Bakla cave city. Bakla is the northernmost cave city of Crimea. What to see nearby

Last time we “closed the February window” on Chatyr-Dag, and this time we went to Baklu.
Getting from Simferopol to the cave city of Bakla is easy - the settlement is located just 17 km from the city.
The starting point is the Zapadnaya bus station on Sevastopolskaya Street.

For independent travelers, here is the bus schedule. Simferopol - Nauchny, take a ticket to the village of Skalistoe.

We arrived at the bus station at 13:00, and in order not to wait 50 minutes for the bus, we went to Bakhchisaraysky. The ticket costs 18 rubles.
You need to get off at the turn to Nauchny. The Crimean Astrophysical Observatory is located in this village. But today is ours
The goal is the cave settlement of Bakla.

You can go different ways, we took the shortest route, through the quarry.
The store has a "lucky" crossbar. You can tie your horse and fasten your bicycle.

From the store you need to walk 400 meters and turn left along the asphalt. The quarry is visible from the road, it’s hard to make a mistake.
Once upon a time, stone was mined in this bowl, but having gone deeper into the thickness of the mountain, they reached the aquifer and the quarry was flooded over the weekend.
Locals say that the bottom is full of equipment that they decided not to remove from under the water.

The quarry has moved higher up the slope, and stone mining is still ongoing.

Now on Google maps this place is called the Martian Lake - because of the unusual color of the water.
There is ice on the lake now. From under the water you can see limestone blocks, ground by water.

There is a forest above the quarry, along the forest there is a road through the field. We walk 300 meters across the field, then the road dives into pine trees.
The path lies uphill, along the gentle Northern slope of the Second (Inner) ridge of the Crimean mountains.
In 20 minutes we walked through the forest at a calm pace and came out onto a cliff.

Photo against the backdrop of the most beautiful mountain in Crimea. The handsome Chatyr-Dag whitens on the horizon.

Rodents dug trenches for themselves under the snow. The whole mountain is in such mouse “trenches”.

When the forest is dressed in foliage, the view will be excellent. But we like Crimea at any time of the year.

Motors are heard below - five quad cyclists are moving towards Baklu.

We go down to the settlement, inspect the grain pits covered with ice.

My Valeria loves to be photographed in any beautiful place.

We go down to the edge of the cliff. There is rocky beauty here.

Lacy cliffs attract our gaze, we walk and admire.
Once we held a photo meeting in these places. Photographers and bloggers came from Sevastopol and Simferopol.
In this grotto with a column, photographer Alexey Patsyuk took a space shot:

During the day you can’t imagine how beautiful it can be here at night.
First spring insects. Soldier bug, or wingless red bug warmed up in the sun and had a bunch of fun.

I really want to stay in this place longer. That's what we did. We sat down and started drinking tea!

The wind sounded in the stone laces, continuing its many years of work - weathering.

And the Galvzas were watching us from above. Bakla's blue eyes.

The “iron” peeks out on the horizon - the rock on which the neighboring cave city of Tepe-Kermen is located.
In the valley, a small crushed stone quarry rumbles and gathers dust. We move under the rocks in his direction.

Along the way we see a miniature waterfall. Now there is water, but in the summer, alas, the source will dry up.

The path under the rocks is narrow, overgrown with thorny trees, wild roses and thorns.
We filter through with difficulty, taking care of our faces and clothes.
In one place we notice a passage to the edge of the rocks. There are depressions in the stone - steps. With mountaineering skills you can
climb, but our goal is a grotto with petroglyphs.

The rock resembles the Fourth Grotto of Kachi-Kalion. Small copy. The rocks on the right side of the Kachin Canyon are approximately 60-100 m higher.

And here is what we were looking for. Petroglyphs are carved images on a stone base. They can have a variety of themes - ritual, memorial, symbolic with all possible intersections.
There are about 400 petroglyphs in the grotto near Bakly! Moreover, they were discovered relatively recently - in 2000.
Getting into this grotto is not so easy; many people prefer to descend on ropes from above.
I climbed the rock from below, however, if you are not confident in your climbing abilities, I would not recommend this route.

