The city of Sochi has been and remains a "tourist Mecca" for several centuries now. The proximity of the sea, the healing air of the mountains and the beauty of the local nature made it the pearl of the Caucasus. But the unique ecosystem is not the only attraction. From the point of view of archeology, Sochi is a storehouse of invaluable knowledge, a kind of inexhaustible source of information about the history of the birth of civilization…
In the vicinity of the city, scientists have discovered more than four dozen places, the so-called sites of primitive man. Akhshtyrskaya cave is the most famous of them. It was there, in the depths of the rock, that many secrets of the past were found…
Geographic details
In the mountainous regions of Sochi, according to the report of the latest archaeological and speleological expedition, there are at least 400 caves of natural origin. However, only a small part of them, about 10%, are of historical importance. And, interestingly, the conditional center of concentration of "cultural heritage" is the former urban-type settlement, and now - part of the eminent resort - Adler. Akhshtyrskaya caveis located very close, some 15 kilometers from it (upstream of the Mzymta River).
The fact that this site was once chosen by the Cro-Magnons is evidenced by primitive tools found during excavations almost 80 years ago. From a geographical point of view, the cave is the northernmost point of the entire southeastern region of Europe, "officially assigned" to the primitive people of that era.
The secret of the uniqueness of the Akhshtyr cave
Why is this cave on everyone's lips and not some other? Yes, because only here you can see a clearly expressed cultural stratification of ancient times. Getting here is like visiting a museum of the history of the Caucasian race. Scientists believe that the first settlers began to settle here 70 thousand years ago. True, after about 20 thousand years, as a result of a natural cataclysm, the Neanderthals left their native land. On the other hand, the sharp drop in temperature was hardly noticed by the bears, who became full-fledged owners of the cave for the next fifteen thousand years.
The return of upright primates took place in the Early Bronze Age. Their intellectual level has grown, and this is reflected in the quality of everyday life. All the details of the life of the Cro-Magnons were told by a five-meter "cultural layer", mastered by archaeologists in the last century.
Today Akhshtyrskaya cave, Sochi and mountain tourism are synonymous words. The monument has not lost its historical value, its status has simply changed - now it is a full-fledged excursion object of a recreational nature.
Cave structure
Akhshtyrskaya cave site is located at an altitude of 185 meters above sea level. The distance to the mirror of the rapidly boiling mountain Mzymta is 120 meters (the river is squeezed by the walls of the gorge, which enhances the echo effect).
There is a narrow path leading to the entrance. She, like a cornice, protrudes on an almost sheer cliff. This path, which, by the way, is equipped with special protective handrails, is the only way to the first observation deck. Another short transition - and here they are, the "doors" …
Akhshtyrskaya cave has a pronounced eastern exposure.
Its starting segment is a twenty-meter corridor, gradually transforming into spacious halls 8 and 10 meters high; the finish line is a clayey ascent under a rather large slope, ending in two dead-end branches. The total length is about 270 meters. For the convenience and safety of tourists, lighting was provided in the cave where necessary - stairs were installed and steps were mounted.
Important nuances of the hiking route
Task number 1 is to get to the Trout Farm - any transport going in the direction of Adler - Krasnaya Polyana is ideal (in particular, you can "saddle" bus 131 or 135 of the route). Next, you should find the main entrance to this very “fish institution” - it is located right there, by the highway, so there should be no problems. Approaching the entrance gate, you need to turn left, and then continue moving. If on the wayif you come across a construction with the inscription “Glass blower show”, then everything is in order: the tourist has already covered a third of the way to the place called Akhshtyrskaya cave.
How to get to the intermediate destination - "glaziers" - is now known. It remains to figure out where to go next. And here, fortunately, there is nothing complicated: near the Glassblower Show, the asph alt road smoothly turns to the right, to two four-story residential buildings of the old building. Passing exactly between them, you need to turn right again. After about a hundred meters, the sidewalk will “rest” against a suspension bridge. However, there is no need to cross to the other side: the trodden path is clearly visible on the left - it will lead the wanderer straight to the cave (it takes no more than half an hour to go there from the suspension bridge).
Akhshtyrskaya cave: how to get there by car by the shortest route?
Sochi is a city of modest size. But when the holiday season comes, kilometer traffic jams greatly spoil the life of motorists. And so that the movement on the "steel horse" does not turn into torment, you need to correctly plan the route.
