Not far from the village of Morskoe, the attention of tourists is attracted by the remains of an old tower on a high cliff, towering over the sea. This is the Chaban-Kale tower and a wonderful mountain range called Agira, which is an interesting attraction in the southeastern part of the Crimean peninsula and an excellent place to relax by the sea.
Castle of the rebellious brothers
The tower is over six hundred years old. In the fifteenth century, it was part of the castle built by the Genoese feudal lords, the Guasco brothers. They did not want to depend on the consul Soldaya, who was in a fortress on the territory of modern Sudak, so they started building their own castle, which they named Tasili. The strained relations between them and the consul are evidenced to this day by the so-called "Case of the Guasco brothers" preserved in the archives of Genoa, consisting of twenty-two documents prepared in 1474-1475. The brothers were accused of declaring their independence along with the construction of the castle, ceasing to obey Soldaya's consuls, and committing arbitrariness and lawlessness.
For the castle, a place was chosen on the top of a cliff by the sea, from which a good view was opened.
IN good weather The watchmen could observe not only everything that happens in the water area of \u200b\u200bthe bay, near Cape Meganom and next to the Ayu-Dag mountain, but also see the ships that set sail from the Soldaya pier. The fortress was built in strict accordance with all the canons of medieval fortification art. The entrance to it, most likely, was from the northwest. The walls of the fortress towered over the steep rocky cliffs, seemed impregnable and terrified those who approached the castle with evil intentions. Inside the castle were barracks, houses for officers, an arsenal, warehouses and even a church. The living quarters were heated with fireplaces. A secret underground passage led from the castle to the foot of the mountain. Convenience was added by the presence of a small stream on the mountain, which fully provided the garrison of the fortress with drinking water. The fortress even had a water supply system made of ceramic pipes. Today you can see the water pool and fireplace preserved in the basement of the tower.
Unlike the Genoa fortress of Sudak, the brothers built their castle in the absence of central funding from Genoa, exclusively with their own funds and, as they say from scratch, in the absence of a base previously owned by the Alans, Khazars, Byzantines or Genoese. Therefore, the Tasili castle came out much more modest. Later, during the Tatar rule, the castle was generally re-baptized into the fort "Chaban-Kale", which means "shepherd's tower". At the same time, according to archaeologists, the fortifications were quite powerful.
The dilapidated main tower of the donjon has survived to this day - the dominant tower of the castle, with a preserved entrance opening and small loopholes, fragments of the fortress wall, a small tunnel and the remains of even more ancient pottery kilns of the eighth-ninth centuries, which are located just below, towards the sea.
The thickness of the tower wall is about two to three meters, the height is up to ten, and the outer diameter is fourteen meters. The walls are built of almost untreated limestone boulders on a bonding limestone mortar, to which is added crushed ceramics. Strong enough wooden beams were used as floors. From the northern, eastern and western sides, the fortress was defended by a wall two hundred and thirty meters long.
I must say that, in general, the Guasco brothers managed to carry out their plan. They established control over part of the flow of wine, grain, and other goods sent from the steppe regions of the Crimea to the seaports. In addition, pottery was produced here, which was in demand in various cities. south coast Crimea. Numerous amphorae, pithos, flasks and other pottery items from the Middle Ages testify to the prosperity of the castle and the residential village that quickly expanded around it.
The path to the tower is not difficult, although it runs along a rather steep mountain slope, so even the most unprepared person for the journey can overcome it. From here, the entire southern coast of Crimea is perfectly visible, from Cape Megonom to famous mountain Ayu-Dag, and this is a little bit about a hundred kilometers.
The views from here are simply amazing. It is not for nothing that Chaban-Kale is rightfully considered one of the best viewing platforms Crimean peninsula.
Chaban-Kale is often chosen by photographers looking for interesting panoramic views, lovers of historical reenactments of medieval knightly tournaments, newlyweds who want to spend a few days in a romantic place by the sea. In the village itself you can rent private house or a room in one of the cottages. Directly in the Chaban-Kale area there is a long spacious beach without the typical large black Sea resorts overcrowding, a wonderful grove at the foot of the mountain with a lot of pines and thujas, convenient camping. All this makes a trip to the Chaban-Kale tower an exciting walk with the opportunity to spend several days by the sea.
Choban-Kule is one of the famous attractions of the Sudak region.
Several centuries ago, on a small humped promontory not far from Soldaya (Sudak), the construction of a fortress began. The initiator of this construction was the di Guasco family. The head of the family is Antonio, a native of the city of Genoa, and his three adult sons went down in history as tyrants and bandits. The oppression of the local population and open confrontation with the Consul Soldaya are confirmed by several documents from that era.