A search on the first website gives complete information (Golovina14.narod.ru): The outlines of clearly unnatural figures appear on the brown crust. As soon as the eye catches on one, the others immediately begin to differ. It turns out that there are a huge number of them here.
Archaeologists counted more than 400 images carved and scratched into the stone. The total area of ​​the accumulation of drawings is 5.3 m2. Previously, it was larger - a significant part was destroyed by weathering. The thin crust of desert tan on which they are applied is easily vulnerable and fragile.
Usually the ancestors decorated the walls of caves and grottoes with their creativity. Here the drawings are on a sloping bottom, which is quite atypical. Cross-shaped figures predominate among them, not unreasonably identified with the Christian cult. But there are also circles, there are only 20 of them, while there are more than 300 crosses. The circle is an ancient pagan symbol - a solar sign, an image of the sun. The juxtaposition of such alien symbols seems strange and there can only be one explanation for it - the ancient pagan sanctuary located in the grotto was later “repurposed” into a Christian one.
The choice of such an inconvenient place that needs improvement is puzzling. There are a lot of accessible large and spacious grottoes around. Why risk your life to break into this one? And to avoid risk, it is necessary to add some auxiliary structures. And so it was done. Along the floor of the cave there are rows of recesses, clearly intended for the installation of frame-and-post structures. Scientists suggest that the grottoes had wooden flooring, perhaps even two-tiered. Most likely, there was a staircase.
The existence of the sanctuary is determined approximately. To date the images, scientists compare them with already known ones, the age of which is beyond doubt. The crosses from the grotto have a shape typical of the 6th-7th centuries. The upper dating is quite strictly limited to the end of the 7th century, since in 692 the Trullo Ecumenical Council prohibited placing symbols of Christianity where they could be trampled underfoot, that is, on the floor.
That, in fact, is all that science can say. But there is still a lot that is unclear: which people created the drawings and for what purpose, whether they have some relation to the Baklinsky settlement, where the first buildings have already begun to appear. As always, there are more questions than answers.

This is what Crimea is like. Full of mysteries and secrets that will last for many generations of researchers.

Under the rocks, at the very bottom of the ravine, there is a dirt road, along which after 30-40 minutes we reach the asphalt at the southern outskirts
Skalistoye village. The sun hides behind the ridge, and we take the bus and return to Simferopol.

This walking journey at a completely relaxed pace took 4.5 hours.

Night photographs can be viewed on Victoria Stupina’s LiveJournal.

Reading time: 4 minutes

The gracious, hospitable Crimea delights guests not only with the gentle sea, bright sun and delicious grapes. The peninsula keeps many historical mysteries and secrets. Such a mystery is the cave city of Bakla. The most accessible and least known among all Crimean ancient settlements. The place is great for excursions with children and. You can see the Neanderthal site, visit the ruins of ancient temples and swim in the lake with fish.

Cave city of Bakla – keeper of history

It is located near the village of Skalistoe, Bakhchisaray district, on the Tav-Bodrak massif. The height of the mountain is 300m. This is the northernmost cave city.

There are two possible origins of the name. The first one says: the name translated from Turkic means “beans”. The caves carved into the rocks resemble the seeds of leguminous plants.

The second claims: the name comes from the word “baklak” - a vessel for water. Residents of the village used special stone pits for storing grain, shaped like jugs.

Scientists discovered the settlement in 1929. Since then, several important archaeological discoveries have been made. Historians have found out that people lived here back in the Paleolithic era. However, only in the III-IV centuries. AD a large-scale settlement appeared.

Bakla had no important military significance. The caves are located in such a way that it is almost impossible to defend in case of attack. There is nothing resembling military fortifications. It was a city of farmers. Archaeologists suggest that Alans, Goths or Sarmatians lived in it.

The inhabitants were engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry and winemaking. Throughout the territory there are pits carved into the rock for grain. It still remains a mystery how the inhabitants managed to create a recess with a narrow neck and a voluminous chamber inside. Granaries are located in large numbers throughout the entire area of ​​the archaeological site. Tourists should be careful: holes may not be visible in the grass.

Since the 5th century. Christian churches began to appear in the valley. The settlement existed until the end of the 13th century. Died after the raid of the Golden Horde.

Sights of Bakli

On the plateau you can find artificially carved caves, the remains of masonry of small buildings, grape presses and cave temples.

The ancient city can surprise guests with its own natural sphinx. This is the rock above the western cliff. Its height is 40 meters. Crimeans call the Sphinx “the lonely watchman.”

"Cheese rocks" are the result of honeycomb weathering. Their surface resembles cheese or a sponge. There is such a natural miracle in Bakla.

On the southeastern side of the rock massif there is another attraction - the Shaitan-Koba grotto. The place is interesting for two reasons:

• in 1929 Scientists discovered a site there for primitive people of the Middle Paleolithic era. The finds included flint tools and an ancient hearth;
• The grotto owes its name (from Crimean Tatar - “Devil’s Cave”) to the frightening, mysterious atmosphere enveloping under its arches.

