and rich varied vegetation created favorable conditions for the habitation of primitive man. In prehistoric times, the Crimea was inhabited by mammoths, rhinoceroses, reindeer, bears, arctic foxes, saiga antelopes, wild horses, donkeys, ptarmigan, salmon and pike were found in the rivers, there were silicon deposits on the surface of the earth, which served primitive man as raw materials for making tools necessary for life. Remains primitive people, which began to populate Crimea about one hundred thousand years ago, were found in many places on the peninsula. The ancient sites of Chokurcha, Kiik-Koba and Bakla near Simferopol, 14 Zaskalnye sites near the village of Vishennaye in the Belogorsk region, Staroselye near Bakhchisarai, and the Kizil-Kobinsky caves are widely known. In the Wolf Grotto cave of the Middle Paleolithic era, located twelve kilometers east of Simferopol in the rock above the Beshterek River valley, many flint tools and bones of a wild bull, red deer, mammoth, bison, mouflon, rhinoceros, wild boar, wild donkey, wild horse were found , wolf, fox, roe deer, badger, arctic fox, cave hyena, wolverine.

Primitive people on the Crimean peninsula left their traces near Bakhchisaray (Suren), near the Kachi River, in the Alma River valley, near the Bodraka River (Shaitan-Koba). They already made fire, lived in caves, hunted mammoths, rhinoceroses, wild bulls, horses, deer, cave lions and bears that existed in the Crimea during the Ice Age with the help of a wooden lance, the end of which was sharpened in fire, stones and clubs. People collected soft and non-poisonous roots, mushrooms, berries, wild fruits, shellfish, and fished. The clothes were the skins of a bull, deer, antelope, cave bear, wolf, beaver, fox, and hare. Paleolithic flint tools were found at the sites: pointed points, side-scrapers-knives, and handaxes. Subsequently, mammoths, bison and woolly rhinoceroses disappeared, and reindeer left Crimea as the weather warmed. Horses and saigas became the main objects of hunting. Large communities of primitive hunters broke up into small ones that settled along river valleys.

Many primitive sites in almost all parts of Crimea date back to the Middle Stone Age - the Mesolithic, which lasted from the 9th to the 6th millennium BC. e. People lived in the cave sites of Alimov Canopy in the valley of the Kachi River, Suren II near the Belbek River, Waterfall Grotto, Tash-Air I, Buran-Kaya near the Burulchi River, Fatma-Koba in Baydar Valley, Zamil-Koba I and II, Murzak-Koba in the valley of the Chernaya River, Laspi VII. Remains of protective structures were discovered at the entrances to the Shan-Koba and Fatma-Koba sites. Primitive people tamed the dog, domesticated the pig, bows and arrows emerged from weapons, which became the main means of obtaining food, and molded pottery was found at sites. The main occupations of the primitive Crimean population were hunting, mainly deer, roe deer and wild boars, gathering, and fishing. At sites of this period, bones of wild animals, remains of an edible grape snail, double-row harpoons with teeth, bones of pike perch, salmon and catfish were found. The Shan-Koba cave site in southwestern Crimea is widely known, in which incisors, scrapers, and knife-like blades were discovered. During the excavations, bones of deer, saiga antelope, wild donkey, wild horse, wild boar, brown bear, lynx, badger, beaver, shells of edible snails, and bone harpoons were also found.

History of Crimea Andreev Alexander Radevich

CHAPTER 1. TRACES OF PRIMITIVE MAN’S STAY IN THE CRIMEA. 100,000 YEARS – II MILLENNIUM B.C.

