Hi all!
There are some places that are simply impossible not to visit while traveling! And if we talk about the sights of Sudak, and in general about the sights of Crimea, then such places include the famous Genoese fortress in Sudak.
The Genoese fortress, or as it is also called the Sudak fortress, is a unique symbol of the city. Perhaps every tourist who finds himself in Sudak must visit this attraction. The fortress in Sudak is, first of all, an architectural monument of the Middle Ages, which has been quite well preserved to this day.
History of the Genoese fortress:
The fortress was built over almost 100 years: from 1371 to 1469! It was built by the Genoese and covers an area of 30 hectares! Among the Genoese, who already from the 12th century began to trade with Russian, Polovtsian and Central Asian merchants, the city of Sudak became a powerful military base. In the 14th century they captured the entire coast from modern Kerch (Bosporus) to Sevastopol (Chersonese). However, even before the Genoese, various defensive structures were located on the territory of the fortress, which were eventually united into a single fortress.
We were passing through Sudak when we were traveling from the resort village to. But how do I big fan history and various kinds of ancient ruins, castles, etc., it was very interesting to visit the fortress in Sudak and see everything with your own eyes. Therefore, on one of the sunny Crimean days we went on an independent excursion to the Genoese fortress.
We bought tickets at the box office at the entrance. The price is not too expensive: 150 rubles per person for an independent visit and 250 rubles for a guided tour. We chose to visit on our own because we didn’t want to go in a crowd, and besides, I already knew almost everything the guide told about the fortress.
The main gate of the fortress with perverted towers:
Inside the fortress:
It is better to do the inspection by moving first on the left side of the gate.
There is a kind of medieval town here, where you can see a blacksmith or potter at work:
You can try on some elements of medieval armor:
Or sit on the princely throne:
Or you can make friends with the last inhabitant of the fortress, who has survived to this day. The truth is that it was not very well preserved
You can make a coin with your name at the mint:
And of course there are a lot of souvenirs here:
Next to the souvenir shops there is a cistern, which served as a water storage for the inhabitants of the fortress during a long siege or drought. It reminded me of the famous one, although the cistern in the Genoese fortress is much smaller in size:
There is also an old mosque on the territory of the fortress, which is also quite well preserved to this day:
All the towers in the fortress have their own name: the Pasquale Giudice Tower, the Jacobo Torsello Tower, the Beriabo di Franchi di Pagano Tower and others. Each of the towers is labeled, and a small description is given on the plaque - very convenient when visiting on your own.
Ancient cannons in front of the ruins of the barracks of the Kirillovsky regiment, which were built at a later time - in the 18th century, by order of Prince Potemkin:
Opens from the castle walls beautiful view to Sudak Bay:
At the very top of the Fortress Mountain is the Consular Castle:
Inside you can find a plaque detailing the purpose of this castle. There are similar signs on all towers:
Inside the Consular Castle:
During our visit to the fortress, active construction and installation of scenery for filming was going on next to the Consular Castle. In general, several films were filmed on the territory of the fortress, for example the famous “Pirates of the 20th Century” and “The Master and Margarita”.
View of Sudak and the Main Gate of the fortress from Fortress Mountain:
Some strange building:
Most likely this is a reconstruction of a tunnel that was made in the Middle Ages during the siege of fortresses. It was probably built as one of the sets for the film.
It’s also worth mentioning that knightly tournaments are held on the territory of the Genoese fortress! Every year, in the summer, the international knight festival “Genoese Helmet” takes place here. So if you are lucky enough to visit Crimea during the festival, then be sure to take part in it!
How do you like a walk around the fortress?
Unfortunately, photographs cannot convey that atmosphere. medieval history, which you feel inside the walls of the fortress. And in order to really feel the breath of time and feel like you are in the Middle Ages, you need to visit the Genoese fortress, walk along its walls and towers. So if you travel around Crimea, be sure to visit Sudak and the Genoese fortress!
See you in the next posts! And in order not to miss their release, do not forget to subscribe to blog updates!
Of the many architectural attractions of Crimea, the Sudak Fortress is the most striking. The complete defensive system of the medieval city can be traced in every detail. The absence of modern buildings favorably emphasizes the uniqueness of the monument and facilitates large-scale archaeological and architectural research. The Sudak fortress is of significant interest as a cultural monument of international importance. It attracts the attention of everyone who seeks to understand the past of Crimea.
