The Sudak Valley, as well as its surroundings, were inhabited even before the birth of the city of Sudak. In the territory that is located from the New World to Meganom, ancient sites and tools of labor that belonged to the Neanderthal period (this is the Middle Paleolithic era - about eighty - thirty thousand years ago), as well as sites dating to the Neolithic era (about ten - four thousand years ago), sites and villages of the Bronze Age (second millennium BC). In the first millennium BC, near Sudak, as well as throughout the entire mountainous Crimea, tribes of the barbaric Taurus lived, which are described as very cruel and aggressive tribes. The fortified village of Tavrs was located on a mountain called Karaul-Oba. In addition, it is known that in ancient times there was a "Tavro-Scythian harbor" in this area, as well as the Greek village of Atheneon, which is now associated with the Kutlak fortress, which is located in the valley of the village of Veseloe on the coast of the bay. The city itself (the ancient name of Sugdei) was founded in the year two hundred and twelve AD. (Sugdeya is the very first name for Sudak).
The origin of the name of the city of Sudak
It was founded by the Iranian-speaking tribes - the Alans. They gave the city its name, which, according to the popular opinion among scholars, comes from the Iranian root "sugda", meaning "holy" or "immaculate." For many hundreds of years, this name sounded in its own way in the languages of different peoples. The Greeks called this city - Sugdeya, Italians called it - Soldaya, Slavic tribes - Surozh, the peoples of the East - Sudagios, Suagdag, in the end, the name Sudak was formed, the private sector. The modern name came from the Turkic perception of the name Sugdey and it can be translated as "su" - water, as well as "dag" - mountains, that is, "water near the mountains", or "mountains near the water". Another name of Sugdei that has an oriental origin is Sugdabon. It is under this name that the city is first mentioned in the surviving written sources that date back to the eighth century. The Genoese fortress is a real visiting card of the city of Sudak and the main evidence of its once powerful influence. In the sixth-eighth centuries, the city was included in the great Byzantine Empire, which had its capital in the city of Constantinople (now it is Istanbul). It was during that period (and maybe even earlier) that the main part of the local population of Sudak were the Greeks, who lived here almost until the sixteenth century. In the eighth century, during the iconoclastic persecutions in great Byzantium, the population of the southern coast of Crimea and the city of Sudak grew at the expense of such settlers who found refuge in the distant Taurica (as Crimea was called in the Middle Ages) from the persecution of religious leaders. In the second half of the eighth century, a wave of new conquests descended on the Crimea - these are the nomad Khazars, who conquered vast areas from the Aral Sea to the Dnieper. It was during this period that the first flourishing of the city of Sugdei took place.
The city becomes the largest large administrative center of the great Khazar Kaganate, is the residence of the tudun (a military leader of the highest rank who was in charge of the tumen - united ten thousand horsemen, that is, by modern standards, he was something of a commander-in-chief of a military administrative district). At the same time, the economic, political and cultural of the Byzantine Empire was preserved, this is evidenced, for example, by the fact that Sugdeya becomes the center, which was subordinated to Constantinople, a diocese headed first by a bishop, and from the tenth century by an archbishop (this again speaks of the enormous size and significant city influence). The Genoese fortress in the city of Sudak in its current state becomes an architectural and historical monument of the fourteenth - fifteenth centuries, but its real history, and accordingly the history of the city itself, has been going on for more than eighteen centuries.
With the death of the Khazar Kaganate in the tenth century, the Byzantines again established power in the city of Sugdei. But a hundred years later, the city was seized by new owners - the Polovtsian tribes, known in the chronicles as the Kypchaks. It was then that the city began to flourish, which lasted until the thirteenth century. Sugdeya, according to one of the Arab historians, became "the largest of the Kypchak cities." In addition, during this period the city became the largest trading city in all of Eastern Europe. The second Arab author wrote the following words about the city: “This city of the Kypchaks, from which they bring their goods, and to which ships with different clothes dock, are sold; they also buy slaves and girls, furs, beavers and other items that are their land. " The city's commercial prosperity was facilitated by its location in the middle of the Great Silk Road - the route that connected together the whole of Eurasia. In the same period, Sugdei established close trade relations with Russia.
Presumably originates in 212 BC, the founder of Sudak was the ancient tribe Sugdami. One of the first names of the city is Sugdeya. From the 2nd century AD, as well as along the entire coast of the Crimea, the Greeks, then the Romans, settled on the territory of the future Sudak.