So, the goal is Akhshtyrskaya cave. How to get from Adler to the world-famous site of the primitive man?
In order not to wind the mountain serpentines, of which there are many near Sochi, you should immediately, upon leaving the city, head for Krasnaya Polyana. Having reached the sign "Cossack Brod" - turn towards the village and drive through it (the houses are located along the highway, so there is nowhere to get lost, with all your desire).
After passing the settlement, you should not put pressure on the gas - somewhere in 200-300 meters another sign will appear, this time with the inscription "Akhshtyrskaya cave". All that remains is to perform a maneuver - turn right and drive half a kilometer along the dirt road. That, in fact, is all, because it is impossible not to notice the cave itself…
Several facts from the discovery history
The date of discovery of the cave is considered to be September 28, 1903. The glory of the “pioneer” is assigned to the citizen of the French Republic, Eduard Martel, and the scientist was accompanied on his next trip through the mountain gorges of the Sochi region by a resident of the Cossack Brod, Gavriil Rivenko. However, the foreign specialist was probably not a big hunter for archaeological sciences, so he saw only what “lay on the surface.”
In 1936, the site of the find was visited by the Soviet "digger of antiquity" Sergei Nikolaevich Zamyatin, who managed to detect signs of the presence of anthropoid primates. Subsequently, it turned out that a well-preserved site of primitive people was hiding under the fragments of rock - it was then that the Akhshtyrskaya cave thundered to the whole world.
The history of Sochi, as well as the history of the entire surrounding area, was radically revised as a result of the opening. The Cro-Magnons of the Caucasus became a sensation in the scientific world, so for many decades only "bright minds" and museum workers had access to the monument of ancient architecture. In 1999, the situation changed - the cave was adapted for excursions.
Myths and legends:tour guide versions
Almost all tourist sites have a “heritage”: guides tend to “register terrible ghosts in the house book” of medieval castles, fill museum halls with mystery, talk about “reliable facts” from the lives of prominent people of bygone eras…
From this point of view, the cave discovered by Martel is no different from the Louvre in Paris or the Tower of London - it also has "its own story". A story that kind guides will gladly tell every visiting tourist.
Akhshtyrskaya cave - in the view of the guides - this is nothing more than the legendary meeting place of Homer's Odysseus and the Cyclops Polyphemus. Their "arguments" are so convincing that some people really begin to believe that the famous Greek moored to the Sochi coast. Although, perhaps, there is more truth in these words than fiction…
Scenic beauty of the Akhshtyr gorge: reviews of tourists
What does the Akhshtyr gorge and Akhshtyrskaya cave symbolize for ordinary residents of the resort town? Oddly enough, but for most of them - it's "just a house." People who grew up among the beauties of the Caucasus are accustomed to the fact that "it has always been like this." And only visitors, getting to this heavenly corner of the Earth, see the full picture of what is happening - the local nature literally bewitches them …
It is enough to go to any forum dedicated to the topic of tourism - Adler and Sochi will certainly be in the spotlight. The surrounding mountains captivate the hearts of not only Russians - oh"rise to the sky" in these parts the Kazakhs and Belarusians, Moldovans and Ukrainians dream. What is the CIS! To visit the Akhshtyrsky (Dzykhrinsky) gorge is the desire of many foreigners! Two and a half kilometers long, two hundred meters deep - formed by the Mzymta River, it, like a sharp blade, cuts the mountain range of the same name. It is simply impossible to convey in words the views that open from the panoramic points of its terraces…
Adler: places of tourist fame
The glory of the Akhshtyrskaya cave often overshadows information about other, no less interesting places, which are so rich in Adler and its surrounding areas. Meanwhile, if you correctly compose an excursion program, then you can easily combine visits to all the main attractions into one “tour” (especially since the road map of Sochi is designed in such a way that the lion’s share of tourist highlights is located in the vicinity of the same eminent site of primitive man).
In particular, the Trout Farm, which was already mentioned as a guideline when compiling a hiking route to the cave, is an excellent object for rotozey: rare varieties of fish are bred in huge pools, tourists are offered to fish or taste already prepared dishes in a cozy cafe. The farm "Three Sofia" is also worthy of attention - not every inquisitive wanderer has probably seen live ostriches. And also - the Adler lighthouse, the canyon of the Psakho River, the Achishkho Ridge …