As a result of archaeological and architectural research, restoration work carried out over three decades on the territory of the Sudak fortress, the chronological framework of the city’s existence has been significantly expanded. Scientists have established that from the middle of the 7th century, long before the appearance of the Genoese in the Northern Black Sea region, the Byzantine city of Sugdea, protected by defensive structures, existed on this territory for several centuries - the trade, economic and political center of the region. This gave reason to scientists and specialists to call the fortress not Genoese (that was the name it had long time), and Sudak.
The favorable climate and favorable geographical location of the Crimean Peninsula, especially its southern coast, have long attracted the attention of many peoples. Throughout the ancient and medieval periods, Greek culture actively influenced the nationalities that replaced one after another in the Crimea. At the end of the ancient period, almost the entire population of the Northern Black Sea region, regardless of ethnicity, firmly grasped the main features of Hellenistic culture and began to perceive the Greek language as the language of culture and education.
According to medieval legend, the Sugdeya fortress was founded in 212. At the beginning of the 3rd century. almost the entire mountainous Crimea became part of the Bosporan kingdom. To control the territory of the kingdom and to combat piracy, several points were founded where detachments of Bosporan warriors were stationed. One of these points was Sugdeya, which by that time was a small observation post and pier. With the subsequent development of the city, the original settlement was almost completely destroyed, so the archaeological materials of that time are insignificant: a few coins, small fragments of marble decrees and an altar dedicated to the god of the sea - Poseidon.
In written sources, the city of Sudak is recorded under different names: in Greek - Sugdea; in Western European countries - most often Soldaya; in Persian, Arabic and Turkish - Sugdak and Sudak. Modern name The city is close to eastern forms, as well as to the initial toponym, derived from the ancient Iranian word “sugda” (translated as “pure” or “holy”).
In the late antique period, the population of Crimea as a whole traced its origins to Iranian-speaking tribes, among which in the 3rd century. The most powerful and numerous tribe was the Alans. Despite the significant influence of Greek culture, the language of the inhabitants of eastern Crimea retained its inherent system of proper names and geographical names for a long time. Some of them have survived to this day. Therefore, many scientists believe that the Alans were the first inhabitants of Sugdea.
In the VI century. Southern Crimea is gradually becoming part of Byzantine Empire. Along the southern coast of Taurica, remains of a system of Byzantine fortifications have been preserved, one of which appeared in the second half of the 7th century. in Sugdea, and the presence of a Byzantine customs point here indicates that the city played a significant role in the trade of the Byzantine state.
At the end of the 7th century. Turkic-speaking tribes that were part of the Bulgarian Confederation and then the Khazar Kaganate begin to penetrate into the southeastern Crimea. They settled near Byzantine fortresses. The Khazar Khaganate, which was finally formed by the beginning of the 8th century, was by that time the largest state formation of Eastern Europe. This state was a confederation of nomadic and sedentary tribes (Alans, Bulgarians, Slavs) united military force Khazars In Sugdei in the first half of the 8th century. the headquarters of the Khazar official - tudun - was located.
From the 8th century. Christianity plays a significant role in shaping the worldview of city residents. The missionary activity of Christian preachers became especially active during the period of iconoclasm in Byzantium. Domestic social conflicts, the reduction of territory led to an outflow of population from the central regions. In the first half of the 8th century. A bishopric was established in Sugdea, one of the first abbots of which was Saint Stephen, who later became the heavenly patron of the city. Thanks to the influence of Greek Christianity throughout almost the entire history of the city, the majority of the population spoke Greek and professed Orthodox Christianity.
After the collapse of the Khazar Kaganate at the end of the 10th century. power in Sudak, as well as throughout the southeastern Crimea, passes to the Byzantine Empire. Old fortifications are being repaired and new ones are being built, and the space inside the fortress is being actively built up.
The 10th-13th centuries were the period of the city’s highest development. It becomes significant shopping center Taurida and the entire Northern Black Sea region. The port of Sudak connects the countries of Eastern Europe and Kievan Rus with the countries of the Mediterranean, the Eurasian steppes - with the countries North Africa, Middle East and Western Europe. Wealth and the role of the city in international trade could not help but attract the attention of militarily strong neighbors.
From the end of the 11th century. the city falls under the protectorate of the Polovtsians, who, under the terms of paying tribute, guaranteed residents protection from external enemies. However, they were not always able to fulfill their obligations. When in 1228 a squadron of the Turkish Seljuk Sultan Ala-Ed-Din-Key-Kubad approached Sudak, a ten-thousand-strong Polovtsian detachment came out to defend the city. However, he was defeated, and the Turks captured Sudak. This campaign was an episode in the conditions of the war between the Ionian Sultanate and the Empire of Trebizond, of which the city was part.
