Cave city Eski-Kermen ~ Russia from the Crimea to Kamchatka

Eski-Kermen (The old fortress) makes an indelible impression on tourists, as there are many caves and well-preserved defensive areas, embrasures, temples ...

The height of Eski-Kermen is 300 m above sea level, but the very base of the second mountain range is not lower than 200-250 m. So it's not high to walk on foot to this cave city - not even to compare it with the equipped trail on Chufut-Kale. In the fortress of Eski-Kermen, on an area of 8.5 hectares, the researchers number more than 300 caves. This is more than in any other cave city.

The mountain is cut off by inaccessible rocks up to 70 m high. This is an ideal natural fortress. To build artificial walls it was necessary only on several sites.

In the fortress there were five casemates, and each served to protect their own, strictly defined area. The first defended the front gate. From the second and third guarded approaches to clefts, and fighters of the fourth, fifth and sixth capes kept under the control of the gate.

Along the medieval fortress walls, especially in the corners, towers were usually built. On Eski-Kermen instead of such towers, nature itself created comfortable rocky capes; they protrude beyond the plateau along the eastern and western cliffs. In the rocks of these capes, specially cut caves with loopholes - casemates, from which the defenders fired the invisible from the breakage of the "dead zone". There were also economic premises, supplies of provisions and weapons, water tanks.

To the casemates they went from the fortress by special bridges. Most impressive is the sixth casemate, on the north side. But without a guide, people often miss this spectacular kind of fortification, to which one should walk along the medieval steps, chasing through bushes. The doorway was once firmly locked. In the casemate led flip-top bridges, they could be removed when the enemies came. From there, a good view of the area, in this case it is convenient to reflect the first attacks.

The builders of the fortress Eski-Kermen broke through the mountain well depth of 30 meters. Similar is on Chufut-Kale - Tik-Kuyu. Down to the water, leads a very steep staircase. And pulls to look there, and then go down to the very water, until the very exit from the plateau! But those who aren’t used to walking and climbing rocks, it’s better not to do so. Or tie a rope, the end of which is to hand over to a reliable companion at the top. It's light in the well. The last march is especially cool, but you can go down or jump down.

Cave city Eski-Kermen

We pass a few more steps, we descend the steps into the darkness (we need a flashlight!) - and suddenly we unintentionally step into the water. This water is so transparent that it cannot be seen. The ladder leads further - into the depths, into blackness into not fame. Do not be sorry that there is no wetsuit: a few more meters under the water - and the bottom of the well. There he hits from the ground and he fills the mine.

Without the well, defense and life in Eski-Kermen were impossible. It’s likely that when the troops of Khan Nogaya attacked the cave city, there was a traitor - showed them a wall, behind which a saving shaft was pierced. The besieged could easily have cut through a thin rock outside. That's what they did. Defenders of the fortress were without water and very soon surrendered.

Main street of Eski Kermen

In small caves for housing, you can distinguish doorways with traces of hinges, smoke holes above the former hearths, stone "beds", niches for dishes and other things (probably there built in wooden cabinets). Here and there were tanks for the supply of "technical" water (apparently, rainwater, because you do not train very well from the well), pillars with lugs for tethering cattle, feeding troughs "nurseries" ...

Eski-Kermen. Temple of the Three Horsemen

To the right of the path that leads to the South Gate, there is a large round rock and in it the main value of the cave city is a temple with a rock carvings on the wall. There are three horsemen depicted. At the first on the croup of horses a child sits, the second strikes a snake with a spear, the third closes the procession.