It seems that the fortress was never completed. Only part of the main fortress tower, the donjon, has survived to this day. And what the name of the fortress was then, in the 15th century, is unknown to us. The name "Choban-Kule" - Shepherd's Tower - stuck to it after the invasion of the Crimea by the Ottoman Empire (in 1475).
Although Choban-Kule is close to Sudak, I went up to it for the first time quite recently.
The easiest way to explore Choban-Kule is for residents and guests of the Morskoye village. The coast in the area of \u200b\u200bthis village stretches in a smooth line from Cape Ai-Foka to Cape Agira. In my notes there is already one that closes the bay from the east. And on Cape Agira, slightly protruding into the sea from the opposite side, in the west, I have not gone before.
In December, my friends and I gathered to go towards the southern coast of Crimea, and I, taking this opportunity, suggested making Choban-Kule the first point of the program.
The path from the seashore to Choban-Kul leads along a rather steep slope. But, this ascent does not take long. There is also a more gentle path - from the pine forest, just north of the hill with the tower.
Having risen above the sea, I was surprised - how silk it is today! So gentle and cold ... And small swirls of water near the shore are like thin white lace. Ai-Foka, Karaul-Oba and Meganom float into the silk sea ...
I was the first to climb the dilapidated wall of the tower. Interestingly, the thickness of the wall varies: on the northeast side, it is twice as large as in the rest of the tower.
The basement, the first and partly the second ground floors have been preserved from the monumental keep. Now the height of the tower reaches nine meters, presumably, it was at least three or four meters higher ( quote from here).
Over the past decades, coast and long wild beaches near Choban-Kul have become a popular place for auto camping.
Popularity and affordability usually have a negative side. Unfortunately, Choban-Kule is heavily covered with inscriptions both inside and outside ...
View from the tower to the east:
West view:
South side view:
View from the north:
In the 15th century, the castle of di Guasco should have become the extreme western stronghold of the Sudak consulate. But the unscrupulous behavior of the di Guasco brothers and the powerful offensive of the Ottoman Turks thwarted this plan. The unfinished fortress fell into decay. And a small settlement, located under the walls of the fortress, disappeared from the face of the earth ...
It is difficult for us, neither archaeologists nor historians, to imagine what the castle of di Guasco looked like - with turrets, defensive walls and an adjoining farm yard - more than five hundred years ago. Now we see here only hills washed out by rains and a dilapidated keep ... But, anyway, this landscape is a valuable addition to the collection of impressions!
Ruins of the fortress fence:
We get down back to the shore. Cape Megan is no longer visible, a cloud wave swept over it.
There is a grove of makliur on the shore! How many fruits have they dropped!
Maclura apple (Adam's apple), family Tutovye is a deciduous, usually tall tree on which interesting fruits ripen in autumn. They are inedible, used only in traditional medicine (for the treatment of joints, varicose veins, radiculitis, rheumatism, etc.). A heavy fruit, inside of which small nuts-seeds are hidden, when injured, secretes a white sticky liquid. In my opinion, maklura looks great in nature and in parks. The tree branches densely covered with round "apples" look very elegant! And close "edible" relatives of makliura are figs and mulberries.
Another historical site, but not as old as Choban-Kule, is a former wine cellar. There are such storage facilities near Sudak, for example, in the Kapsel valley. Cellars were often built near vineyards, in the hillsides.
The inside is empty, only stupid graffiti on the walls is right there.
We stayed still in a pine forest near Choban-Kul. December was mushroom month! Someone has already walked here, leaving the "conditionally edible" russula intact. Masha and Lenya decided to collect and cook them (after cooking, the russula lost their acrid taste). In addition to russula, in the pine forest we came across boletus and gray ones, if I'm not mistaken.
We return to the cars.
The usual silhouette of Choban-Kule, which is visible from the highway: a round tower with a "stool" at the top ...
Opposite there is a hillock with a tower, on the road there is a fork. You can turn north and go to Zelenogorye,. The beauty is famous there! But, this time we go further along the south coast highway, to Generalskoe, and from there - on foot to the Dzhur-Dzhur waterfall! I hope to find it very deep.
The road winds, climbing one of the coastal hills. We stopped: we wanted to see the low clouds approaching from the east. Choban-Kule is no longer over the Black Sea, but over the White Sea ... In the distance Sandyk and Perch mountains are visible.
On the way, in the navigator we saw the marked landmark - the Choban-Kule tower. We read that it offers gorgeous views, a kind of observation deck... We decided to personally verify this and hit the road.
Choban-Kule. History reference.