On January 27, 1223, Mongol troops first appeared under the walls of Sudak. On December 26, 1239, after a campaign in northeastern Rus', the Mongol army of Batu Khan appeared at Sudak for the second time. The population left the city out of fear of the conquerors.
With the formation of the Golden Horde state, the capital of which was the city of Sarai-batu on the lower Volga, Sudak, like the entire southeastern part of the peninsula, became part of the Crimean ulus of the Golden Horde. Beginning in 1249, the ulus administration annually collected tribute in the interests of the Golden Horde Khan.
From the second half of the 13th century. Merchants from Western Europe, mainly from two northern Italian cities - Venice and Genoa, are increasingly penetrating the markets of the Black Sea coast. They were attracted profitable terms trade with countries Far East and Central Asia, which developed here after the formation of the great Mongol Empire. By paying a three percent duty, merchants received, on behalf of the Mongol Khan, a guaranteed right, without risking anything, to cross the continent from the Black Sea to the Yellow Sea. Therefore, a fierce struggle continued for the ownership of ports on the Black Sea coast between representatives of different states. Around 1260, Genoa founded the large trading post of Caffa (modern Feodosia), which was located 50 km east of Sudak. In Soldaya (as the Italians called Sudak) since the 70s of the 13th century. The Venetians strengthened. Had in the city own house Venetian merchant Matteo Polo, who was visited by his nephew and famous traveler Marco Polo. Formally, Soldaya was not subordinate to Venice, but was dependent on the Khan of the Golden Horde.
In the first half of the 14th century. The Golden Horde governors of Crimea, under the pretext of religious struggle, expelled the Christian population of the city from the city and ordered the demolition of the fortress walls.
In the Golden Horde, after the death of Khan Berdibek (1359), a struggle for the throne began, in which the main role was played by the beklyaribek Mamai. Genoa successfully took advantage of the period of unrest, which lasted until the end in 1380. Their military detachments captured almost the entire Crimean coast, gradually displacing representatives of the Golden Horde administration. On July 19, 1365, the Genoese detachment, as one of the written sources reports, “occupies the heights of Sugdea.”
From then on, the restoration of the city infrastructure began - fortress walls and public buildings. First, the Genoese built a citadel on the top of the mountain, and surrounded most of the city with an earthen rampart. Recovery external line defense began no later than 1385.
The territory of the Genoese Soldaya was divided by fortress walls into three parts: the citadel - the castle of St. Ilya, lower city— the fortress of the Holy Cross and the port suburb. To guard Soldaya, the Genoese administration hired from 20 to 80 soldiers - stipendiaries, for a fairly high fee. However, there were not enough hired soldiers not only to defend the fortress, but even to guard it. Therefore, the male population of the city had to guard the fortress walls in turn at night. For evading this duty, the administration imposed fines on violators.
The space inside the fortress walls, currently empty, was built up with residential buildings and religious buildings. Soldaya's residential buildings were located on terraces that went down the slopes of the fortress mountain. Five streets stretched from north to south, connected by narrow alleys that ran along the edges of the terraces. The houses were multi-story. The lower floor - stone - was used for economic purposes. The second and sometimes third floors were made of wood or mud brick (adobe).
It is known from written sources that there were several large Christian churches and many small chapels on the territory of the city. As archaeological research shows, outside the fortress walls (at a distance of up to one kilometer) there were urban settlement buildings with estates where artisans lived and their workshops were located. According to the norms of medieval city law, any production related to fire (pottery, metalworking, etc.) was moved outside the city limits. When placing craft workshops, even the prevailing wind direction was taken into account to avoid sparks hitting the buildings.
On each structure, the Genoese installed a foundation slab with information about the time of construction and the ownership of the structure. The top of the slab usually contained several lines of Latin text. For example, the inscription on one of the slabs literally translates as follows: “This structure was ordered to be built by the noble man and honorable consul of Soldai Pasquale Giudice on the first day of August in 1392.” At the bottom of the slab there are three shields with coats of arms: on the central one is the coat of arms of Genoa, to the left of it is the coat of arms of the Genoese Doge (the highest administrative official of the Genoese Republic), to the right is the coat of arms of the family from which the consul came.