The city flourished in the 10th century and is the western capital of the Silk Road. From it, goods go by sea to Europe and Kievan Rus. The city's port is becoming an important artery for the movement of goods from China and India.
During the seizure of the Golden Horde in the 12th century, unlike most Crimean cities, Sugdeya developed intensively, the importance of the port increased to a maximum, in almost all mention of those years this city appears.
In the 13th century, the city falls under the influence of the Genoese, on its territory is being built, which has survived to this day. The fortress serves as a stronghold on the land side and is built in such a way as to withstand sea sieges.
In 1475, the Turkish army landed in the area of the city and protracted battles began throughout the Crimea. Genoese colonies fall one after another, only the fortress of Sudak does not surrender in any way. The siege lasted almost a year, due to the large numerical superiority and lack of food, the fortress was taken. Until now, in the ruins of the fortress, you can find the destroyed places of the walls from the cannonballs of Turkish guns. According to one of the legends, the last defenders of the Genoese fortress, even when the fortress practically fell, did not want to surrender to the mercy of the Turks, continued fierce resistance. The last point of resistance was the Christian temple, in which the defenders took refuge. After several unsuccessful storms of the temple, the Turks set it on fire together with the defenders. Excavations carried out in its place confirm this legend, a large number of charred bones have been found dating from this period. During the siege of the Genoese fortress, the "Maiden Tower" was the least affected, which the guide will certainly tell about on any excursion in Sudak.
In 1783 Sudak, like the entire Crimean peninsula, becomes part of Russia, the majority of the city's population, mainly Tatars, move to Turkey. The city is practically deserted, ruins remain on the site of the once great port, and occasionally inhabited houses come across. The city looks more like a fishing village.
In 1809, a new page appears in the history of the city., which forever linked the city with wine and winemaking, a school of viticulture appears in the city. The head of the school is the famous scientist Pallas P.S., he describes in detail the local varieties of grapes, the peculiarities and subtleties of the Crimean winemaking.
With the flourishing of tourism and health resorts in the Russian Empire, Sudak becomes one of the favorite resorts of Crimea, in different years it is visited by Akhmatova, Bulgakov, Aivazovsky and many other scientists, artists and writers.
Archaeologists who have chosen this city to this day are conducting excavations that will surprise us with new discoveries and fascinating finds.
"Sughda" in Iranian means "saint". It is believed that Sudak was founded, giving it the first, most tenacious name, by the Alans - Iranian-speaking tribes who came to Crimea in the 3rd century AD.
History of Sudak: from Surozh and Sugdeei to Sudak
In the 6th century, the Byzantines occupied the settlement on the shores of the Black Sea bay - it was they who built the first fortress walls here. After one and a half hundred years, the Khazars came to this land. In Sugdey, as they called the settlement, a representative of the Khazar government was located. By the beginning of the VIII century, it was already a full-fledged city - the center of the Orthodox diocese.
At this time, icon-worshiping Christians fled from Byzantium to the Crimea, fleeing persecution. Many of them settled in Sugdey, built several temples and monasteries here.
The ties between the Kiev principality and Surozh, as the city was called by the Russians, is first mentioned in the chronicle “Life of Stephen of Sourozh (IX century). Acquaintance with the city began, as some historians assume (while others deny), with its conquest and plundering by the army of the Novgorod prince Bravlin. Later, in 988, Prince Vladimir himself stayed here and must have discussed trade and political affairs with the rulers of the city over a cup of sweet Surozh wine. Since then, the Sourozh merchants have long been the elite of the Russian merchants.
The flourishing of the city began in the second half of the 12th century. A part of the Great Silk Road passed through it: ships from all over the world moored in this bay, loaded with Chinese silks, Persian carpets, Indian gems and spices, thin Venetian glass, Damascus steel swords, and oriental incense. On the shore, shops with northern furs, flax and hemp, wax and honey were waiting for them ...
We know what wealth turns out to be: envy. New attacks, robberies, wars. Already at the beginning of the XIII century, the Seljuk Turks attacked the city, from which the local residents had to pay off. In 1223, the Mongol-Tatars captured Sugdeya for the first time, plundered it and left, but after 16 years they returned, Crimea became an ulus (province) of the Golden Horde. In Sugdey, the Tatars placed their garrison, the townspeople imposed a tribute, and one could only dream of the old trade. But by the middle of the XIII century, despite the predatory duties of the conquerors, the city again became a large international market; many merchants on their way from Asia Minor to the northern countries stopped at Sugdey.