The first traces of human presence on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula date back to the ancient Stone Age, divided into the Early and Late Paleolithic, and lasting from 2 million years to the 14th–10th centuries BC. e. The Crimean Peninsula is located in southern Europe and was almost not affected by the glacier. In the Crimean Mountains there were many caves, grottoes and rock overhangs, convenient for setting up camp sites. The mild climate, many wild animals and rich varied vegetation created favorable conditions for the habitation of primitive man. In prehistoric times, the Crimea was inhabited by mammoths, rhinoceroses, reindeer, bears, arctic foxes, saiga antelopes, wild horses, donkeys, ptarmigan, salmon and pike were found in the rivers, there were silicon deposits on the surface of the earth, which served primitive man as raw materials for making tools necessary for life. The remains of primitive people who began to populate Crimea about one hundred thousand years ago have been discovered in many places on the peninsula. The ancient sites of Chokurcha, Kiik-Koba and Bakla near Simferopol, 14 Zaskalnye sites near the village of Vishennaye in the Belogorsk region, Staroselye near Bakhchisarai, and Kizil-Kobinsky caves are widely known. In the Wolf Grotto cave of the Middle Paleolithic era, located twelve kilometers east of Simferopol in the rock above the Beshterek River valley, many flint tools and bones of a wild bull, red deer, mammoth, bison, mouflon, rhinoceros, wild boar, wild donkey, wild horse, wolf, fox, roe deer, badger, arctic fox, cave hyena, wolverine.

Primitive people on the Crimean peninsula left their traces near Bakhchisarai (Syuyren), near the Kachi River, in the Alma River valley, near the Bodraka River (Shaitan-Koba). They already made fire, lived in caves, hunted mammoths, rhinoceroses, wild bulls, horses, deer, cave lions and bears that existed in Crimea during the Ice Age with the help of a wooden lance, the end of which was sharpened in fire, stones and clubs. People collected soft and non-poisonous roots, mushrooms, berries, wild fruits, shellfish, and fished. The clothes were the skins of a bull, deer, antelope, cave bear, wolf, beaver, fox, and hare. Paleolithic flint tools were found at the sites: pointed points, side-scrapers-knives, and handaxes. Subsequently, mammoths, bison and woolly rhinoceroses disappeared, and reindeer left Crimea as the weather warmed. Horses and saigas became the main objects of hunting. Large communities of primitive hunters broke up into small ones that settled along river valleys.

Many primitive sites in almost all parts of Crimea date back to the Middle Stone Age - Mesolithic period, which lasted from the 9th to the 6th millennium BC. e. People lived in the cave sites of Alimov Canopy in the valley of the Kachi River, Suren II in the Belbek River, Waterfall Grotto, Tash-Air I, Buran-Kaya near the Burulchi River, Fatma-Koba in the Baydar Valley, Zamil-Koba I and II, Murzak– Koba in the valley of the Chernaya River, Laspi VII. Remains of protective structures were discovered at the entrances to the Shan-Koba and Fatma-Koba sites. Primitive people tamed the dog, domesticated the pig, bows and arrows emerged from weapons, which became the main means of obtaining food, and molded pottery was found at sites. The main occupations of the primitive Crimean population were hunting, mainly deer, roe deer and wild boars, gathering, and fishing. At sites of this period, bones of wild animals, remains of an edible grape snail, double-row harpoons with teeth, bones of pike perch, salmon and catfish were found. The Shan-Koba cave site in southwestern Crimea is widely known, in which incisors, scrapers, and knife-like blades were discovered. During the excavations, bones of deer, saiga antelope, wild donkey, wild horse, wild boar, brown bear, lynx, badger, beaver, shells of edible snails, and bone harpoons were also found.

Sites in the steppe part of Crimea (Dolinka, Ishun, Martynovka), in the mountains (Balin-Kosh, At-Bash, Beshtekne), near Bakhchisarai (Tash Air, Zemil Koba, Kaya Arasy), on the Kerch Peninsula (Lugovoe, Tosunovo), south coast(Ulu-Uzen) belong to the new Stone Age, Neolithic (5000 years - 4000 years BC). There are more than one hundred and fifty of them on the Crimean peninsula. Primitive people in Crimea mastered agriculture and cattle breeding, domesticated goats, sheep, cows, oxen, horses, fired pottery, stone products, axes, and hammers appeared. Hoes, reaping knives, flint knife-like blades, and bone beads were found at the sites.