What to see nearby

You can visit the cave city. Or you can walk around the area. There are plenty of attractions there.
Even on the way to Bakla, a view of the amazing lake opens up. The reservoir does not have an official name. Locals call it Martian because of the unusual landscape. The purest water, the color of copper sulfate, splashes in the banks of snow-white limestone. The history of the appearance of the lake is remarkable. In fact, this is a flooded stone quarry.

One evening, the workers turned off the pumps pumping water out of the developed formations and went home. Returning after the weekend, they saw a lake 40m deep instead of a quarry. Since then, development at this site has been stopped, and the peninsula has received another pearl to its considerable collection of attractions. The water is very clear and clean, warms up by May. And a special attraction is the small fish swimming near the swimmers.

The stone that is mined in the quarry is also unique. Almina limestone is so good for construction that in ancient times it was transported even to Ancient Rome.

The Glubokiy Yar gully is located 8 km southwest of Skalistoye. There travelers will find the “Bakhchisarai Stonehenge” - several menhirs. The place will appeal to people who are interested in esotericism or who want to join mystical energy.

Space lovers will enjoy an excursion to the village. Scientific. It takes place in the evening. You must register in advance. The staff will not only tell you about the planets and stars, but will also let you look at them through a telescope. Before the excursion you can take a walk in the forest nearby. The air there is amazingly clean and fragrant. In autumn you will be able to collect mushrooms.

In the middle of the road between Nauchny and Skalisty there is a cluster of artificial lakes. They have small wooden piers in a retro style. A good place for atmospheric photos.

How to get to Bakly

The journey can be made by private car or by public transport. Car owners on the Simferopol-Bakhchisarai highway should turn to the “Nauchny” sign and drive without turning anywhere from the main asphalt road. After 2.5 km, Lake Martian will appear before the eyes of travelers. In front of it, turn left onto the dirt road. It is better to leave the car near the pond. It is possible to go upstairs by car. However, this is fraught with consequences for its technical condition.

Those traveling on their own will have to start from the Zapadnaya bus station in Simferopol. Buses heading to the village are arriving. Scientific. They run every hour from 6:00 to 18:55. You need to get off at the "Skalistoe" stop. And from there, walk along the main road to the lake.

Having bypassed the flooded quarry, travelers find themselves at a barrier. From here begins an easy climb along a well-trodden path. The path goes uphill through the forest. Having overcome it, tourists find themselves at the very beginning of the plateau. To see the sights, you need to go left.

For those wishing to continue the inspection the next day, there are several overnight options:

• private rental housing in Skalisty;
• hotel on the territory of the village. Scientific;
• mini-hotel in the village of Novo-Pavlovka;
• tourist center in Trudolyubovka.

Bakla is a place worth visiting. It is suitable for traveling with children. There are few people and a lot of history. You can touch antiquity and admire the picturesque views of the Inner Range of the Crimean Mountains. Thanks to its accessibility and its beauty, the cave city will leave many pleasant memories for tourists.

Official information
Cave city of the 3rd-9th centuries.

2.5 km from the village. Skalistogo

Bakhchisarai Crimea region

General information about Bakla (according to published sources)

Bakla is a tract in the Bakhchisarai region of Crimea, located on the southern slope of the Inner Ridge of the Crimean Mountains, 2.5 km from the village of Skalistoye. Adjacent to it is a steep slope of cuesta (table mountain), consisting of layers of strong bryozoan (bottom) and less durable nummulitic (top) limestones of Paleocene-Eocene age (more than 50 million years ago). The exits of the so-called cave, or rather rocky, city of Bakla are confined to the slope and cuesta.

The cave city of Bakla is the northernmost cave city in Crimea. Located on rocks about 300 m high in the Bakhchisarai region near the village. Skalistoe (Tav-Bodrak), on the watershed of the river. Alma and its tributary Bodrak (18 km southwest of Simferopol).

The exact time of the city's founding is unknown. The first burials on the territory of Bakly date back to the 4th century. AD, and the most ancient walls date back to the 5th century. The inhabitants of the city and its surroundings at that time were Sarmato-Alans and Goths. Bakla died, most likely as a result of a Tatar-Mongol raid led by Temnik Nogai in 1299. In modern times, the ruins of the city are regularly visited by “black diggers”. A sad example of this is the ravine of Bad Yar, south of Bakly, completely dug with deep pits. It once housed an ancient necropolis, now irretrievably lost to science.