Regularly collecting tribute from the inhabitants of the city, the Tatars, nevertheless, raided it. Especially terrible was the raid of Temnik Nogai in 1298. All who did not submit and did not come out from behind the walls of the fortress, he killed, and burned the city. In just thirty years (1308 - 1338), the Pike perch was ravaged five times.
The most significant monument of Sudak and one of the main attractions of Crimea is the Genoese fortress in Sudak. To this day, it has been best preserved of all medieval fortifications and fortresses in the Crimea. Read about its history, prosperity and decline in a separate article - the fortress in Sudak. Within the framework of this article, the history of Sudak, we will touch on the rest of the events that took place after the decline of the fortress. Read about the main attraction in the sights on the link above.
Partial restoration of the fortress began at the initiative of A. L. Berthier-Dela Garda. He donated a thousand rubles for this, but this amount was not enough. In 1928, state restoration work began, they cannot be considered completed until now: mainly the north-eastern side has been restored, along which excursions to Genoese fortress are conducted.
In most countries, it is customary not to complete the missing parts of the ancient ruins, but only to consolidate what has been preserved, leaving the restoration work to the imagination of the visitors themselves.
In 1825, Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov passed through Sudak. “I was alone,” he wrote to a friend. - Whoever wants to visit the ashes and stones of the glorious dead should not take the living with them ... Peacefully and respectfully I ascended the wasteland, surrounded by walls and the ruins of towers, clung to the cliff hanging steeply into the sea, and carefully climbed to the very top .. And I didn’t admire the views of the seaside: I went over in my mind a lot that I heard and saw ... "
After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, Sudak was gifted by the Empress to His Serene Highness Prince GA Potemkin. Grigory Aleksandrovich immediately fell in love with this land, and in order to turn the surroundings of Sudak into a blooming garden, he specially ordered in Europe the best vines, mulberry, almond, walnut, fig, lemon and other exotic trees. However, after the death of the prince, there was no ruler who would support and continue this business, useful for the region.
Since the end of the 18th century, Academician PS Pallas, a researcher and traveler, collector of the most valuable material about Crimea in the field of history, geography, biology, paleontology, and ethnography, lived in Sudak. Here he took up practical viticulture.
Even under the Genoese, Soldaya was the main wine-making region in Crimea. In 1825, Admiral N. S. Mordvinov became the largest landowner in Sudak. However, he did not cultivate many of his vineyards. And other landowners who came from Russia were not the best winegrowers. On many plantations, excessive watering was carried out, from which the berries became watery, and the wine obtained from it became weak and unsuitable for storage. And yet there were excellent wines here already in those years. True, they still lacked a well-known, proven brand - “brand” to compete on the European market.
But by all its natural characteristics, this region was obviously wine-making. But the invited French experts did not even think about developing Russian wine production. We needed our own winemakers. In 1804, Pallas, by decision of the government, founded and headed the first in Russia state school of viticulture and winemaking in Sudak, which existed until 1847. It was located in the Ochiklyar tract, at the foot of the Georgievsky ridge. Teenagers and young men from free peasants were accepted there, they were trained as winemakers. The orders were strict - for violation of discipline and laziness, students were punished with rods. To provide the field base, workers were recruited, and they lived there, under the Georgievsky Ridge. The village gradually grew, but only the cemetery has survived to this day.
The Moscow merchant Krin produced sparkling wine in Sudak and sold it in Russian cities under the guise of Rederer champagne brought from France. The French company filed a lawsuit and the company had to be liquidated. But the French did not remain in debt, as they say. They bought the Sudak wines awarded at all-Russian and international exhibitions relatively cheaply, took them to France, re-pasted the labels, and returned them to Russia as expensive French ones ...
Let's add for a smile that it would be very surprising for modern counterfeiters. Why carry wine so far if you can replace the container and re-glue the labels right in Sudak, in the nearest house, in a barn next to the plant!
By the beginning of the 19th century, there was one street in Sudak, Glavnaya, where Russians and Ukrainians settled, and in the neighborhood - Tatarskaya Sloboda. The German colony was growing nearby. The immigrants from Germany invited on the advice of Potemkin were given land, exempted from taxes, if only they would work in this fertile land, grow gardens, build houses, and revive life on the coast. Since 1787, Germans from Württemberg began to move to Sudak. The lands in the district were divided among the landowners; there were almost two hundred small farms. Having visited Taurida in 1820, I. A. Muravyov-Apostol noticed that "the entire Sudak valley is covered with fruit trees." The town was small, by the middle of the 19th century it had no more than three hundred inhabitants, and only by the end of the century it began to develop as a resort. Students, scientists, musicians, artists and other poor people came here to rest. Summer vacationers most often settled in the German colony near the fortress itself. Gradually, the number of residents of various nationalities reached two thousand.