The reign of Genoa in Soldai lasted from 1365 to 1475. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the seizure of the Black Sea straits by the Turkish sultans, the connection between the Genoese colonies and the metropolis became more complicated, and the Black Sea gradually turned into an internal sea of the Ottoman Empire. On May 31, 1475, a squadron of the Turkish commander Keduk Ahmed Pasha approached the Crimea. First, the Turkish army took Caffa, the capital of the Genoese colonies on the Black Sea. Unlike Kaffa, Soldaya defended herself courageously. According to a well-known legend, her last defenders They closed themselves in one of the largest churches and continued to resist even after the enemy captured the entire city.
Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Sudak became the center of the judicial administrative district - Kadylyk. According to the 1542 census, 248 Greek, 27 Armenian and 24 Muslim families lived in the city. The fortress was defended by a Turkish garrison of 10-30 soldiers. This number of soldiers was barely enough to defend the dilapidated walls of Sudak. In the first half of the 17th century, when the Zaporozhye Cossacks began campaigning against the Crimea, the city residents, out of fear of military conflicts, fled to the surrounding villages, away from the coast. The Turkish traveler Evliya Celebi, visiting Sudak in the second half of the 17th century, did not find a single civilian there.
During the Turkish period, two large mosques were built in Sudak. One of them was kept in the central part of the fortress and was called Aju-Bey-Jami. Archaeologists discovered its foundations in 1992.
In 1771, during the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, a detachment Russian troops took the city without a fight. The Sudak fortress housed a garrison consisting of a cavalry company of the Kirillovsky regiment. During the construction of barracks for the Russian garrison, the buildings that had until then remained on the territory of the fortress were completely destroyed. The garrison remained in Sudak until 1816.
Currently, the Sudak Fortress Museum is located on the territory of the ancient city.
Almost all architectural objects preserved on the territory of the fortified city today were built during the presence of the Genoese (1365-1475). The buildings were erected under control, so they often repeat architectural motifs and techniques of fortification construction in Western Europe.
The territory of the museum is 29.5 hectares. From architectural structures of the X-XV centuries. defensive walls, the Watchtower (Maiden) and Astaguerra (Port) towers, the Consular Castle, the mosque, the temples of the Twelve Apostles and Catholic Cathedral Virgin Mary, remains of urban development, seaside fortification of the 6th century. etc.
One of the oldest European cities is the beautiful and sunny Feodosia, which has been around the twenty-sixth century. The Genoese fortress, which is located on the outskirts of the city, is priceless historical monument, which have survived to this day.
Outwardly, it is very reminiscent of the Italian fortress in Sudak, but they cannot be called copies: the similarity is explained by the fortification traditions that prevailed at that time. The Genoese fortress of Kafa (Feodosia) is much larger, it was given a very important role in the defense of the Genoese possessions in Crimea. And it must be said that it successfully coped with these tasks until it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks.
Location
Many tourists who come to this city ask local residents: “Where is the Genoese fortress?” Feodosia has many attractions, but it is this bastion that arouses increased interest among city guests. The fortress is located on a hill, in the southern part of the resort, along Portovaya Street. The main buildings rise some distance from the coast of the Feodosia Gulf.
Genoese fortress, Feodosia: history of construction
In the middle of the 13th century, Genoese merchants bought the small town of Feodosia from Khan Berke, which became their first possession on the peninsula. On the site of the current resort town, a large colony of Genoese grew, which soon turned into a prosperous city on the northern coast of the Black Sea. This was facilitated by its favorable geographical location: Kafa became a link between Europe and Asia. All the wealth of the Northern Black Sea region, the Golden Horde, the Caucasus and Rus' flocked here.
As trade volumes increased, so did the city, which in 1320 became the center of the Crimean possessions of Genoa. At that time its population was about seventy thousand people. For comparison, approximately the same number of inhabitants inhabited London at that time.
The power and influence of Kafa was limitless, and already from the 14th century the city began to mint its own coins, which circulated far beyond the borders of Taurida. It is quite natural that with such wealth the Cafe was necessary reliable protection. In 1340, construction of fortifications began on the shore of the bay in order to protect the city not only from the sea, but also from land.
Surprisingly, the construction of the fortification lasted only three years - a pace unprecedented at that time. And then the Europeans were surprised by Kafa (present-day Feodosia). The Genoese fortress became the most powerful and largest in Europe at that time. The length of its walls was about six kilometers, and their height exceeded eleven meters, while the thickness of the structure was two meters. Thirty towers and about ten gates were built here. The diagram of the Genoese fortress in Feodosia is presented below.