There is evidence that Byzantium used Bakla to convert local residents to Christianity at the end of the first millennium AD. A Byzantine military garrison was located on the territory of the city for some time. In general, Bakla is an example of a medieval feudal complex: a castle with an undefended settlement adjacent to it.

Bakla is built on two rock ledges (variably weathered bryozoan and nummulitic limestones) with a height of 15 m. The cave city of Bakla had above-ground and underground structures. The city was located in an accessible location, not far from villages, and therefore was periodically subjected to Tatar raids in the 13th century. - It was then that all the city buildings were dismantled and stolen by the surrounding residents. Only a few temple foundations and house foundations have survived.

The abundance and variety of underground structures in Bakly is amazing.

Around the second half of the 3rd century. a fortified settlement was founded on the top of Bakly. In the V - first half of the VI centuries. here the first line of its defense was built, strengthened in the 8th-9th centuries. The walls protected the most vulnerable southern gentle slope. At the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 4th centuries. the fortification formed a single whole with the rest of the village, on the southern side of which the outbuildings of the winemaking complex were located. In the VI century. A castle was built on the site of the winery complex. Its defensive structures were made of large blocks of limestone with lime mortar. The battle caves were located under the western section of the citadel in a twenty-meter cliff. Some of them were led by hatches, others by stairs carved into the rock. Here archers and slingers carried out patrols and carried out flanking fire on the advancing enemy. Premises for economic and defensive purposes were cut down in the marls and limestones of the chalk cornice of the cuesta. The castle was protected by a moat. The settlement and rural settlement adjacent to the castle were not protected by walls, which was typical for feudal complexes of the Middle Ages. At the site of a rural settlement, fragments of large clay pithoi are often found; in the eastern part the remains of a pottery kiln were discovered.

Now on the territory of Bakly you can see traces of closely standing two-story houses and narrow streets, a small temple of the 9th century built into a complex of residential premises, graves carved into the rocks, grain pits, remains of grape presses, masonry walls, remains of a fortress wall and tower, gutters for water collection, steps, a cave church, about 100 artificial caves carved into limestone and located in two tiers. The caves were for economic and defensive purposes, while the population lived in above-ground buildings that have not survived.

On the western outskirts of Bakly, the remains of a large church and quadrangular crypts carved into the rock have been preserved. This is probably a monastery. Semicircular cells with low corridors were carved into the rocks, in the walls of which niches for lamps and lamps were carved. There is also a grotto with wall paintings: figures of holy martyrs, crosses, silhouettes of a temple, ships and fish. Above this church complex, in a rock outcropping, is a very small cave church...

The settlement perished under the attacks of the Tatar army of the Golden Horde beklyarbek Nogai in 1299.

Bakla was first studied by employees of the Crimean Museum of Local Lore in 1929; since 1961, the State Historical Museum has been studying it. In post-Soviet times, Bakla and the surrounding necropolises were plundered by “black archaeologists”.

Cave city "Bakla" (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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The cave city of Bakla, which was a populous settlement and fortification in the Middle Ages, is interesting for its archaeological and historical monuments: the ruins of an old castle and houses, crypts and a church carved directly into the rocks, as well as many grain pits. It is the huge number of places for storing provisions that distinguishes it from hundreds of other cave cities. But, despite the popularity of Bakly among travelers, there are very few tourist routes here, and the city is rightfully considered lost.

A little history

The Crimean Museum of Local Lore began studying Bakla in 1929, and in almost 90 years it was possible to learn a lot of facts about it. People first settled here in the 3rd century. At first they used natural voids in limestone rocks as housing, and in the 6th century they began to create above-ground buildings, and they did this on a mountain ledge at an altitude of 470 m above sea level.

The name of the city comes from the Turkic word “baklak”, which means “travel water vessel with a narrow neck.” And this is no coincidence, because the grain pits - the most striking feature of the city - have exactly this shape.

In those days, Goths and Sarmato-Alans lived in the city, engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry and wine production, as evidenced by over 200 grain pits, wooden troughs and other finds. According to some experts, Bakla was used by the Byzantines for some time - here they converted the locals to the Christian faith, and also stationed troops.

The exact reason for the death of the city is unknown, but most likely it was a Tatar-Mongol raid in 1299 led by Temnik Nogai. After the raid, Bakla was plundered and the inhabitants abandoned it. Since then, the ancient settlement has been empty, but the danger for it has not disappeared even now - “black archaeologists” regularly visit here and take away even the most insignificant valuables with them for sale.

