Genoese fortress in the Yew-boxwood grove (Khosta). An ancient fortress and spring in the Tiso-Boxwood Grove (Khosta, Sochi) Tower on the Southeast corner
The Khosta fortress is located in the northeastern part of the Yew-boxwood grove, 6 km from the sea, on the top of a rocky cliff. The right bank of the Khosta River here goes down in a 100-meter cascade of cliffs. Therefore, the need for artificial fortifications exists only in the southern part of the peak, where the defensive line was built.
The fortress belongs to the early medieval fortifications of the area and dates back to approximately the 7th - 10th centuries AD. (based on the book by Yu.N. Voronov “Antiquities of Sochi and its environs.” Chapter IV. “Medieval era”)
The Khosta fortress was built in such a way that its northern, western and eastern parts were protected by natural cliffs. In the southern part, a defensive line was built from a wall, three towers, a gate and a rampart. When constructing the walls, the soil was removed down to the rocky area. They were built gradually, in narrow tiers up to a height of 5-6 meters, with battlements at the top.
Today, the remains of 4 towers and fragments of walls have been preserved.
The south-eastern corner of the fortress is protected by a tower, preserved to a height of up to 4.5 m. A loophole window measuring 0.4 x 0.5 m looks out from the tower to the west. At the south-eastern corner, a wall with a groove for a log bolt is visible from the outside. These are the remains of a reserve gate, which served to lead troops out to the enemy’s flank. The second, 45 m from the first, has an irregularly rectangular plan. In its western and eastern walls, two tiers of grooves for interfloor beams are noticeable. The height of each floor was 1.7-1.8 m. It was apparently three stories high.
Only 11 m of wall separates the second and third gate towers. The latter was poorly preserved. Its massif, occupying an area of 14x8 m, pinches out at an acute angle to the southwest, forming a barrier to the fortress gates. The threshold of this gate is visible in the middle part of the corridor formed by the northern wall, which then extends to the west. Above the threshold, at a height of more than 1 m, a groove is visible for securing the bolt bar.
To the west of the gate, a tower-shaped buttress protrudes from the wall, protecting the gate. 10 m from it there is the last tower, which, unlike the others, also protrudes into the fortress. At the same time, its room is recessed into the thickness of the wall by more than 1 m. A doorway leads into the upper tier of the tower. Judging by the stone protruding from the wall here, on which the ceiling was supported, the height of this room reached 1.9 m. Taking into account the surviving fragments, one should think that the original height of the tower was at least 11 m. From its lower floor a wide loophole looks south.
The masonry of the walls was carried out from roughly processed stone blocks of local limestone with rows in shell and backfilling of broken stone in lime mortar mixed with sea sand and small pebbles.
Khosta fortress(the name Genoese fortress is also found) - the remains of an ancient structure, presumably a defensive fortress, in the northeastern part of the Yew-Boxwood Grove reserve, above the river on the right bank of Khost, 6 km from the Black Sea. The right bank of the Khosta River here goes down in a 100-meter cascade of cliffs. The top of the cliff above the Khosta shore is also the top of a rather significant downward slope in the other direction. Along the river, perpendicular to it, the lower and upper boundaries of the structure do not have steep cliffs, but movement is hampered by the downward slope in the other direction from the river.
By 2010, the remains of 4 towers and several fragments of the wall, made of limestone with lime mortar, had been preserved. Old boxwoods and hornbeams grow right on the fragments of the walls, high above the ground.
It is located in a hard-to-reach part of the park due to cliffs and rock falls and rock fragments. On the road to the remains of the structure, the park administration posted signs prohibiting passage and requiring people to return to a safe part. It is not recommended to visit the site alone - the road to it is dangerous.
History of the building
Current state of the building
Fragments of the wall and the remains of the towers, fastened with lime mortar, which have stood in the open air for centuries, are still strong. But several excavations made under the towers, apparently in the last decade, led to the appearance of a significant crack.
Tower on the southeast corner
The south-eastern corner of the fortress is protected by a tower, preserved to a height of up to 4.5 m. A loophole window measuring 40 X 50 cm looks out from the tower to the west. At the south-eastern corner there is a narvy gate.
Second tower
The second tower, 45 m from the first, has an irregular rectangular plan. In its western and eastern walls, two tiers of grooves from the beams of the interfloor floors are noticeable. The height of each floor is 1.7-1.8 m. The tower was apparently three stories high.
