Cave city Eski-Kermen
Eski-Kermen, City-fortress Eski KermenCrimea, Bakhchysarai
Cave city Eski-Kermen
Eski-Kermen, City-fortress Eski KermenCrimea, Bakhchysarai
Eski-Kermen is one of the largest "cave towns" of the Crimea. Now abandoned and silent, in the Middle Ages it occupied a dominant position in the economic life of nearby settlements, and was a major center of trade and crafts.
Eski-Kermen was founded on a hard-to-reach plateau at the end of the 6th century; by assumption, Scythian-Sarmatians. It is located on a steep table mountain, elongated north to south, more than a kilometer long, the maximum width is 170 m, an area of 8.5 hectares, and the height of steep cliffs is up to 30 meters. Its name in Tatar means "Old Fortress".
Eski-Kermen was well fortified. Defensive walls made of large limestone blocks 2 meters thick and up to 3.5 meters high stretched over the cliffs. Casemate towers were carved into the rocks or made of stone. In case of a siege, a deep well with 70 cubic meters of water was cut down. Most of the territory of the fortress was not built up - as a reserve of a protected area and a refuge for the inhabitants of the valley in case of military danger.
The residential city was almost entirely built up with two-story houses covered with tiles. The first stone floor with cellars carved into the rock served for household needs; the second - residential - was wooden and, as a rule, with balconies. The city had a water supply system made of pottery pipes that brought water from the springs of a neighboring hill four kilometers away; several places of worship, a necropolis.
The slopes of Eski-Kermen are indented with caves. There are about 350 of them and they mostly belong to the XII-XIII centuries. The caves served as quarters for livestock, craft workshops, grape presses and reservoirs for grape juice.
Some researchers of the Crimean Middle Ages believe that the fortress was destroyed in connection with the anti-Khazar uprising of John of Gotha in the 80s. 8th century In the future, the walls were restored, new outbuildings appeared. The heyday of life on the plateau falls on the X-XIII centuries. Then the settlement acquires urban features. However, at the end of the XIII century. it dies as a result of a devastating raid of the Tatar horde by Emir Nogai. After that, for another 200 years, life on the plateau barely flickered, and by the 15th century. it was completely abandoned. The ruins were gradually overgrown with trees and were buried underground.
Eski-Kermen was founded on a hard-to-reach plateau at the end of the 6th century; by assumption, Scythian-Sarmatians. It is located on a steep table mountain, elongated north to south, more than a kilometer long, the maximum width is 170 m, an area of 8.5 hectares, and the height of steep cliffs is up to 30 meters. Its name in Tatar means "Old Fortress".
Eski-Kermen was well fortified. Defensive walls made of large limestone blocks 2 meters thick and up to 3.5 meters high stretched over the cliffs. Casemate towers were carved into the rocks or made of stone. In case of a siege, a deep well with 70 cubic meters of water was cut down. Most of the territory of the fortress was not built up - as a reserve of a protected area and a refuge for the inhabitants of the valley in case of military danger.
The residential city was almost entirely built up with two-story houses covered with tiles. The first stone floor with cellars carved into the rock served for household needs; the second - residential - was wooden and, as a rule, with balconies. The city had a water supply system made of pottery pipes that brought water from the springs of a neighboring hill four kilometers away; several places of worship, a necropolis.
The slopes of Eski-Kermen are indented with caves. There are about 350 of them and they mostly belong to the XII-XIII centuries. The caves served as quarters for livestock, craft workshops, grape presses and reservoirs for grape juice.
Some researchers of the Crimean Middle Ages believe that the fortress was destroyed in connection with the anti-Khazar uprising of John of Gotha in the 80s. 8th century In the future, the walls were restored, new outbuildings appeared. The heyday of life on the plateau falls on the X-XIII centuries. Then the settlement acquires urban features. However, at the end of the XIII century. it dies as a result of a devastating raid of the Tatar horde by Emir Nogai. After that, for another 200 years, life on the plateau barely flickered, and by the 15th century. it was completely abandoned. The ruins were gradually overgrown with trees and were buried underground.
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