While there was no pier in Sudak, tourists and holidaymakers were dropped off in the Novy Svet Bay and brought to Sudak by land or transported to the shore from a steamer in boats. Not everyone dared to get into the boat, which swayed strongly even with slight excitement. It happened that the passengers returned to Alushta, only looking at the fortress from afar.
In 1858, Professor of Kiev University Karl Fedorovich Kessler arrived in Sudak. He saw here (and only here, on the eastern coast of Crimea) buffalo grazing. In mountainous conditions, these animals serve as a draft force better than oxen usual for the steppe. Another scientist, Vasily Vasilyevich Kapnist, was primarily a poet and went to Taurida to find traces of Odysseus. An interesting version still lives among historians that the legendary wanderer "navigated" not in the Mediterranean Sea, but in the Black Sea ... In 1819, the journal "Son of the Fatherland" published an article by V.V. Ulysses wandered not in the Mediterranean, but in the Black and Azov seas. "
Vasily Vasilyevich Kapnist became the first "singer of Taurida" and he wrote the first poems about our peninsula: in 1784 he wrote an ode "To the conquest of Taurida". He also owns the characteristic of Potemkin "the magnificent prince of Tavrida", repeated later by A. Pushkin in "Ruslan and Lyudmila". His brother Pyotr Vasilyevich had an estate in the Sudak valley at the foot of the Uzun-Kyr mountain, this area is now called "kapnisty land".
In Sudak, not far from the mouth of the Suuk-Su River, there was a summer residence of Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky. A witness to floods and mudflows, in 1897 he created an eerie painting "Downpour in Sudak". In the then village, also at his dacha, composer A. A. Spendiarov, a student of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, composed music. In addition to many romances and other musical works, Alexander Afanasyevich created purely Crimean ones: the Crimean Sketches suite for the orchestra and the symphonic picture for the orchestra Three Palms.
The founder of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, Kh. Kh. Steven, often visited Sudak for a long time. Here he collected a rich herbarium (1654 species), on the basis of which he created the first scientific work on the flora of the Crimea. Christian Christianovich spent the summer and autumn at his wife's estate, and for the winter he left for Simferopol.
As stated in the 1901 guidebook, about 1000 people lived in Sudak at that time. And about the same number of holidaymakers received the town every summer. The guidebook of G. G. Moskvich says: "The overcrowding of Yalta and its environs makes many pay attention to the Sudak with its less sultry summer, excellent swimming, space for walking." But the main income of local residents came from the trade in wine and grapes. With wine sweetness and "room for walks" vacationers compensated for the lack of resort service.
There is in Sudak, on the territory of a military sanatorium, a building of a former wine cellar. In the 30s of the XX century, the Sudak Chekists adapted it to a prison. Poetess and writer Adelaide Gertsyk (1874-1925) spent three weeks there. In the end, she was released and allowed to die a natural death, but in the wake of the impressions she wrote "Basement Sketches". They can be considered the beginning of a huge, truthful and terrible literature on the political repression of the Soviet era. In Sudak, the house of Adelaida Kazimirovna has been preserved (Gagarina st., 39). Many poets and writers from those who stayed in Voloshin's Koktebel house have been here.
The coast of the Sudak was depicted by Cimmerian artists; Maximilian Voloshin himself often came here. In the 1920s, on the territory of the fortress, he organized a museum of valuables confiscated from local landowners.
There is a local history museum in the western part of the embankment. There are collected exhibits on the history of the city, the nature of the Eastern Crimea, stands with illustrations of today's life in Sudak. True, you need to make your way to the museum past a large construction site, which inevitably reduces the number of visitors.
History of Sudak - was founded in 212. AD Its original name is Sugdeya (from the Iraqi Sughd - immaculate, holy). Its founders were the Iranian-speaking tribes of the Alans. Italians called him Soldaya, Greeks of Sugdeya, Slavs Surozh, peoples from the east Sudagios, Suadag and, finally - Sudak. Its modern name is translated as su- "water", dag- "mountains", i.e. mountains near the water.