The people of the Yamnaya, Catacomb and Srubnaya culture, who lived in Crimea during the Copper Age - Eneolithic (4000 years - 2000 years BC) also left their traces in the steppe and mountainous Crimea and on the Kerch Peninsula. The well-known mounds are Kurban Bayram near Krasnoperekopsk, Kemi-Oba near Belogorsk, the Golden Mound near Simferopol, Laspi I, Gurzuf, Zhukovka. At this time, most of the tribes had not yet settled on the earth and were in search of convenient places existence, many peoples moved across Europe and Asia. The people of the Copper Age in Crimea were farmers and livestock breeders. They grew wheat, millet, barley, and hemp. They ate meat and bread. Sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, cows and horses were domesticated. They spun. Copper tools and weapons appeared: axes, daggers, knives, chisels, paper clips, spear and arrow tips. Wheeled transport appeared - carts harnessed to oxen or horses.

During the Bronze Age, which lasted from 2000 to 1000 BC. e. In the Crimea lived representatives of the Yamnaya, Kemi-Oba, Catacomb, Mnogovalik, Srubnaya, Sabatinovskaya and Belozersk cultures, who knew how to build stone dwellings and were engaged in cattle breeding and arable farming. Many copper and bronze items, pots, bowls, stone battle axes, and maces were discovered at sites dating back to the Bronze Age. A large slab with holes for libations, depicting a duel, was found near Krasnaya Gorka in Simferopol. Near Evpatoria, Chokurcha, Bakhchisarai, Astanino, and Tiritaki, stone steles were found - elongated slabs, on which the upper parts of the head, eyes, mouth, and hands are depicted. On one of the steles there is a sword belt, an axe, a bow and a quiver. The first traces of barter trade between the population of the Northern Black Sea region and the tribes of southwestern and western Asia Minor, as well as the Aegean basin, date back to this period. In the Bessarabian treasure in the village of Borodino near Akkerman - Belgorod of the Dniester, four large stone axes made of serpentine of Asian Minor origin were found. In the Shchetkovo treasure in the Bug region near Ingul, Aegean bronze double axes and sickles of Mycenaean origin were discovered. At sites of this period in Crimea, dishes similar to those discovered at Ingul and in the Kuban region were found, which indicates trade relations between the Crimean tribes and the steppe population of the Northern Black Sea region.

At the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. e. The Bronze Age in Crimea gave way to the Iron Age. The oldest iron objects were found in one of the burial mounds near the village of Zolnoye. They date back to the 8th century BC. e. The main occupations of the population of the Crimean Peninsula were agriculture and cattle breeding in a subsistence economy that satisfied many human needs with products of its own production.

The first archaeological monuments of the Tauri on the Crimean Peninsula date back to approximately this historical period.

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The cave is named after the nearby village - Chokurcha

They say that Crimea is the birthplace of elephants. This, of course, is a joke, but it is true that the peninsula sheltered mammoths and the Neanderthals that followed them. On the eastern outskirts of the Crimean capital, Simferopol, there is the Chokurcha cave, where scientists found the remains of mammoths, and not only that.

Chokurchinskaya cave

It’s hard to imagine, but about 50 thousand years ago the valley of the Salgir River, where Simferopol is now located, was covered with dense forests. The deciduous forests were home to many different animals: among them were wild horses, bison and deer, bulls, roe deer and saiga antelope. There were many predators - panthers and cats different types, hyenas, lions and bears found shelter in caves. Rhinoceroses and mammoths were found in the Crimean climate, which was warmer than today. In the spring, Salgir flooded widely, the animals that did not have time to escape died, they were carried out almost to the threshold of the Chokurcha cave. Of course, ancient people immediately noticed this perfect place, making the cave their permanent stop for many years.