Choban-Kule is translated as "shepherd's tower". There is a variant of the name Choban-Kale, which means a shepherd's fortress. It is believed that the Choban-Kule tower belongs to the complex of towers left over from the Tasili fortress, which belonged to the Genoese feudal lords - the Guasco brothers. The tower was built from massive stones and pieces of rocks. The walls are up to three meters thick. The height today is about ten meters.
In the nineteenth century, a large pottery center was located near Choban-Kule. This is evidenced by the large number of fragments of burnt clay and ceramics left near the furnaces. The dishes made were sold throughout Tavrika and beyond.
After the Tatar Khan recognized himself as a vassal of the Turkish Sultan, the Genoese right granted by Tokhtamysh, the Khan of the Golden Horde, ceased to be effective. The lands and wealth of the Genoese in the Crimea were declared the property of the Sultan. The Guasco brothers decided to fight, hoping for the height of the walls of their fortress, but after a long siege they were forced to surrender.
Choban-Kule. Overview.
On the way from the village of Morskoye, we turned onto a country road towards the sea. We drove past an abandoned well. We saw a small forest where people were standing with tents. They brought it into the navigator as a camping site. We drove a little further, parked the car in a quiet place and prepared for the ascent to Choban-Kul. A horse blocked our way:
Then they saw another one:
Here they are together:
After talking with the animals, we set off for the ascent. It leads to Choban-Kul and quite good road, the minus is that it does longer way straight. We decided to climb straight, the Choban-Kule tower itself was the landmark. I could hardly see it from the bottom. The way was uphill, it's good that we had a rest the previous two days. We did not forget to turn around in order to admire the views:
We mastered the path with one respite. Although the height is not very high, there was still joy from achieving the goal, that's Choban-Kule in all its glory:
According to Slavic custom, everyone wants to leave a memory of themselves and write their name or the name of the city on an ancient structure:
The views are really amazing:
It's time to climb the tower itself:
Let's take a picture from a different angle:
An interesting moment, being near Choban-Kule, a shepherd's tower, we met a shepherd with a flock of sheep:
After research, we went downhill to the car.
Choban-Kule. The bottom line.
Our morning exercises in the form of an ascent to the Choban-Kule tower came to an end. The ascent will not be difficult and will not take time, but will give pleasure. Moreover, it is located next to the highway. We recommend to visit. And in the meantime we headed for, indescribable beauty awaited us mountain Lake, surrounded by mountains and a hike along the gorge to the Arpat waterfalls, this will be the next issue! Thank you for your attention, see you! Do not forget to watch the video for a better presentation, and subscribe to channel if you haven't already:
Beaches, crowds of cars, billions of tents, umbrellas and mattresses, and even more human bodies scattered on the beach ... Choban-Kule, near the village of Morskoye, Sudak City Council, became not a horror and thriller, but a rest. And all this extravaganza of relaxation is crowned by a long-forgotten tower at Cape Agira. Choban-Kule her name, which means "Shepherd's Tower"... The appearance of this building is associated with the Goths and Byzantines.
The tower became famous thanks to the Genoese feudal lords - the di Guasco brothers, who owned the castle in the 1470s. The Guasco brothers (Andreotti, Dimitri and Teodoro) captured the villages of Privetnoye and Tasili (Gromovka), which belonged to the Soldai (Sudak) consulate, and established cruel order here. In Privetnoye for intimidation local residents the brothers set up a gallows and a pillar of shame on the border of their domain. All the consul's intentions to pacify the arbitrariness of the Guasco family ended in vain. The conflict ended on its own with the Turkish conquest of the site in July 1475.
The partially explored complex, consisting of a castle and a small settlement with a 15th century temple, is a rare historical and archaeological material. Thus, one can distinguish the donjon (the residence of the Guasco brothers), surrounded by the outer perimeter of walls and towers, as well as a courtyard tangent to it, protected by a massive stone wall made of clay.
The building fortifications skillfully used the defensive properties of the terrain, but the fortification features of the relief clearly fade into the background when building geometrically correct polygonal walls of the fortress. The upper part of the hill, occupied by fortifications, is hilly. One of the heights is occupied by a donjon. The second peak is in the northwest. If you want to know everything about Crimea, I recommend Vkryma.com.
Such a dangerous proximity from the standpoint of strategic expediency as a determining factor in the placement of fortifications is completely illogical. It also remains incomprehensible and non-functional adaptation of the southwestern loophole, which could control only a small space along the curtain. Perhaps this is just an incomplete esplanade that could compensate for the negative properties of the relief.
The defensive properties of the fortress are clearly demonstrated by the loopholes of the fighting of the corner towers. They were located in the lower tier of the building and were intended to flank the space at the foot of the curtains. All three remaining loopholes are of the same type. Their characteristic feature is a device with a floor part of two holes located vertically on one axis. Loopholes of this type in Crimean fortifications are a unique phenomenon. Probably, if we draw a parallel between the barbican of the Sudak fortress, we can assume that these were gutters dating from the 17th century.