In the 6-8 centuries, Sudak was part of the huge Byzantine Empire and the bulk of its population were Greeks. The second half of the 8th century was the time of the first significant flourishing in the history of Sudak. During this time, it was a large administrative center of the Khazar Kaganate.
After the collapse of the Khazar Kaganate in the 10th century, the Byzantines again established their power over the city, but in the 11th century the Polovtsy (Kypchaks) became new masters, under whose rule the highest flourishing in the history of Sudak began. It lasted until the 13th century, Sugdeya became "the largest of the Kypchat cities" - the largest trade center in Eastern Europe.
History of Sudak and trade
The commercial prosperity of the city of Sudak was facilitated by its location in the very heart of the Great Silk Trade Route, which connected the whole of Eurasia. The trade of Sugdeya - Surozh was also successful with Russia, the path that connected the whole of Eurasia. But the 13th century is not only the historical stage of the rise in the history of Sudak, but also the time of predatory raids that constantly ravaged the city.
In 1221. it was plundered by the Turks - the Seljuks, and in 1223 the Mongols - the Tatars. In 1239 they turned Sudak into an ulus of their state of the “Golden Horde”. It was at this time that a trading post of the Venetians was formed in the city, who changed Soldaya into a monopoly center for transit trade on the Black Sea coast.
Thanks to this, Sudak becomes one of the largest cities in Eastern Europe of its time (15 thousand people). But already a century later, due to the constant Tatar - Mongol raids, the weakened and deserted city became an easily accessible prey for the Genoese, who seized it by an unexpected seizure and made it their colony.
In the 1280s, the Genoese, in opposition to the Venetian Soldaya, erected a trading post in Cafe (Feodosia) and it was there that the center of trade was moved after the fall of Soldaya. The city is completely losing its wealth and commercial significance. The decline begins in the history of Sudak. Horticulture and winemaking became the basis of its economy.,
The Genoese had owned Soldaya for 110 years, putting a huge cross on his trading career. But it was these people who left the most notable historical heritage of the city - the Genoese fortress.
In 1453, the Seljuk Turks conquered Constantinople again and, having gained full control over the Black Sea straits, expelled the Genoese from their lands. During the period of the conquest of Crimea by the Turks (1475-1774), Sudak completely fell into decay and even lost its status as a city.
In 1783. The Crimean peninsula is part of the Russian Empire and the village of Sudak begins its new revival, having moved from the foot of the fortress mountain into the depths of the Sudak Valley. It became the center of winemaking in 1804, a winemaking school was created here, which gave impetus to the development of winemaking in the south of Russia.
At the end of the 19th century, Crimea was transformed into the Russian Riviera, where the poor Russian intelligentsia rested, who appreciated the quiet charm of Sudak. The resort economy began to develop at a rapid pace only in Soviet times. The first large health resorts appeared, such as the "Sudak" rest house and the VVS sanatorium.
And in 1982, Sudak finally received the status of a city again. The modern stage of development has begun History of Sudak as one of the most popular Crimean resorts.
Basic moments
From the west, urban development is limited by the Fortress Mountain, on the top of which the famous fortress rises. The towers and walls of the ancient fort are some of the oldest buildings preserved in Sudak. From the north, the city is closed by the Taraktash mountain or "Stone crest", and its eastern part rests on the protected Alchak cape. Many people come to this cape for the sake of the wonderful seaside landscapes and an interesting natural monument - the through grotto of the Aeolian Harp.
In the center of Sudak you can see the Intercession Church, built in the first half of the 19th century. Another popular tourist attraction is the famous Sudak Water Park, which is located in the southern resort part of the city.
Travelers come to Sudak for the wonderful mild climate, excellent beach holidays and the warm sea. There are several good beaches covered with quartz sand along the coastline. The swimming season lasts 138-140 days, and the number of hours of sunshine is 2550 per year, which is more than in Yalta (2220).
The city has a well-developed tourist infrastructure. There are many hotels, boarding houses and guest houses built here, so there are no problems with accommodation. Offers from the private sector are especially popular. Rest in Sudak apartments, rooms and cottages is cheaper than in large cities on the southern coast of Crimea.
Sudak has entertainment centers, museums, historical and natural attractions. The seaside town is not large, so no transport is needed to move from one end to the other. You can also go hiking in the vicinity of Sudak. In addition, local travel agencies offer everyone a lot of interesting excursions with a visit to the most famous sights of the Crimean peninsula.