Archaeological research and finds

In 1927, local historian S. Zabnin and geologist P. Dvoichenko drew attention to an unusual grotto near Simferopol, which local residents called Chokurcha, after the name of a nearby Crimean Tatar village. In Tatar, Chokurcha means pit. Scientists have identified the grotto as a site for people of the Old Stone Age - Paleolithic.

Already at the beginning of the 20th century, the grotto was not very large: its depth was about 5 m and its width was about 7 m. It is assumed that 40-45 thousand years ago the grotto was a vast cave with a length exceeding 15 m. Over time, the front part of the cave collapsed, leaving the grotto open to people's gaze.

Zabnin and Dvoichenko began to examine the earthen wall of the collapsed grotto, which contained the remains of ancient tools, bones of various animals, and traces of hearths. In 1928, excavations were continued by the historian, Professor Nikolai Ernst; the study of the grotto brought unexpectedly interesting results.

Archaeological research has shown that ancient people lived in the grotto for at least 10 thousand years in a row. 40-45 thousand years ago they came, lived for a while, then left, but returned again. Scientific world recognized the Chokurcha grotto as the most ancient site of the Paleolithic period in Europe. However, see part archaeological artifacts now it is possible only in the Simferopol Local History and Odessa archaeological museums, the rest was not preserved.

In the footsteps of primitive people

It was in the Chokurcha grotto that the skeletons of Neanderthals were discovered. The burials became important evidence of the intelligence of Neanderthals. The skeletons were laid in a fetal position, with tools and animal bones located nearby. The Neanderthals who lived in the Chokurcha grotto are attributed by modern scientists to the Moustier culture, which means that a modern tourist, standing on the threshold of the cave, can easily imagine the life of those who lived here 40 thousand years ago.

In those days, people lived in groups of 20 to 100 people, camping in caves or building small dwellings from mammoth bones. Just such a structure was once erected in front of the Chokurchinsky grotto - historians have found traces of the structure made from mammoth bones.

Neanderthal men hunted, since there was enough prey in the Crimean forests in those days. For hunting, they used the so-called Mousterian microliths - small tools made of flint and limestone, they were used as scrapers and as spear points. Tools were also made from animal bones. About 500 different tools were found in the grotto.

Women and children were busy collecting fruits and roots. Already in those days, a community was emerging - the old people also benefited the tribe by making tools.
The people who stayed in the grotto knew fire and dressed in skins. But the most important thing is that in 1947 the Chokurcha cave was given the status of a monument of world significance - it was here that archaeologists found traces of the origin of rituals and ancient art.

Beauty through the eyes of ancient people

When archaeologists, led by Nikolai Ernst, washed the sooty ceiling and walls of the cave, an amazing sight met their eyes. There were drawings on the ceiling that were preserved because they were carved into the limestone. The main image was a half-meter sun with rays. On either side of it were drawings of a fish and a mammoth of the same size. So it became clear that the Neanderthals experienced a sense of worship of nature, perhaps a religious feeling or cult was emerging in them.

What's in the cave today?

During the Second World War, when Simferopol was captured by the Nazis, the unique grotto was plundered, archaeological finds disappeared, the images on the vault and walls of the cave were lost. After the war, local residents used the cave at their own discretion: they threw out garbage and lit fires. In 2009, the monument of world significance was remembered and the cave was restored, closing the entrance with a grate.

How to get to the cave

Chokurcha is located in the area of st. Lugovaya, on the left bank of the Maly Salgir River, so you can get there in two ways:

From Pobeda Ave., turn right and walk along Karierny Lane to post office No. 33, Chokurcha.
Take a minibus to the Lugovskaya regional hospital, cross the bridge over the river and walk a little.
Coordinates: +44° 57" 21.43", +34° 08" 20.99" Chokurcha evokes an amazing feeling of immersion in history - after all, nearby, just fifty meters away, there are modern houses and the noise of the highway. But the grotto is located a little higher, in a low limestone ridge, from the site in good weather you can see Chatyr-Dag. Standing on the threshold of the grotto, it is easy to imagine the sensations and feelings of an ancient man, to imagine oneself as a mammoth hunter or a gatherer of roots and berries.