Builders used limestone and sand as building materials. This was very convenient: they were mined from the seabed and the slopes of nearby mountains.
Feodosia, Genoese fortress: description of the structure
Externally, the fortress resembled a huge amphitheater, where the stage was replaced by the sea. Of the thirty towers built along the perimeter, only a few have survived to this day. In addition, parts of the western wall, gates and Armenian churches survived:
- St. Stephen.
- John the Baptist.
- St. Demetrius.
- St. George.
- St. John the Evangelist.
Tower of St. Constantine
One of the pearls of the historical complex is the tower of St. Constantine, which has survived to this day. It is also called the Arsenal, because the Genoese stored their weapons in it: arrows, halberds, crossbows, swords, etc. This tower is an excellent example of architectural sophistication, which was not typical for those times.
The lower, heavier part is pyramidal in shape, and the upper one is built in the Romanesque style: it consisted of a crenellated parapet, which was surrounded by a stone border. Somewhat later, the parapet was damaged during an unsuccessful restoration carried out by Italian craftsmen in the 14th century. This is a building with rectangular base has only three walls. To strengthen the tower, there were narrow holes in the walls in the center, from which fire was fired at the enemy. Surprisingly, the tower has been preserved in excellent condition.
The tragic fate of the bastion
Not only ordinary tourists, but also researchers and specialists in the field of historical architecture are interested in the Genoese fortress (Feodosia). The history of this building is very tragic. Two years after the construction of the fortress (1345), Janibek, the Horde khan, tried to capture Kafu, but he failed to do this: the new structure withstood the onslaught of the enemy.
But after the attack, a grueling, lengthy siege began. Both the defenders of the fortress and the townspeople suffered terrible hardships. In fairness, it should be said that the besiegers suffered no less - a plague broke out in their camp in the summer of 1346. Trying to force the fortress garrison to surrender, the Tatars began to throw the corpses of their soldiers who died from the plague over the fortress wall, and very soon an epidemic broke out among the besieged.
Amazingly, the Horde did not wait for surrender heroic defenders fortresses and were forced to ingloriously abandon their occupied positions. But the terrible disease grew into an epidemic, from which more than half of the inhabitants of Kafa died, and a little later it spread to a significant part of Europe.
And yet, like Feodosia itself, the Genoese fortress fell in 1475, unable to withstand the onslaught of the troops of the Ottoman Empire. The population was either killed or sold into slavery, and the city was destroyed and plundered. The largest slave market on the peninsula was located here during the rule of the Turks.
The doom hovering over the bastion did not spare them either. The Cossacks, led by Hetman Peter Sagaidachny in 1616, captured the fortifications and almost completely destroyed the Ottoman garrison. When Crimea became part of the Russian Empire, the fortress lost its defensive significance and was actually abandoned.
Fortress today
Today, day by day, the beautiful Feodosia is getting prettier and younger. The Genoese fortress, unfortunately, is in a deplorable state. Little remains of the ancient buildings. However, all tourists visiting the city strive to see with their own eyes ancient building. The picturesque ruins are endowed with some kind of attractive force that acts on tourists like a magnet. Local residents believe that this is due to the special spirit of antiquity hovering over the dilapidated ancient walls of the once powerful stronghold.
The current state of the fort perhaps attracts travelers because so far not a single stone here has been touched by the hands or tools of restorers. Unfortunately, today it is no longer possible to see the outer ring of fortifications, with the exception of individual elements - tiny sections of the fortress wall and the remains of towers, which are located on the territory of the city, at a fairly large distance.
The southwestern side of the citadel is slightly better preserved. Here you can see a section of the wall 470 meters long and almost the entire towers of St. Crisco and Clement. This site can be seen in advertising brochures of travel companies.
How to get there?
You can get to the historical landmark of Feodosia by minibus No. 1, which departs from Goncharova Street. You should get off at the “City Hospital” stop, and then you need to walk (500 m). Signs will tell you the direction.
The fact that the Genoese fortress is the calling card of Sudak, and the entire Crimean peninsula, has already been worn down to holes. And there is a lot of information about the history of the fortress on various portals. Therefore, we will not repeat ourselves. Let's try to look at the Genoese fortress from unusual angles.
Photo of the Genoese fortress
Interesting Facts:
The ruler of the Genoese fortress was the consul, he had to take care of the safety of the fortification and improve the fortress walls. The position was elective. During his reign, each consul must build a fortification tower. Now there are 12 towers in the fortress - 12 names of strong and respected rulers-consuls.