History of Sudak
A coastal settlement near a river flowing into the sea was founded by Sughdy in 212. This name was borne by one of the tribes of the peoples of the Adyghe group. In the Middle Ages, the Crimean city was called differently: the Italians spoke about it "Soldaya", and the Greeks - "Sugdeya". The city expanded and grew at the expense of merchants who came here from Italy and Greece, as well as artisans who came to work.
In the 6th century, the Byzantine emperor Justinian I the Great decided to build fortifications on the Crimean coast. The city reached its greatest prosperity in the XII-XIII centuries, when the routes of the Great Silk Road were laid past it. In the middle of the XIV century, Soldaya was captured by the Genoese, and in 1475 by the army of the Ottoman Empire. The period of Turkish rule adversely affected the city. It fell into decay, and the number of people living here was decreasing from year to year.
In 1783, Sudak, like other Crimean cities, became part of the Russian Empire. During the Great Patriotic War, this part of Crimea underwent German-Romanian occupation, and when peace came, Sudak began to develop as a health resort and center of winemaking.
Medieval fort and museum
The Genoese fortress is located in the western part of the city, not far from the sea coast, on the top of the Fortress Mountain. The fortifications noticeably rise above the city blocks and are therefore visible from afar - both from Sudak itself and from the sea.
The exact time of the construction of the fortress is not known. Some historians believe that it appeared in Sudak in the 6th century by order of the ruler of the Byzantine Empire, Justinian I the Great. After the Byzantines, the Genoese took possession of Crimea, who significantly rebuilt and fortified the defensive structures.
Today the majestic medieval fortress has become a popular tourist attraction. It covers an area of 30 hectares and is open to visitors every day: from May to September - from 8.00 to 19.00, and from October to April - from 9.00 to 17.00. The entrance to the territory is paid. You can explore the old fort on your own or with a guide.
The Genoese fortress has two lines of defense - external and internal. The outer line stretches along the northern slopes of the Fortress Mountain and consists of 14 towers and the Main Gate. The towers in this defense sector have a height of up to 15 m, and the walls between them are 6-8 m, with a thickness of up to 2 meters. The internal defense line includes 4 towers. At the very top of the Fortress Mountain, there is the Watchtower, which is also called the Maiden.
The ancient fortress houses a massive stone building known as the "temple with an arcade". This iconic building has an interesting history. In the 13th century, the Seljuk Turks erected the Padishah-Jami mosque in the Sudak fortress. When the Turkish domination ended, the Muslim temple was converted into a Greek Orthodox Church, and the Genoese who came to power used it as a temple for Catholic services.
In the 15th century, the Ottoman Turks settled on the peninsula, and they turned the religious building into a mosque. Time passed, Crimea became part of the Russian Empire, and an Orthodox church was again created here, consecrating it in honor of the Apostle Matthew. Approximately 600 years after its construction, in 1817 this church was closed due to dilapidation. However, the history of the ancient temple did not end there. In the 80s of the XIX century, it was restored and began to be used as an Armenian Catholic church.
Divine services here were interrupted in 1924 by the decision of the city authorities. Two years later, a museum was opened in an old stone building telling about the history of the city of Sudak and the Genoese fortress. This museum is located in a former temple today.
For several years in the middle of summer, a large-scale holiday has been held in the ancient Genoese fortress - the colorful festival "Genoese helmet". Members of historical reconstruction clubs, fencers, as well as residents of the city and tourists who came to Sudak take part in it. During the festival, exciting knightly tournaments and a spectacular storming of the fortress take place. For guests, master classes are held, where you can learn pottery and blacksmithing, as well as try on knightly armor.
Astagwera Tower (Port) and the ancient temple of the Twelve Apostles
Astagwera Tower and the Temple of the Twelve Apostles are located on a rocky hill to the west of the Genoese Fort, 150 meters from the north from the seashore. Previously, a section of the fortress wall adjoined the Astagvera tower, which connected it with the Corner Tower of the main fortification. The fortification was built in 1386 to protect the city's port. The location was well chosen - between two rocky peaks. The tower was named after Soldaya's commandant, Federico Astagvera.
On the stone masonry of the tower, you can see many bas-relief slabs on which crosses of various sizes are carved. Researchers believe that these are tombstones that the builders brought from a nearby cemetery. All walls, except for the northern one, are plastered. The three-story tower, closed on all sides, stands on a massive square foundation and has four tiers. Each wall has loopholes so that defenders can fire in any direction. In addition, teeth were made at the very top of the tower, which provided protection to the archers.
