The Karadag Nature Reserve (from the Turkic - "Black Mountain") is the most beautiful corner of the Crimea, which is popular with most guests of the peninsula. Located in its southeastern part, between the villages of Kurortnoye, Koktebel and Shchebetovka (near Feodosia), it is the only geological object in Europe with an extinct ancient volcano.
Karadag nature reserve: volcano
Its eruption, which happened more than 120 million years ago, and the natural processes that followed, led to the creation of a unique picturesque complex, majestic and inimitable.
The Black Sea off the coast of Karadag looks amazing: blue-blue sparkling water, as if tinted with azure and constantly changing color from gentle turquoise to juicy cornflower blue, competing with heavenly blue.
Holy mountain Karadag: miracles of healing
The Karadag mountain range is formed by several peaks of bizarreforms resembling impregnable fortress walls with towers and loopholes. Behind them rises the domed Holy Mountain - the highest point of Karadag with a height of 577 meters. Covered in forest, it is composed almost entirely of strass, a rock formed from volcanic ash that has a greenish color.
In ancient times, it was on the top of this mountain that the sanctuary of the militant goddess Kali was located. In the 1st century A. D. e. The holy mountain served as a place of worship for the healer god Asclepius.
In the 19th century, a legend was spread among the Tatar population that on the Holy Mountain there was an unmarked grave of the saint, who healed the sick. It was not known what faith the miracle worker belonged to, therefore both Muslims and Christians revered him. In the late afternoon, crowds of people gathered in the current Karadag reserve and brought sick people to this place on carts, from whom, before dark, they cut off strands of hair and pieces of clothing, tied them to the branches of trees and shrubs in order to leave the disease in this place. The patient was laid on a tombstone covered with sheepskins and left overnight. In a dream, the spirit of a saint appeared to him, interpreted the cause of the disease, gave a sign how to avert it, or sent a recovery. The practice of miraculous healing existed for centuries, almost until the outbreak of World War II.
From the point of view of science, the healing abilities of the Holy Mountain are explained by the action of powerful geomagnetic energy accumulated in this place, which strongly affects the climate, flora and fauna. A tombstone(stone - megalith), which was the accumulator of this energy, was blown up during the Soviet period, the lattice was stolen, the place was defiled. At present, attempts are being made to restore the lost shrine.
Karadag rocks
Karadag Reserve, whose history is somewhat reminiscent of a fantastic fairy tale, is unique with rocks formed under the influence of natural elements and resembling bizarre animals: Gingerbread Horse, Sphinx, Ivan the Robber, Devil's Finger. The Kagarach ridge stands out with a whole thematic composition, the peaks of which are called the King, the Queen, the Throne, the Retinue. In some places, the mountains recede a little, revealing small bays with a narrow border of beaches, which also have unusual names: Frog, Carnelian, Lion, Border, Robber, Barakhta.
Golden Gate - a visiting card of Karadag
The Golden Gate rock formation is the hallmark of Karadag. Only a few days a year (closer to the date of the winter solstice) you can admire the sunrise through them.
It is known that a sketch of the gates of Karadag is captured in the manuscript of "Eugene Onegin" by A. S. Pushkin, who traveled around Tauris. The Golden Gate has a second name - Shaitan-Kapu (otherwise - Devil's Gate). It was believed that in this place there is a road to the underworld. Outwardly, the Golden Gate is an arch, the water depth under which is 15 meters, the height above the sea is 8 meters, and the width is 6 meters. There is a belief that when swimming under this arch, you need to throw a coin into the rock.(so that it rings) and immediately make a wish that will certainly come true.
The uniqueness of Karadag
Karadag nature reserve (photo presented in the article) is unique not only with rocks and mountains of exceptional shape, but also with flora and fauna. This is the habitat of many endangered, rare and endemic (found exclusively here) representatives of flora and fauna.
The Karadag Nature Reserve is a unique biocomplex of the Crimean territory, which, combined with a picturesque relief, unusual natural conditions, placers of rare minerals, a unique geological structure, and historical events, arouses great interest among scientists from all over the world, as well as nature lovers, guests of the peninsula and tourists.
Establishment of the Karadag Reserve
It was precisely because of the mass visits to the pearl of Crimea that the Karadag nature reserve was formed in 1979, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich covered almost 2.9 thousand hectares, of which 809 hectares are the Black Sea water area. This measure was simply necessary and served as an impetus for strengthening the protection status of the popular territory. Unorganized, wild tourism has become a threat to the mineralogical riches of Karadag and has caused significant damage to the flora - fires - and fauna - caused by disturbance.