What to see

You can get into the city along three roads, but the main one is only one and it leads through a cliff. On one side of it there is a granary with pits in the shape of vessels covered with lids. On the other side there are dilapidated defensive structures and towers. There is also an entrance to a tunnel connecting the city buildings, and nearby you can see a cave temple.

Nearby there are utility caves and a canal for spring water. A little higher are ancient cult burials, rock-cut crypts and the remains of a church. Also, several cells with niches for lamps and lamps and a grotto with frescoes - figures of holy martyrs, silhouettes of a temple, crosses, images of boats and fish - were carved into the rocks. Already in the city itself, traces of small streets and two-story houses are visible.

Bakla is perhaps one of the wildest and least visited cave cities in Crimea, which still retains the spirit of past centuries. This beautiful medieval city, destroyed by time and “black” archaeologists, keeps many secrets and amazing mysteries within its ghostly walls.

The little-known nature of the Baklin settlement can be explained simply - the settlement is located much to the north of the bulk of the popular cave cities, and therefore tourists often bypass it. The cave town of Bakla is located at the foot of the mountain of the same name, 2.5 km from the village of Skalistoe, at an altitude of 430 meters above sea level. Here, on the southern slopes of the Inner Ridge of the Crimean Mountains, under the influence of weathering, two high ledges were formed, separated by a small terrace. It was on this convenient plateau, protected from the west and east by limestone ridges, and from the south by a 15-meter rocky cliff, that a small agricultural settlement was founded in the 3rd century, whose inhabitants specialized in wine production. Having existed for three whole centuries, it turned into the northern outpost of the Byzantine Empire. This defensive fortress initially served as a temporary refuge from raids by nomadic tribes, and later grew into a small provincial town, which was destroyed by Tatar troops at the end of the 13th century.

The territory of Bakly covers an area of ​​about 1 hectare; more than 100 cave structures have been discovered here, some of which are multi-room and two-tiered. Archaeologists found here not only the remains of numerous tarapans and settling tanks, but also elements of pottery kilns. For many centuries, potters and winemakers have supplied residents of surrounding villages with their products. Around the 6th century, a fortified citadel was built on the site of the wine-making complex, surrounded by walls made of lime blocks and a deep moat. And now in some places you can still see the remains of defensive walls (curtains), turned into embankments and overgrown with grass. Between the curtains, the inhabitants of the citadel erected two 7-meter towers. Below, on the southern steep slope, combat and patrol caves were carved. In the center of the citadel, in a large eight-chamber house, was the residence of the Baklin ruler. There was also a small church here, as well as many two-story residential premises, the walls of which were erected using the so-called “Christmas tree” masonry. They say that an underground passage once led from the citadel into the valley, but where exactly it is located is unknown.

The city and the settlement of artisans, located near the citadel, were not surrounded by protective walls. Nevertheless, the Bucklin town was densely built up, with several large blocks separated by alleys and streets. Each house had several utility rooms, which were often located in caves carved into soft limestone. Most of them were large granaries. They are the biggest mystery of Bakla. The fact is that all these pits are made in the shape of pithos (ancient Greek jugs) and have cone-shaped holes or “necks”, the surface of which is carefully polished. If the pits were intended exclusively for storing bulk products, then why was it necessary to process them with such care? In addition, many of them are so narrow that they can only accommodate a child. How exactly they were carved into the rock remains a mystery. And there are thousands of such holes on the plateau! Subsequently, some stone “vessels” were destroyed, and the inhabitants of the settlement turned them into spacious caves, in the ceiling of which there were “porthole” holes. One of these collapsed caves, with two holes in the ceiling that look like eyes, is called a stone “smiley” by tourists.

The presence of a large number of stone pithoi gave the name to the ancient settlement. Although many associate the origin of the Tatar name Bakla with the word “beans”, there is a more plausible version of the origin of the name of the city - famous local historians, the Ena brothers, believe that the name “Bakla” comes from the Turkic word “baklak”, which means “road container for water” or, to put it more simply, a baggage. Each such “bag” was surrounded by a groove for collecting rainwater. Water, moving along narrow ditches, fell into large drainage gutters. This reverent attitude towards moisture can be explained simply - the city residents suffered from a lack of drinking water. There is only one spring on the plateau, which dries out greatly in the hot months. Another seasonal source is located near Bad Yar, the mecca of “black” archaeologists. It was called “bad” because of the ancient burial ground in which, starting from the 6th century, the Goths and residents of Bakly were buried. Now almost all the medieval crypts of the burial ground have been looted. In some places, greedy people dug 6-8 meter holes in the ground, exposing the remains of ancient people. Modern church ministers several years ago collected the bones scattered throughout the ravine and reburied them near the cave city, near the western rocky ledge of Mount Bakla. Rumor has it that many “black” archaeologists know places on Bakla where real treasures are buried and ask a lot of money for their secrets.