The ancient builders thought through everything to the smallest detail and made sure that the people defending the tower could stay in it for a long time. On both sides of the fortification in the rocky ground, large containers were knocked out, filled with water from a small mountain river, so medieval warriors were always provided with an adequate supply of drinking water.
Near the Astagwera tower, on a rocky hill, stands the ancient temple of the Twelve Apostles. Soldaya was a trading city and grew from the seaside part. Houses of residents, merchant shops, craft workshops and outbuildings were located near the city port. During archaeological excavations in this part of the Sudak, coins and ceramics of the 3rd-4th centuries were found.
In the X-XII centuries, a small stone basilica was built for the inhabitants of the harbor. One pentahedral apse was made of hewn stone slabs in the church and the temple was consecrated in honor of the prophet Elijah.
In those days, the coastline looked different. Over the past centuries, the water level in the Black Sea has risen by 3-4 m, the rising sea water has swallowed the coastline, and the old harbor is now located at the bottom of the sea. However, the ancient basilica with a gable roof was erected on a hill and has survived to this day next to the majestic Port Tower.
It is known that before the Second World War one could see a wall image of Jesus Christ and his closest disciples who had gathered for the Last Supper inside the temple, which is why a new name was assigned to the ancient church. It became known as the Temple of the Twelve Apostles. In 2009 it was restored, and now it is a functioning Orthodox church.
Temples in Sudak
The Church of the Intercession of the Virgin rises in the center of Sudak, 0.65 km southeast of the bus station, on the street. Lenin, 27. This temple was founded in 1819 and began to build on donations from the townspeople. However, the money raised was not enough, the construction dragged on and was completed only in the 1840s. The church, consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Virgin, is interesting as a place where members of the Russian imperial family visited several times.
Services in the church were held until 1936, then, during an active anti-religious campaign, it was closed to believers, and the bell tower was destroyed. During the Nazi occupation, the church was reopened to parishioners. She received residents of Sudak until 1962, when the temple was closed again by the decision of the authorities. Inside the cult building, the Palace of Pioneers began to work, and after it - repair shops. In the early 1990s, the old church was restored.
The cross-domed church has entrances from three sides. According to the architectural traditions of the mid-19th century, they are decorated with columns and triangular pediments. To the left and right of the doorway, beautiful mosaics depicting saints can be seen. Today the temple is active and is open as a courtyard of the Kiziltash monastery.
Another, more ancient temple - the Church of St. Paraskeva is located on the western outskirts of Sudak, at Primorskaya Street, 13. It is located in the center of the modern resort village Uyutnoye, under the walls of the Genoese fortress.
Historians believe that the small church was built in the X-XII centuries. It is a one-story stone building with a gable roof covered with tiles. In former times, there was a large cemetery around it, but today only two gravestones have survived from the old churchyard. One slab stands on the grave where family members of the scientist Christian Steven are buried, the very one thanks to whom the famous Nikitsky Botanical Garden was founded. The second tombstone covers the grave of the St. Petersburg artist Kondaraki.
Nowadays, the Church of Paraskeva Friday is well restored, and services are regularly held in it. Near the Orthodox church, you can see the one-story building of the Lutheran church. It appeared in Sudak at the end of the 19th century for members of the German colony, whose members began to settle under the Genoese fortress in 1805.
Museum "Dacha Funka"
To the east of the Genoese fortress, in a beautiful two-story house that appeared in Sudak at the beginning of the 20th century, there is an interesting historical museum (Ushakova street, 1). It got its name from the surname of the owner of the house - Fyodor Fedorovich Funk, the manager of the estate of KA Gorchakov.
Museum exhibits occupy four rooms. The first of them displays archaeological finds dating back to the Paleolithic era. At Funka's Dacha, you can see items from the Taurus settlement, the Goths' sanctuary, the Alanian burial ground and the ancient Greek fort. The second and third halls of the museum are dedicated to the history of Sudak during the reign of the Byzantines, Khazars and Venetians. The last hall of the museum exposition tells about the periods of the principality of Theodoro and the Ottoman Empire. Dacha Funka is open to visitors every day, except Mondays, from 9.00 to 18.00.
Excursion to Cape Alchak-kaya
Cape Alchak-kaya limits the urban development of Sudak from the eastern side. Nowadays it is a protected area, and for travelers the entrance is paid. The hillside located on the seashore is all that remains of the ancient coral reef. Alchak-Kay received the status of a natural monument in 1988, and today it is protected by the local forestry.