History of reconstruction in the fortress
The best time to visit the Genoese fortress is August. Since 2001, the international festival of knights “Genoese Helmet” has been held this month. By participating in the reconstruction of the life of medieval knights, townspeople and artisans, history from the pages of textbooks will become part of your life.
During the festival, the fortress is full of life. Noisy markets, master classes of artisans, tournaments of archers and crossbowmen, buffoon performances. And of course, the highlight of the festival is the knightly tournaments. They are held according to the rules of historical fencing matches and demonstrate to the audience the strength, dexterity and beauty of knights. It is held in the following categories: “shield-sword”, “two-handed sword”, “shield-axe”, “sword-sword”, “shield-spear” and others.
The culmination of the holiday is a mass battle, buhurt. First, squads of knights fight according to a staged plan. The action involves models of medieval siege engines, pyrotechnics, and battering rams. Then the combat part begins. Each knight acts according to own plan with the sole purpose of winning.
Unusual views of the Genoese fortress
- 1) It would be interesting to look at the fortress walls from a bird's eye view. If you are offered to soar over Sudak on a paraglider, agree! And on your own you can walk from the fortress in a westerly direction along the sea coast and climb to the top of Mount Sokol. The path to the rock is clearly visible and the climb is not very steep. From above, look at the panorama of the city and the outlines of the fortress walls, and appreciate the scale of the medieval building. Moreover, enjoy the turquoise sea water.
- 2) Take a night walk around the walls of the Genoese fortress. The silhouettes of the towers rise menacingly against the background of the night Crimean sky. In some places, lights sparkle mysteriously in the towers, and the guards do not sleep. And there is pristine peace and quiet all around.
- 3) Move away from the well-trodden paths towards the fortress gates. Try your hand at climbing the walls like a soldier Turkish army. Choose the most interesting angles for photography.
Video review:
Museum opening hours:
For those who, after a walk around the surrounding area, decided to get inside the fortress walls, we inform you about the opening hours of the Sudak Fortress Museum.
The fortress is open to the public from April to October every day. Opening hours from 8-00 to 19 hours. From 9-00 to 17-30 excursion groups are formed, the duration of the excursion is 40 minutes.
Tickets, depending on the category of tourists, cost from 75 to 200 rubles. Some categories of citizens have the right to free visits to the architectural monument of the Middle Ages.
Interestingly, even while at home you can take a virtual tour of the fortress walls on the website.
How to get to the Genoese fortress?
If you have already reached Sudak, then you can get to the Genoese fortress on foot; the fortress is clearly visible from all points of the city. Too lazy to walk - take minibuses No. 1 and No. 5 in the center or at the bus station. Get off at the “Uyutnoye” stop, from here it’s a five-minute walk to the museum gates.If you are traveling by car, use the coordinates 44.841667 34.958333 and the navigator using Google maps will take you to the site.
Genoese fortress on the map of Crimea
GPS Coordinates: N 44 50.597 E 34 57.430 Latitude/Longitude
How many medieval fortresses do you know built on a coral reef? I think no.
Genoese fortress in Sudak. It rises on an ancient fossilized coral reef, which today is a cone-shaped mountain. The mountain has several names, the oldest mention is Kyz-Kulle-Burun, the most common mention is Mount Fortress, there is also a Tatar name - Dzhenevez-Kaya.
This is the ex military base the Genoese colony of Soldaya, which was considered almost impregnable. The fortress was built for almost 100 years - from 1371 to 1469. And in 1475 it was taken by the Turks...
2. The first defensive structures on the site of the modern fortress appeared in the 6th century. The Allans, Khazars, Polovtsians, Byzantines, and Golden Horde ruled here alternately. In XII, envoys of the Byzantine state appeared on the shores of the Black Sea - Venetians, Pisans and Genoese. They actively begin to trade with Russian, Polovtsian and Central Asian merchants. Gradually, it was the Genoese who captured the entire coast from the Bosporus (Kerch) to Chersonesus (the present-day region of Sevastopol). Kafa (Feodosia) became the capital of their colony in Crimea, and Sudak became a military base. 
3. The Genoese united all the separate defensive structures available here at that time into one complex. Thus began the construction of the now world-famous Genoese fortress.
The fortress occupied an area of about 30 hectares, and had two tiers of defense - lower and upper. The lower tier was protected by a wall approximately 6-8 meters high and 1.5-2 meters thick. The fortress wall was fortified with fourteen battle towers up to 15 meters high and the Main Gate complex. 