Chokurcha-2
Already in 1974, not far from the Chokurcha grotto, during the construction of a motor depot, another site of ancient people from Paleolithic times was found, it was called Chokurcha-2. This site was even larger than the first, but scientists did not defend the archaeological rarity. A car depot was built, but the parking lot was not preserved.
To go or not to go?
The answer is clear: you need to visit the Chokurcha grotto in order to better understand how short people have inhabited our planet, how quickly changes occur on the scale of history and how fleeting our lives are.

The stunningly beautiful Mammoth Cave or Emine-Bair-Khosar, as it is now called, is only 18 km away. from Simferopol, next to another cave open to the public - Mramornaya. They discovered it, or rather realized that the 16-meter well was only the beginning of a whole network of caves in 1927. But for a long time, due to such a difficult entrance, it was accessible only to speleologists.

Beauty for ordinary tourists cave complex opened only in 1994, when several speleologists led by A. Kozlov made a special tunnel to them, several more passages from hall to hall, cleared them, provided lighting, laid paths and provided them with handrails.

Even in summer in Emine-Bair-Khosar it is a little more than +9 and almost 100% humidity. So, even in the heat, take warm clothes with you, at least for your feet, because jackets are given at the entrance.

Here is the same well, which for a long time was the only entrance to the cave complex:

The main halls of the Emine-Bair-Khosar cave

Now the length of the Mammoth Cave is more than 2 km, but about a kilometer is available to visitors, which is also a lot - the most long excursion lasts about one and a half hours. During this time, visitors go down 5 levels. The upper one is 30 meters from the surface of the earth, the lower one is about 180 meters. There are three routes in total:

Northern gallery - (25-30 min.).
Northern Gallery - Hall of Idols-Kecskemet (70-80 min.).
Full route - (80-90 min.).

Here is a diagram at the entrance to the Emine-Bair-Khosar cave:

Northern gallery– the beginning of the journey into the depths of Mount Chatyr-Dag, a rather steep descent down the steps, during which the body gradually gets used to the cold and dampness, and the eyes to the low light.

main hall- a vast grotto, about 120 meters in length, almost in the center of the ceiling of which, at a height of 40 m, is the very well that for a long time served as the entrance to the cave. And, by the way, it is a natural trap, thanks to which many bones of ancient animals have accumulated here. They fell into the hole, died, and their remains were gradually covered with silt. The most important find of paleontologists is an almost complete skeleton of a mammoth, for which the cave received the name Mammoth.

Lake Hall– a small room with a perfectly transparent underground lake. Although it is about 6 meters deep, it seems that the bottom is very close.

Hall of Idols- a spacious cave, here you can see, amazing stalagmites and beautifully illuminated, multi-colored sinter formations.

Treasury- small, but beautiful like a magic box, the hall in which helictites create amazing formations of thread-like, spiral, and even curly, like vines, shapes.

Kecskemet Hall the most spacious and full of various “creations” of nature. The main ones are a rounded stalagmite, reminiscent of a miniature volcano into the center of which drops fall evenly and the owner of the cave is tall, white, free-standing.

Another feature of this level is a booming, repeated echo, ready to repeat every sound.

Dublyansky Hall— there used to be a lake here, but now this little hall seems to be on two levels.

Organ Hall- so named for the walls covered with stone pipes resembling an organ. It also has good acoustics and sometimes chamber classical music concerts are held.

Throne room attracts, probably, the most unique formation of the Emine-Bair-Khosar cave - the Monomakh's Cap. To be honest, it looks more like a skull, a soldier’s helmet or a jellyfish.

Mistress's Hall The last one on the route, it received this name thanks to a small stone sculpture in the form of a fragile female figure.

How to get to the Emine-Bair-Khosar cave?