At the foot of the cape, where the small river Suuk-su flows into the Black Sea, archaeologists have found a Bronze Age site, as well as coins minted in the 3rd century, when the Bosporan Kingdom existed. Walking trip along the picturesque promontory takes about one and a half hours. The hiking trail is surrounded by thickets of pistachio trees, barberries and thorny rose bushes.
From the top point of Alchak-kay (152 m), a beautiful panorama of the sea coast opens up. From here you can clearly see the Genoese fortress and the resort part of Sudak. On the slope facing the city, there is a through grotto of the Eolova Harp, which was formed in the rock as a result of centuries of erosion.
Water entertainment center
The Sudak water park, known to all Crimeans, is located in the southern part of the city, at the foot of the Alchak-Kaya mountain, at the address: st. Gagarina, 79. Its territory is adjacent to the city embankment and is only a hundred meters away from the sea. The water park in Sudak is open during the summer tourist season, every day, from 10.00 to 18.00.
For visitors, there are 6 swimming pools and 9 slides-attractions, the height of which ranges from 10 to 14 m. The spacious pool has a three-level depth, fountains, a Jacuzzi and a river with a counterflow.
For young visitors to the water park, a separate pool with a three-level depth has been created, safe for bathing babies from 2 years old. The children's pool has three slides, fountains and an entertainment sports complex in the form of a ship. It is very important that the children's pool is equipped with autonomous water purification and disinfection systems.
Restaurants and cafes
Public catering is well developed in Sudak, so there are many restaurants, cafes, canteens, snack bars and bars in the city. In most of them, prices are about the same, only establishments on the waterfront sell with a noticeable margin.
During the summer tourist season, boiled corn, waffle sticks with condensed milk, baklava, chak-chak, fresh raspberries, mulberries and peaches, smoked perch, manti, pilaf, as well as mashed potatoes with cutlets and salad are sold on the beaches of Sudak.
There is also a lot of fast food on Cypress Alley. Here travelers can buy rolls with chicken, aromatic chir-chir pastries - a local analogue of cheburek and triangular pies - samsa baked in a tandoor.
While on vacation in Sudak, you should try Crimean cuisine. Local culinary traditions have been taking shape for many centuries. Despite the fact that the peninsula is inhabited by representatives of more than 80 nationalities, the dishes of the Crimean Tatars give a distinctive flavor to the local cuisine. These are, first of all, meat treats: "kubete" - a pie stuffed with lamb, potatoes and onions; "Yufakhash" - small dumplings with lamb, which are usually eaten with broth, where they were cooked; sarma - meat "cabbage rolls" wrapped in grape leaves, and, of course, Crimean lagman - a hearty rich lamb soup with vegetables and special noodles.
The dishes of traditional Karaite cuisine are no less tasty and varied: "buber dolmasy" - peppers stuffed with vegetables, duck under dough, Karaite pies, meatballs with nuts and raisins, turkey with quince, as well as melon and dogwood jam.
In Sudak it is worth trying fried Black Sea fish - red mullet, as well as dishes from flounder and mullet. Some restaurants in the city serve perfectly prepared mussel and rapana julienne.
The taste of the Crimean holiday will be incomplete without fragrant jam made from rose petals, dogwood or quince. Also in Sudak they sell excellent Crimean wines. Massandra wines are famous for their excellent quality and aroma. It is advisable to use them chilled up to +16 ºС. And tea lovers will certainly appreciate the fragrant Crimean teas with mountain herbs.
Special offers for hotels in Sudak
How to get there
The nearest airport to Sudak is located 107 km from the city, in Simferopol. Flights from Moscow and other large cities of Russia are accepted here. From the Simferopol bus station to Sudak several times a day there are direct and passing regular buses. During the holiday season, they start running at 5.30 and end at 20.30. Buses run frequently, every 20 minutes. The road to Sudak takes about two hours. In addition, if you wish, you can take a taxi to the coast.
During the high season, people come to Sudak using the "Single ticket" provided by Russian Railways. To do this, they travel by train to Krasnodar or Anapa, and then reach Sudak by bus through the Port Kavkaz - Port Crimea ferry crossing.
There are regular bus routes from Sudak to Feodosia, Sevastopol and Novy Svet. In addition, many buses run daily from the city bus station, connecting Sudak with the nearest resort suburbs.
