Even a person far from history, when it comes to cave cities, interest awakens, because something unusual and mysterious immediately appears. The oldest structures, reports of which appeared about a thousand years ago, are shrouded in legends and secrets.
Wrong term
It was believed that our ancestors lived in caves, which served as both a dwelling and a place of worship for spirits. However, scientists do not agree with this opinion, since the buildings were located on the ground, and not under it. These structures have not survived to this day, and all that remains for us are caves that were intended for religious rites and domestic needs.
In the 19th century, archaeologists discovered ancient monuments, which, due to an erroneous assumption, were called "cave cities". Monasteries, small settlements or fortresses made up theirthe main part, which made it possible to consider this term conditional, because people did not live underground. However, this definition is firmly entrenched in the empty structures erected on sheer cliffs.
Museum complexes in Crimea
We know cave treasures in Jordan, Turkey, Iran, China, Spain, France, Italy and other countries. Unusual-looking natural formations attract the attention of tourists from different parts of our planet with their mystery, because it is not known who were the nameless masters who carved real masterpieces in stone.
However, in the Crimea, where various civilizations have existed for many centuries, cave cities have been preserved, which are real open-air museum complexes. The center of unique buildings is Bakhchisaray, and tourists who dream of touching the mystery start from this city. Throughout the history of existence, the statuses of the mysterious buildings of past eras and the ethnic composition of the inhabitants have changed, but they are united by the unique talent of those who, at the cost of great labor, created amazing stone works. It is known that historical monuments even became the centers of regions near which there were important trade routes.
Ancient Monuments
The cave cities of Crimea, carved into the rocks, have nothing to do with primitive people, and many researchers believe that ancient monuments appeared during the reign of the Byzantine Empire. Although other scholars who disagree with this version state that the history of settlements cannot bereduced to some pattern, and they arose in different eras. The inhabitants of such cities cannot be called warriors, since their main occupations were trade and agriculture, although in case of danger they could take up arms. It is believed that cave cities abandoned by the inhabitants fell into decay after the Tatar-Mongol invasion in the 13th century.
Mangup-Kale
Located on the Babadag mountain plateau, a unique place with incredible energy was inhabited by people until the 15th century, when it was captured by the Turks. Scientists do not have a common opinion about the time of occurrence of the local attraction. The largest cave city in Crimea, Mangup-Kale, once called Doros, was the ancient capital of the powerful Theodoro principality. The first mention of an unusual settlement dates back to the 1st century BC.
The impregnable fortress carved into the rock, located not far from Bakhchisaray, really was a real city with industrial production, a prison, a mint, a princely residence, Christian churches and other buildings. Now tourists see only the ruins of a huge ancient settlement, in which about 150 thousand people lived. Gloomy caves, in which the wind whistles, beckon the guests of the Crimea, who have heard about the amazing energy of this place. Neon luminous balls appear here, hovering over the settlement and dissolving in the air, and a Tibetan lama who visited Bakhchisaray assures that he feels the powerful power of the ancient monument.
Eski-Kermen
Stopped hisexistence around the XIV century, the cave city of Eski-Kermen was one of the largest and most developed. At the top of the mountain, about 400 caves were hollowed out, which were used as living quarters and warehouses for household needs. Later, the inhabitants of the fortress built ground structures and surrounded them with defensive walls. In the heart of the city was the main temple, the ruins of which can still be seen today. In addition to it, other religious buildings were located here, and the Temple of the Three Horsemen deserves special attention, where wall frescoes have been preserved.
Located a few kilometers from the village of Red Poppy, the complex, whose name translates as "old fortress", delights all visitors. Here there are ruins of ground buildings, casemates, a necropolis, a granary, a well 30 meters deep. Tourists look with regret at the rooms cut down in the mountain, damaged by time.
It can be said that Eski-Kermen, lying in ruins, is a real cave kingdom, providing its guests with a variety of underground structures that cannot be explored in one day. Defensive towers were often erected along the fortress walls, and here nature itself contributed to the protection of people and created rocky capes protruding beyond the plateau.
Scientists suggest that the medieval cave settlement was built by the Byzantines, but no one knows the time and cause of his death. It may have been destroyed by Mongol warriors.