Not far from the necropolis, above one of the burial crypts there was once an Orthodox church. In the Baklin Valley, the remains of seven more early Christian cult complexes were found, many of which have been practically unexplored. The presence of many temples suggests that it was here that the legendary city of Fulla, the diocese of the Khazar Kaganate, was located.

But let’s leave the historical facts and see what Bakla has become today. The Bucklin Plateau is surrounded by green hills covered with dense pine forest. The road, winding among tall grasses, leads the tourist to the southern slope of the Baklinskaya cuesta. Here a truly fantastic sight is presented to the eye - light limestone walls are covered with bizarre weathering patterns that resemble a honeycomb. Under the citadel, the cliff is cut with delicate tubercles, in some places similar to the thorns of roses. Hundreds of perfectly preserved shells are visible on the yellow limestone surface exposed to the wind and sun. The abundance of birds circling above the valley is also striking - in the sky above Bakla you can see hawks, vultures and crows.

Above the western upper cliff of the cuesta stands a 40-meter stone sphinx, which some tourists have nicknamed the petrified “demon” guarding the ghostly city. At the foot of the sphinx there is a small cave, around which vines have grown wildly. Not far from the stone “beast”, next to the reburial, the remains of an ancient monastery with a collapsed chapel are visible. Here you can see several crypts and cells carved into the rock, into which tourists sometimes climb. The inside is very beautiful - niches for lamps are hollowed out in the walls, and their surface is painted with figures of saints, crosses, silhouettes of fish and ships.

After walking around the surrounding area, you can stop and breathe in the cleanest air filled with the aroma of herbs and flowers. In spring, wild cherry orchards, hawthorn, and many varieties of orchids bloom here. Bakla is an incredibly beautiful and energetically strong place! Once on the plateau, you feel a special energy background - the body is filled with the pristine energy of the earth and air, and the soul is in joy. “What grace!” - exclaim tourists who come here for the first time. Instructors have experienced the impact of this powerful force more than once. , carried out on Bakla, are performed easily, with great benefits for the body and mind. It is especially good to meditate here, sitting at the southern cliff of the mountain. The peace and “untrodden” nature of this place promote deep immersion within oneself, calm and cleanse the mind. True, the blessed silence is sometimes disturbed by the sounds of civilization - near Bakla there are several limestone quarries. From afar, the slopes of an old abandoned quarry, partially flooded with water, resemble the walls of ancient Egyptian pyramids.

The enchanting beauty of this place cannot be expressed in words. To do this, you need to come to Baklu and walk around the entire plateau, examine the cozy, sun-warmed caves, so similar to. And, of course, you shouldn’t say goodbye to the ancient settlement. Experience shows that once you get here, you will definitely want to come back...

On the approaches to Bakla there is the famous Shaitan-Koba grotto (or Devil's Cave). This is a special place, which is a monument of archeology and history. The fact is that in the Mousterian era (300-30 thousand years ago) there was a site of Neanderthal man here. This is evidenced by numerous archaeological finds, including thousands of flint tools, weapons, as well as remains of bones of various animals and birds that prehistoric people hunted. It still remains unclear why the cave was given such a strange name, but local residents, unlike tourists and archaeologists, are in no hurry to visit it... Very often, places where inexplicable and strange events occur are popularly called “devil’s”. Perhaps it was in this cave that people encountered incomprehensible and mystical events... or perhaps something terrible happened here that forced people to avoid the cave? Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, we will not know this secret.

8 km from Bakly, in the Glubokiy Yar gully, near Bakhchisaray, several vertical stones were found - menhirs, which are ancient megalithic structures similar to Stonehenge. Opposite one stone, nicknamed the “sun sight”, there is a so-called “leaky cave” with a “window”, or Teshik-Koba. On the days of the spring and autumn solstices, a ray of sun penetrates through this “window” and falls exactly on the menhir. This extremely interesting place is probably an ancient observatory, and the limestone block is a powerful place of power, attracting esotericists from all over the CIS.