4. At the foot of one of the battle towers. 
5. Each of the towers bore the name of one of the consuls under whom this tower was built, as evidenced by the slabs with heraldic symbols and inscriptions in medieval Latin preserved on the towers. Unfortunately, not all towers have preserved these slabs, as well as the towers themselves. Some of the surviving towers: Giovanni Marione, Pasquale Gedice, Corrado Cicalo, Frederico Astagvera... 
6. Heraldic plate on one of the towers 
7. Main gate complex. It consists of two gate towers - the western Jacobo Torsello and the eastern Bernabo di Franchi di Pagano. The bottom of the western tower is reinforced by a gentle slope, a buttress, which served both the engineering function of strengthening the base of the tower and the combat one. The combat function of the buttress was that the stones thrown down by the defenders of the Sudak fortress bounced off it, and this increased the area and the possibility of hitting the enemy.
Loopholes are cut into the combat tier of the tower; on the tier above there are rectangular embrasures that widen outward. Inside the tower there are niches where bombards or ballistas were installed.
The eastern tower appeared somewhat later than the western one. The tower has loopholes and four embrasure windows, the same as in the Jacobo Torsello tower. There are crosses carved on the wall on the side of the gate. On the southern side of the base of the tower, the remains of steps of a staircase are visible, along which the guards apparently climbed the tower and walls. Both towers are connected by a stone bridge with a loophole window. 
8. There was a city inside the fortress. At the main gate of Soldaya there was a small trading area, where the main city institutions were concentrated. Greek Cathedral Hagia Sophia, the Catholic Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, the market, the building of the loggia of the commune (town hall) and customs. 
10. The entire space inside the fortress, which is empty today, was built up with religious buildings and residential buildings in ancient times. On the territory of the city, no more than 20 hectares in size, plus the suburbs adjacent to the fortress walls from the northeast and north, about 8 thousand people lived. This is known because The census of 1249 has been preserved. For the Middle Ages this is a large figure. 
11. The houses of the inhabitants of medieval Sudak were built on terraces. From south to north, the city had five streets with narrow alleys. 
12. Remains of the western wall. Today, from what was once a few meters high, no more than a meter remains 
13. Loophole closed with shutter 
14. View of the upper tier with the Consular Castle and the Maiden Tower, considered the most daylight. 
15. Not all visitors decide to climb to the highest point of the fortress - the Maiden Tower. This is prevented by the gentle, smooth slope of the rock on which the tower is located.
But it's worth climbing it. From here you have simply incredible views in all directions. It’s not for nothing that this tower has a second name - Watchtower.
One of the local legends is associated with the name of the Maiden Tower. In ancient times, the archon (local mayor) had a beautiful daughter, the most beautiful of whom was not in all of Taurida. The best commander of the Pontic king Mithridates, Diophantus, sought the girl’s hand, but she preferred the poor shepherd. The Archon did not even want to think about such a choice for his daughter, because... I would be glad to have influential relatives.
The ruler was informed about the secret meetings between the shepherd and the princess, and the angry father ordered the shepherd to be thrown into the well.
Having bribed the guards, the girl freed her lover and hid him in her room. The Archon found out about this and decided to act more cunningly - he pretended to send the young man to Miletus, but ordered his servants to kill him.
The archon said to his daughter: “In a year the ship will return, and if your lover does not cheat on you, then you will see a white sign on the mast. I will not resist your happiness. But if he is not worthy of you, there will be no sign on the ship, and you will leave for Diophantus." When the ship appeared a year later, there was no sign on it. The girl threw herself into the sea from the tower and died. Since then the tower has been called the Maiden Tower. 
16. View from the Maiden Tower to the territory of the fortress and present-day Sudak 
17. West Bank 
18. Eastern coast, where Sudak and its beaches are now located.
The wall of the second tier and the Consular Castle are also visible. 
19. Consular Castle 
20. Inner courtyard of the Consular Castle.
The castle itself consisted of three towers connected by fortress walls. In the Middle Ages, it also served as the home and residence of the Genoese consul - the head of the Genoese administration of Soldai.