Chufut-Kale
Main defensiveThe cave city of Chufut-Kale is recognized as the center of Byzantium, the exact date of its occurrence has not been established. It is known that the Tatars captured it at the end of the 13th century, and two centuries later the fortress was the first capital of the Crimean Khanate. Rich people were imprisoned here, for whom they asked for ransoms. It is known that among the prisoners were Russian ambassadors and the Polish hetman, who fought against the Cossacks - longtime enemies of the Crimean Tatars, but even this circumstance did not help him. Khan Hadji Giray did not divide anyone into allies and opponents and demanded a ransom for each. But the Russian governor Sheremetev, for whom Kazan and Astrakhan were asked for nothing less, spent almost 20 years in the walls of the fortress.
When the Tatars left the city, it was settled by the Karaites, who were engaged in leather dressing. During the day they traded in Bakhchisarai, and from evening until morning they guarded Chufut-Kale. New residents added another wall, as a result of which the cave city increased in size. Now it was divided into two parts, and each could independently hold the defense. It was during this period that it got its name, which translates as "double fortress", a historical monument. During the reign of Anna Ivanovna, Russian soldiers who captured Bakhchisarai destroyed the cave complex.
Surprisingly, the first printing house in the Crimea was built in the very center of Chufut-Kale, which began its work in 1731. Inside the city, festive services were held, for which believers gathered, those who violated the moral standards of the community were judged here.
Tepe-Kermen
When it comes to cave cities, one of the most mysterious monuments of our history cannot be ignored. An ancient fortress resembling a desert island appeared in the 6th century. A defensive structure carved into the rock is not as easy to destroy as ground buildings. The cave city of Tepe-Kermen, which was compared with a giant altar towering over the valley, is visible from afar. Scientists judge its size by the remaining complexes, which are well preserved to this day.
This is the so-called dead city, the former name of which has not been preserved in history. From the 11th to the 13th centuries, the settlement flourished, which became a major center of the Kacha River valley, but already in the 14th century, due to the constant attacks of the Tatars, life here fades away, and the only inhabitants were the monks who left the fortress after several decades.
Archaeologists have discovered more than 250 artificial caves, differing in shape and purpose. They contained both burial complexes and utility warehouses. By the way, many rooms reached six tiers, and one could get to the upper floors only from the mountain plateau, while cattle were kept in the lower ones.
Mysteries of the ancient structure
Many caves were closed with wooden doors and divided by partitions into several rooms. Scientists have discovered an unusual religious building, elongated from north to south, and not along the axis, as is customary among Christians. But the most curious thing is that unknown architects cut through a window with a secret: on Easter days, the light falls so that on the wall appearoutline of a cross.
The menhir, resembling a sundial in shape, is also surprising, in which, according to researchers, all the strength and power of the destroyed ancient city is hidden.
Vardzia multi-storey complex
Not only Crimea can boast of unique sights, the visit of which excites the imagination. In Georgia, Vardzia is located - the cave city of Queen Tamara, which is considered a tourist Mecca. Appeared about eight centuries ago, it is carved in a mountain monolith. Moreover, this is a whole multi-storey complex, inside which there are streets, stairs, tunnels. Six hundred rooms are connected by secret passages, stretching to the height of an eight-story building and 50 meters deep into the rock.
The city, accommodating up to 20 thousand people, also performed a spiritual function, since it was also a monastery, in the center of which the architects carved the temple of the Assumption of the Virgin. Fragments of beautiful frescoes created in the 12th century have been preserved in the religious building. There is a legend saying that Queen Tamara is buried here.
When Vardzia was hit by an earthquake, the cave city ceased to be an impregnable fortress, and after the invasion of the Mongols fell into decay. Today, the historical monument has been declared a museum-reserve.
Touching the world of ancestors
The cave cities that keep numerous secrets can be compared in their historical significance with medieval castles. Visiting ancient structures and touching the world of our ancestors will not leave anyone indifferent. Manywish to learn the secrets of the most curious sights and plunge into past eras, and those who have already visited architectural complexes admit that they received unforgettable impressions.