Therefore, the formation of the reserve is a necessary measure, although somewhat belated: the most vulnerable species of large birds of prey, bats and other animals have already disappeared.
Nature of KaradagThe reserve is rich in species and is represented by three belts:
- from sea level to 250 meters - the steppe belt, diluted with woodlands and shrubs;
- from 250 to 450 meters - fluffy oak forests;
- above 450 meters - hornbeam and rock-oak forests.
In the Crimea, there are approximately 2400 species of higher flowering plants. And almost half of them are in Karadag. The entire flora of the reserve includes 2782 species, many of which are listed in the Red Books of various ranks. There are plants that live exclusively here and nowhere else.
In the scientific world, there has long been a debate whether the Karadag nature reserve, together with the mountainous Crimea, which is sharply different from the steppe part of the peninsula, is the last reminder of the Black Sea Atlantis - Pontida, which once connected the peninsula with the Turkish Black Sea coast. This is indirectly indicated by the geography and climate of the Karadag Reserve. Pontida could also be connected by dry land with the Caucasus and the Balkans: how else could plant species unique to these regions appear and take root here.
Karadag nature reserve: animals
Representatives of the Karadag fauna are also of considerable interest. This is a peregrine falcon, a leopard snake, listed in the international Red Book. Mammals here are represented by bats in all their diversity. Among rare insects, one can single out the Crimean ground beetle, ascalaf, a large wingless grasshopper (steppe grasshopper), several types of praying mantises.
Here are foundstone martens, Crimean and rock lizards, squirrels, hedgehogs, roe deer, wild boars. There are more than 200 species of birds, although not all of them nest here.
Inhabitants of the Karadag water area
The sea attracts with the purity of the water and the diversity of the bottom (shell rock, rocks, sand), which determines the richness of benthic invertebrates, especially crustaceans, annelids and bivalve mollusks. It is estimated that the inhabitants of the Karadag water area make up 50-70% of all species of the Black Sea fauna. Also, Black Sea dolphins can often be found near the Karadag coast. Mussels are of commercial value. Unfortunately, another commercial Black Sea mollusk, the oyster, has disappeared. This is due to the spread in the Black Sea of the rapana, a predatory Far Eastern snail. Apart from oysters, other Black Sea bivalves suffered from this aggressive invader: large modiolus, scallop, and polititapes. True, now the rapana itself, which has massively spread off the coast of Karadag, has become an object of fishing, and tourists are successfully snapping up its beautiful shells.
Does the Karadag monster exist?
In the waters of Karadag, according to ancient legends, a sea monster lives. According to the stories of the Romans, ancient Greeks and Byzantines, it looks like a huge dark gray snake with massive clawed paws, a terrible mouth dotted with several rows of large sharp teeth, and is capable of developing great speed when moving, easily overtaking sailing ships. In the 16th-18th centuries, Turkish sailors repeatedly informed the Sultan about encounters with the Black Sea serpent. The naval officers of Admiral Fedor also saw him. Ushakov, who reported this to Emperor Nicholas I. The Tsar even sent out an expedition to capture the monster, but it was unsuccessful. All that was found was a huge egg with a dragon-like embryo, weighing 12 kilograms.
These legends were confirmed in 1990, when fishermen, 3 miles from the Karadag Reserve, pulled the mutilated body of a dolphin out of the nets. Judging by the bite, the width of the mouth of the sea monster was about a meter, and the teeth were 4-5 centimeters. What they saw horrified the fishermen. In 1991, last year's pattern repeated itself: another dolphin with similar injuries was caught in the net at approximately the same place.
Karadag for guests of the peninsula
The Karadag nature reserve is divided into zones: open - for tourists, as well as protected - absolutely reserved. For visitors who come here with pleasure, a museum of nature, a dolphinarium and an aquarium are open, boat trips, excursions along the ecological path are held, and the laid routes cover the most interesting corners of the reserve; however, they are protected from direct intrusion.
The Karadag Biological Station and Reserve regularly inventory flora and fauna, conduct thorough scientific research, study of benthic fauna and marine plankton. On the basis of the reserve, students of geological and biological faculties of many educational institutions are practicing.