Third tower
Only 11 m of wall separates the second and third gate towers. It was poorly preserved. Its massif, occupying an area of 14 by 8 meters, pinches out at an acute angle to the southwest, forming a barrier to the fortress gates. The threshold of this gate is visible in the middle part of the corridor formed by the northern wall of the third tower, and a massive wall running parallel to it, which then stretches to the west. Above the threshold, at a height of more than 1 m, a groove is visible for securing the bolt bar.
Fourth inner tower
To the west of the gate, a tower-shaped buttress protrudes from the wall, protecting the gate. 10 m from it there is the last tower, which, unlike the others, also protrudes into the fortress. At the same time, its room is recessed into the thickness of the wall by more than 1 m. A doorway leads into the upper tier of the tower. Judging by the stone protruding from the wall here, on which the ceiling was supported, the height of this room reached 1.9 m. Taking into account the surviving fragments, one should think that the original height of the tower was at least 11 m. From its lower floor a wide loophole looks south.
I continue my photo story about a walk through the Yew-Boxwood Grove in Sochi (you will find the beginning of the walk and information on how to get to this attraction in Khosta).
Today you will see Ancient fortress, Khosta river and spring (Khosta, Sochi).
True, now we have come across a fork in the road:
— if you go up, you can reach the ruins of the Ancient Fortress;
- and the road, going a little to the side, will lead to a river and a spring.
Ancient fortress .
Its official name is Khosta Fortress. It was built around the 8th-10th century AD. Its second name is the Genoese fortress.
The fortress itself today represents the remains of an ancient structure, presumably for defensive purposes. It is located, if you look at the map, in the northeastern part of the reserve "", above the river on the right bank of Khost, 6 km from the Black Sea. The right bank of the Khosta River here goes down in a 100-meter cascade of cliffs (therefore it is better not to approach the edge, so as not to add work to the rescuers). The top of the cliff above the Khosta shore is also the top of a rather significant downward slope in the other direction.
I'm not sure, but it seems that there are remains of towers and several fragments of a wall made of limestone with lime mortar.
To be honest, at first I didn’t even understand why the fortress was located in such a strange place - in the middle of the forest.
Then I realized that several centuries ago there might not have been a forest here, but the river below was very clearly visible. If we assume that the Khosta River at that time was navigable (for ships of those times), then from such a fortress it was very convenient to control the movement of both friends and enemies along the river.
....We return to the main trail and go down to the river. Be careful not to push small pebbles down from the path with your feet - they may fall on people walking along the river bank:
And here she is river:
The road to the spring is very picturesque, as it passes along the rocks along the river:
The rich history of this area and the reverent attitude of the inhabitants towards it allows you to see centuries-old buildings that, by some miracle, are still intact. One of them includes the Khosta fortress, or as it is otherwise called, the Genoese fortress.
Surprisingly, not a single scientist has yet turned his attention to this amazing structure. And since no serious research has been carried out, the history of this place can be called more of a legend or speculation.
According to one of the versions, which is the most common, the building belonged to the Genoese. On the maps of this people a place called Costa was marked. However, no logical reasons could be found for why the fortification was located so far from the sea. Despite this, the second name of the fortress is Genoese.
A more plausible assumption is that the fortress belongs to the Turks. These people are inclined to defend the territory in this way, and the local population could well ask for protection.
Extant buildings
The building is located 6 km from the sea, in the valley of the Khosta River. I must say that from a strategic point of view the location was chosen perfectly. It is surrounded on two sides by steep cliffs, and on the other two by towers. Four of them have survived. The height, area and degree of destruction are different.The first tower has been preserved well - the nearby gates are visible, and you can also guess the loophole from where the brave soldiers could shoot, defending the territory.
The second, located several tens of meters away, is badly damaged. Therefore, its role in defensive actions is difficult to understand. There is an assumption that its height was more than 5 m, but there is no evidence of this.
The third tower is the most destroyed of all. It has an impressive base area, but it is impossible to make assumptions about its size. It is located ten meters from the second one.
The last, fourth tower was, in all likelihood, the main firing line. The walls, whose height is 11 m, have survived, and several levels of loopholes are clearly visible, which allowed a small detachment to shoot back from enemies.