The structure of the consular castle consists of a donjon and a courtyard, which is joined from the north-west by a portico and a corner tower added later. The courtyard is enclosed within thick walls with loopholes. The width of the yard is 8.6 m, the length is 15.5 m. Until now, since east side In the courtyard, the remains of a staircase are visible, along which one could go out to a battle platform with a ledge, where secret doors are still walled up. Where a barely noticeable path goes down the rock. This exit was used when there was a siege of the fortress for escape or communication with the outside world. The only way to enter the castle courtyard was through a gate protected by a rectangular barbican.
The consular tower served not only as a headquarters, but also as an arsenal and could be isolated from the rest of the fortress.
Water tanks with a total volume of about 40 cubic meters were installed in the tower in case of a siege. This is evidenced by traces of waterproof plaster and two ceramic pipes. 
21. As mentioned above, in the Middle Ages the consular castle served as the home and residence of the Genoese consul - the head of the Genoese administration of Soldai. Usually the consul was elected for a term of one year and received a very high salary for the performance of his office.
The position of consul, as a rule, was occupied by representatives of the nobility from the Genoese families. Before taking office, the consul was not supposed to be in Soldaya. This rule was considered important so that the ruler could not use his official position for his own purposes. The consul did not have his own housing in the city, which is why his military residence was the consular castle. 
22. The room where the consuls of Soldai lived - throne, fireplace, skins... Maybachs of that time 
24. The building of the mosque, which is now a museum, and in official documents is referred to as the Building with an Arcade. This is the only excellent preserved building on the territory of the fortress.
There are several theories about the purpose of this building. One of them says that initially it was a Christian temple and after the capture of Sudak by the Tatars it was converted into a mosque. According to another version, the building was built by the Genoese in 1365 and later converted into a mosque. There is also a version that this domed building was built by the Tatars or Seljuk Turks as a mosque, and the Genoese converted it into a Catholic church.
Excavations carried out in 1962 outside and inside the domed building indicate that it was originally built as a mosque. Firstly, no traces of a previous Christian temple and no accompanying burials were discovered. Secondly, this is confirmed by the fact that the foundations of the previously existing galleries and minaret are folded into a band with the foundation of the building. 
25. Arched and domed entrance to the mosque building. 
26. Today, the central part of the museum is a cubic structure. The building is covered with a spherical dome resting on the so-called corrugated tromps.
The spherical dome without a drum goes into the walls of the mosque with the help of corrugated “sails”. A similar structure of spherical domes is typical of the architecture of Ottoman Turkey, which was influenced by Byzantium. 
27. The most important architectural components of the building - vaults, corners, columns and window casings - are made of solid blocks and decorated with carved ornaments. This ornament is most often defined in the literature as Seljuk. 
28. The greatest controversy is caused by a fragment of a fresco on the western pilaster of the internal arcade of the building. A fragment of the painting was discovered in 1958, when the plaster was peeling off. A figure in a reddish robe with a covered head is silhouetted against a light gray background. O. Dombrovsky believes that this is a male figure depicting a saint with a halo. Other researchers believe that the fresco depicts a woman. For example, art critic I. F. Trotskaya states that this is definitely female image. Proof of this is a scarf or a kind of hood on the head of the person depicted. 
29. Some traces of Soldaya found on the territory of the fortress - frescoes, pithos, heraldic plates, etc. - are exhibited in the museum premises. 
30.
31. Tiled ceiling of the tank room and view of the Consular Castle 
32. Stylized "medieval retro" dry closets. True, they do not work at the height of the tourist season in mid-summer. Which, however, is not surprising. 
33. In conclusion, the story about the Genoese fortress - views from different parts of it.
Sokol and Cape Kapchik in the distance 
34. Sudak, Alchak-Kaya and Meganom. View from the Maiden Tower 
35. Sudak, Karagach and Karadzha 
36. Tree of wishes 
The history of the Genoese fortress is short. After that, it was captured by the Turks in 1475. The towers and defensive walls were not repaired. In 1783, the fortifications became the property of the Russian Empire and the fortress began to decline.
In our time, due to its picturesqueness, good preservation of ancient buildings and easy accessibility, the Sudak fortress was often used as a colorful setting in historical, adventure and fairy-tale films.
More than forty films were filmed here, such as “The Amphibian Man”, “Othello”, “The Rings of Almanzor”, “Solo Voyage”, “Pirates of the Twentieth Century”, “Chief of Chukotka”, “Umbrella for the Bridal”, “Primordial Rus'”, “The Odyssey of Captain Blood”, “The Master and Margarita”, “Socrates”, “Hamlet”, “Marco Polo” and others.
In addition, a historical festival dedicated to the art of chivalry is held annually on the territory of the fortress.
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