Mangup-Kale is the most famous cave settlement in the vicinity of Bakhchisarai. In the early Middle Ages, more than 15 cave settlements appeared in these places, however, Mangup-Kale was the largest of them. In the 14th century, it became the capital of the Byzantine principality of Feodoro.
The cave settlement of Mangup-Kale is located on the mountain plateau of Baba-Dag Mountain, 20 kilometers south of Bakhchisarai. The height of the mountain plateau reaches 583 meters above sea level. The nearest village that can be reached by car is called Khoja Sala. A trail begins from there. You have to climb 2.5 kilometers, with an increasing height of 400 meters. You have to be ready for a long climb. For children, this climb can be tedious.
The path up goes along the northern slope of the mountain. At the bottom, SUV drivers offer services for climbing the mountain plateau by car. A dirt road runs along the southern slope of the mountain to the Annunciation Monastery. It is impossible to drive along this road in an ordinary car. After visiting the monastery, you will be able to climb the stairs to the top of the plateau, to the ruins of Mangup-Kale.
In addition to Mangup-Kale, there are several other cave settlements in the vicinity of Bakhchisarai. The most famous of them are: Chufut-Kale, Kachi-Kalyon, Eski-Kermen, but they are significantly smaller in size. The territory of the Baba-Dag Mountain plateau is 2 km long and about 700 meters wide. There are two springs on the top of the plateau, which is very important for the development of a large settlement.
The oldest caves of Mangup-Kale belong to the 5th-6th century. In the 4th century, Crimea experienced a devastating invasion of the Goths. As a result all Greek colonies were destroyed, including the largest cities of Bosporus in Kerch and Chersonesos in Sevastopol. A century later, after the invasion of the Goths, Byzantine settlers came to the Crimea.
The soft limestone of the Bakhchisarai mountains was very convenient for hollowing out caves. At the same time, the mountain plateaus were natural fortresses and were convenient for defense by small forces. Thanks to this, numerous cave settlements of the Crimea began to appear here.
At first, Mangup-Kale occupied only a small part of the mountain plateau of the mountain. Baba-dag Mountain has 4 teeth that protrude from the plateau in different directions. The tooth of the Teshkli-Burun protrudes to the northeast. It has the best natural protection, so the oldest part of the Mangup-Kale settlement is located here. In total, about 60 caves have been preserved in Mangup-Kale, and most of them are located on the Teshkli-Burun prong.
At the base of this prong, the Byzantines built a powerful fortress wall to protect the entrance to the prong from the plateau. The ruins of the wall have survived to this day. It is a symbol of Mangup-Kale. The construction of the fortress wall most likely dates back to the 7th-8th century. Patterns typical of the Byzantine architectural style have been preserved on the entrance gate of the wall.
The heyday of Mangup-Kale occurred in the 14th and 15th centuries, when it was the capital of the Byzantine principality of Feodoro. Then the settlement was called Doros. The coastal cities at that time were owned by the Genoese. Their capital was the city of Kafa (now Feodosia). The Crimean Khans owned the steppe Crimea.
Being the capital of the principality of Feodoro, the settlement occupied the entire surface of the mountain plateau, and not just the north-eastern prong. Not only caves appeared here, but also stone houses, churches and a princely palace. Alas, only the foundations of these buildings have survived to this day. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Feodoro princes made the double-headed eagle of Byzantium their coat of arms. They also received the title of autocrats, the highest title of the Byzantine Empire.
In 1475, the Turks conquered all the cities of the Crimea, which belonged to the Feodoro princes, as well as the Genoese. They transferred these territories to the Crimean Khan. The siege of Mangup-Kale lasted 5 months. After the end of food supplies and constant assaults, Mangup-Kale fell. For some time, the Karaite community continued to live in Mangup-Kale, but then they also left the city. Tombstones of the Karaite cemetery have been preserved at the foot of the mountain.