The easiest way for tourists vacationing in any part of Crimea is to contact the nearest travel agency and sign up for an excursion. They will be taken to the Mammoth and Marble caves on a comfortable modern bus with a guide, and after the excursions they will be taken back, along the way telling about other attractions along the way, and sometimes making stops near them.

If you decide to get there on your own by car, then take the Yalta Highway, turn from it to the village of Mramornoe, drive 3 km. and turn right, then go up to the northern peak of Chatyr-Dag. The road is mostly not very good, and in some places it is extremely bad.

Those wishing to get to the Emine-Bair-Khosar cave public transport must take trolleybuses No. 51 or No. 52 or the Simferopol - Yalta bus or any other bus passing along this highway. Get to the village. Zarechnoye, walk to Mramornye, and then either on foot or hitch a ride (locals actively work part-time) - follow the signs to the cave.

The road to the caves is very picturesque, mostly going through a tall forest, which, closer to the top, gives way to meadows, clumps of bushes and bright green cushions of creeping juniper.

In these pictures you will see amazing nature Crimea, magnificent landscapes and seascapes. There are so many caves in this area that they are known as cave cities, and ancient ruins date back to medieval times.

Although the castle Bird home has become the emblem of the peninsula, Crimea is much more than an architectural monument or a resort along the Black Sea. Below you will learn about amazing natural wonders ah Crimea and its ancient ruins. (Photo: Maxim Massalitin)

Bear Mountain (Ayu-Dag) in Crimea is part natural heritage Ukraine, it entered the top 100 natural wonders of the country. Amazing mountain range formed approximately 150 million years ago. (Photo: Oillin)

Did you know that Crimea has its own Grand Canyon? This is one of the waterfalls in the Crimean Grand Canyon. (Photo: Sergey Krynytsya)

Tourists at Cape Fiolent, Crimea. It extends along the Crimean peninsula in the Balaklava region of Sevastopol. The cape is of volcanic origin and abounds in numerous stones of various sizes. (Photo: dmitryburge)

Kara-Dag (Black Mountain) is a volcano in Crimea on the Black Sea coast. There is also the Kara-Dag nature reserve. (Photo: Max Bashirov)

Golden Gate and natural arch of Karadag nature reserve, which is visible from the Black Sea. The reserve was created in 1979. The formations on its territory originated from extinct volcanoes. (Photo: Andrew (polandeze)

Balaklava previously had an underground secret submarine base; it operated until 1993. (Photo: Kirill Kalugin)

From the Vladimir Cathedral there is a view of the extensive excavations and ruins of Chersonesus, Crimea. It is an “ancient Greek colony founded about 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. Ancient city located on the Black Sea coast on the outskirts of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine, where it is referred to as Chersonesos. It was nicknamed “Ukrainian Pompeii” and “Russian Troy”. (Photo: Dmitry A. Mottl)

Chufut Kale and Mangup Kale are cave cities. Kale means "fortress". Mangup is the largest cave-fortress on the Crimean Peninsula. Among the ruins, ancient defensive walls have also been preserved. Some caves are still used as monasteries or temples. The biggest and most unique cave- Koba drum. (Photo: Nikolay Vasiliev)

Mammoth bones in Crimea Marble Cave, which was not included in the “7 Natural Wonders of Ukraine”. (Photo: lizzzka_l4u)

View of Yalta from Mount Kyzyl-Kaya. Yalta is beautiful resort town on the Black Sea coast. It has many historically significant and modern attractions. (Photo: Pavel Mozhaev)

Nature reserve Cape Martyan, located on the lands of Nikitsky botanical garden in Crimea. The reserve occupies 240 hectares, almost equally divided between land and the adjacent Black Sea. (Photo: Tada008)

In addition to natural wonders, Crimea is distinguished by incredible architecture and many man-made miracles, for example, Swallow's Nest Castle, built for love, but shrouded in sad history. (Photo.

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