Demerdzhi Mountain is located 10 kilometers north of Alushta. There are many tourist routes in the Crimean mountains and there are many interesting sights, but Demerdzhi Mountain is the most amazing of them. On the slopes of the mountain you can see unique weathering figures, which are called the Valley of Ghosts.
There are several interesting places on Demerdzhi Mountain. Most excursions are limited to visiting the Valley of Ghosts, which is located at the foot of the mountain, near the village of Luchistoe. However, to visit Mount Demerdzhi, it is better to reserve the whole day and prepare for long hiking trips.
In this case, you can see the most interesting places on the top of the mountain. Not far from the Valley of Ghosts is the mount Southern Demerdzhi, as well as the weathering figures near Mount Alenga. 4 kilometers from Southern Demerdzhi is the top of the Mount Northern Demerdzhi.
If you visit all these places in one day, you will have to walk about 25 kilometers, which is quite a lot even for trained people. Moreover, all transitions occur in mountainous terrain with large elevation differences. Some people start their hikes from the Angara Pass. This makes sense if you want to visit Northern Demerdzhi only. As for the Southern Demerdzhi and Mount Alenga, it is better to start the hike from the village of Luchistoe. It houses the Funa Fortress, as well as the Valley of Ghosts.
The geological composition of Mount Demerdzhi differs from the rest of the Crimean mountains. Most of the mountains in Crimea consist of limestone, and in Demerdzhi there are many layers of the so-called conglomerate. These are compressed pebbles and fragments of various hard rocks. Under the influence of the atmosphere, these rocks in some places formed a natural "cement" that held together large stones. Under the influence of weathering of sandstone, a large number of figures similar to various parts of the human body appeared on the slopes of Mount Demerdzhi.
A mixture of hard and soft rocks of stones can also be seen in the Valley of the Chulyshman River in Altay, where the famous Stone Mushrooms of Altay were formed on the mountainside under the influence of weathering. The world`s most famous forms of weathering are found in the valleys of Cappadocia in Turkey.
The Byzantines called this mountain Funa, which means "Smoking". This is due to the frequent fogs that accumulate on the peaks of the mountain. This fog is like smoke, among which the figures of the Valley of Ghosts seem even more mystical. At the foot of Demerdzhi are the ruins of the Funa fortress, which was built in the 14th century by the Byzantines during the existence of the Principality of Feodoro in the Crimea. Its capital was located in the cave city of Mangup-Kale.
The Turks called this mountain Demerdzhi, which means "Blacksmith". This name has survived to this day. It is possible that at that time there were many blacksmith shops near the Funa fortress, since the main trade route that connected the southern coast of Crimea with the steppe regions passed here. The legend is also connected with the name of the mountain that an evil blacksmith lived here, who exterminated people, but one girl saved them at the cost of her life.
Stone collapses are very common in Demerdzhi. The last one occurred in 1982, when a significant part of the western slope of the mountain collapsed. Giant stones can be seen near the ascent to the Southern Demerdzhi. The weight of some stones reaches several hundred tons.
