Mangup, the cave town
In south-west of Crimean peninsula there are very interesting Middle Age monuments - so called Cave towns. They are situated on separate hills of the Internal Ridge over wide valleys at the middle of Alma, Kacha and Belbek rivers.
  'Cave towns' is a quite conditional name and it is not exact. It appeared in the 18th - beginning of 19th centuries when these towns were abandoned by habitants, and their houses were ruined and covered with bushes and somewhere even woods. Only numerous cave constructions of auxiliary meaning are standing: casemates, pantries, cattle sheds, cult buildings. The first researchers had such an impression that these constructions were dwelling places of people.
  At their appearance cave towns were strengthened settlements, but in future together with development of feudal relations some of them turned gradually into rather big fortified towns (Eski-Kermen, Mangup, Kyz-Kermen, and from the 10th century - Chufut-Kale).
  Other smaller fortified settlements placed at hard-to-get heights and protected by guarding walls, were feudal castles or small citadels (Bakla, Tepe-Kermen, Syuiren Fortress, Kyz-Kule, Kalamita and others) but they are too called cave towns.
  After the 10th century Byzantium influence over Crimea deminished and so deminished the power of khazar people. During 12-14 centuries a large Feodoro princedom formed in the south Crimea with the center on Mangup mountain. Its frontiers were from south-western Crimea with Kalamita port (Inkerman) and periodically - Chembalo (Balaklava). At north the princedom reached Kacha and Marta rivers basin, at east - Demerji mountain and Alushta. It held southern coast from Alushta to Laspi.
  Mangup is a big limestone rock up to 200 meters high. It stands like an isle amid three adjacent valleys - Karalez Valley, Djan-Dere Valley and Adim-Chokrak Valley. From three sides Mangup plateau comes to an end with steep holes up to 70 meters high, northern slope is cut by three deep ravines: Kapu-Dere ('kapu' means entrance, gates; 'dere' stands for a ravine), Gamam-Dere (Bath ravine), Tabana-Dere (Skin ravine). From the northern side people could not only walk but ride as well.
  Between the ravines there are four ledges or capes looking as if four giant finters extended northward. Their Middle Age names are unknown. Eastern cape is called Teshkly-Burun (Hole Cape), and it is cut with caves; next to the west is Elli or Elli-Burun(Wind or Cape Ellin, that is Greek); then Chufut-Choargan-Burun (Cape of Jew Appeal) and finally Chamni-Burun (Pine-Tree Cape).
  All three ravines are covered with pine and leaf trees, bushes, so that even during a hot day the ascent is not tiresome. The flattest is the rise along a riding road going along the southern slope to the main gates of the town in upper stream of Kapu-Dere. Tourists like to walk up the marked path to Gamam-Dere ravin.
  In about 40 minutes after the ascend on Gamam-Dere the path leads to a well saved tower covered with green ivy. From this place the path goes abruptly up to the right slope of the raving along the guarding wall intersecting its upper stream area. Through a breakage where during the Middle Ages a gate could be, we enter the town territory. There are caves, cut in the rock, to the left, and trees and bushes to the right. At the end of the path there is a natural grotto with a spring of good drinking water. From the spring you can go up the plateau along another path on the left.
  After Mangup and its grounds became a turkish kadilik (district), its guarding walls served new hosts - a turkish garrison was situated here up to the 18th century. Turkish added ward "kale" to the name of the town (Mangup-kale means "Mangup fortress").
  Of all the buildings of Mangup citadel is in the best condition. It consists of the guarding wall, gates and two-floor donzhon (tower) between two curtains of the wall. If you go to the citadel along southern and south-eastern steeps of Mangup, look along the way at remainders of the cave constructions of cult and household purpose. You can imagine planning of ground churches and tombs as well as household buildings by the cuttings in the rock. Several meters from the citadel there are tombs in the rock - they are remainders of the Middle Age cemetery which appeared before the town came outside Cape Hole.
  Along the eastern slopes of Cape Hole there are numerous caves - casemates, and the road to the main gates of the town is well seen from them. There are the same casemates on the western side of the Cape. They were built in order to destroy the enemy from the top in case the enemy approaches along the road to the town gates. These constructions were used not only for guarding purposes but for household ones when at peace. Cuttings in the cave walls for wooden shelves and deepenings in the floor confirm these words. In some casemates animals were held.
  In the middle part of the eastern slope in the chain of battle casemates, which were once connected with hanging galleries and ladders, there was a cave church for the citadel protectors. There is a ladder to the church from the plateau. In the eastern rounded side of the church there is altar.
  Approaches from the Belbek valley were controled by the watch tower built at the very end of the cape. Before the tower there were barracks. Their lower part is cut in the rock and the upper one, made of stone, didn't come up to our time. A doorway leads under the basis of the tower and behind it there is a staircase to a vast manmade cave. its western and eastern walls are ruined and as a result there is a through hole that is seen very well while going to Mangup from the north. Two more ladders lead down from the cave into a large construction. It is assumed to be an underground prison. It consists of a hall with column in the middle. Single chambers are cut in the northern and eastern sides of the cave hall. There are traces of grooves for wooden door boxes, and from the external side there are deepenings for door bolts. The door in the southern wall of the hall leads to the second room with a big window. Seems that here guards looking over prisoners were waiting for their shift.
  On all the territory of the cape in rough surface of the ground there were buildings and constructions. There is a deep well near the northern slope which was possibly made in case long battles take place. When you walk from the citadel turn right. Down at its feet there are ruins of eastern town gates. Under the later laying of small stones in the western part of the gates there is seen a part of the wall made of rectangular blocks. Along the road cut in the rock there is standing high a guarding wall. There is an entrance into a half-ruined tower sometime guarding one of the most vulnerable places of the town from the side of Kapu-Dere. Following this road we go to the Cape of Chufut-Choargan-Burun. There are remainders of houses, lines of former streets and squares here.
  Westward from Gamam-Dere, 100 m from its upper parts, there are remainders of the palace of the last Feodoro owners. This was a two-floor simmetric buildings of rectangular form. A tower adjoined its northern wall and in the southern wall there was an entrance through a graceful arcade into a spacious hall. The main room of the palace - parade hall - is devided into three equal parts with two double arcades on twenty four columns. Norh-westward of the palace, about 100 m from it, there are remainders of a big christian temple built in honor of saints named Konstantin and Elena.
  There were many churches on Mangup, both ground and cave. The most interesting cave church was situated outside the town. A secret way led towards it; it is in a narrow cleft south-west from the highest point of the plateau at a slope. After descending turn right to the narrow path going along rocks. When you see manmade caves, look for a ladder leading to the upper grotto, from which you can get to the church. On its walls there still are remainders of fresco paintings of the 14-15th centuries. There are several trough-shaped tombs hollowed in the floor. Over these tombs there were stone blocks lying. Opposite the church there are cave rooms and household premises of the monastry.
 

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