Remains of defensive walls are still visible on the western side of the tower. Not far from the tower, according to archaeologists, there was a temple of the 15th century. The massive ruins are somewhat reminiscent of the building's platform.
At one time, Choban-Kule was studied by scientists who carried out excavations. An interesting find was found when clearing the masonry of the curtain. A compact accumulation of objects was found between the stones, in a niche formed as a result of the collapse of the stone. Five plates and nine crossbow arrowheads were found here. The tips lay on plates without any specific system, with bushings and heads in different directions. The products were badly battered by corrosion, even traces of fabric were reflected on the surface of one of the plates.
Also found traces underground passage, which led to the foot of the cape. Unfortunately, it was blown up in the middle of the 20th century.
In the 8th-9th centuries, Choban-Kule had a large pottery center, as evidenced by the remains of pottery kilns and pottery heaps.
Perhaps it is wrong to think that tourists do not come here. The tower is simply teeming with those who wish, the bulk of them are vacationers under the castle cape. They have just trodden paths, Crimean paths to the magical world of the past.
Location:
5 km east of the village. Morskoe, at Cape "Bashenny".
The sea has entered the host of popular Crimean resorts due to its good location and the presence of several attractions. A list of the advantages of this location settlement the nearby Sudak begins - only 17 km away, and the nearby sea - Black, warm, suitable for thalassotherapy from May to October inclusive. The parade of local attractions is opened by the Morskoye State Enterprise, owned by the Massandra agricultural association and specializing in the production of fortified and dessert wines. The slopes of the Morskoy, free from sanatoriums, private hotels and vineyards, are occupied by tobacco plantations. The second famous landmark of the resort rises on Cape Bashenny - castle "Chaban-Kale".
This fortification enriched the "tourist package" of the Marine in the 15th century. It was built by Genoese merchants from the diGuasco clan. All three brothers of Guasco - Teodoro, Demetrio and Andreolo were distinguished by their independent character and an extremely grumpy disposition. Having quarreled to smithereens with the consul of the nearby Soldaiya, who was sitting in the Genoese fortress on the territory of present-day Sudak, the brothers started building their own castle. Naturally, they did not have the base left to the Genoese by the Alans, Khazars and Byzantines, as well as the amount of funds that the Genoese Republic allocated for the creation of the Sudak fortress. Therefore, the castle in Morskoy came out much more modest. By the way, when his brothers were there he was called Tasili. And the Tatars who appeared later re-baptized the fort in "Chaban-Kala", that is, in the "shepherd's tower".
For their castle, the de Guasco brothers chose a rock overhanging the sea. Today it is known as the Tower Cape. From under it a small stream oozes - Chaban-Kale-Chokrak, which provided the garrison of the fortress with fresh water. Due to the fact that the Chaban-Kale castle is located on a hill, all of its towers offer an excellent view. In clear weather, the sentinels could see not only what was going on at Cape Meganom or near Ayudag, but also the ships that sailed from the pier of the Soldai Genoese fortress.
Unfortunately, only fragments of the fortified wall and two-thirds of Donjon remain from the oppositional fortification composition of the de Guasco brothers. This is the dominant tower in the castle of the Italian feudal lords. Traditionally it was built in the most inaccessible place of the fortress. In the event of a siege, she played the role of headquarters, warehouse and first-aid post. The Donjon variant a la Chaban-Kale is a picturesquely cut "cylinder" made of bricks from the Crimean shell rock. The entrance hole and small loopholes have been preserved.
A settlement adjoined the Chaban-Kale castle. The skeletons of houses and pottery kilns have been preserved. They were dug right into the body of the rock, and then lined with mud bricks. The products of local potters were also found here - amphorae, flasks and pithos. Firstly, pottery from the Chaban-Kale was traded throughout the South Coast. Secondly, two-meter amphoras and pithos were containers in which most of the goods were transported in those days. Such findings suggest that the de Guasco brothers managed to take control of part of the flow of wine, grain and fat tail fat directed from the steppe and mountain Crimea to the Black Sea ports.
The current state of the tower and fortifications does not allow placing a museum here, as it was done in the Sudak fortress, but these Morskoye sights look extremely picturesque. Because of this, the Chaban-Kale castle is an ideal place for a historical reconstruction of knightly battles or a romantic wedding photo session. More and more often, recreation in Crimea on the territory of Morskoe is chosen by history buffs, semi-professional photographers and newly formed families.
How to get there:
from Morskoye on your own or hired transport, you need to drive 5.5 km east along the P-29 Sudak-Alushta highway to the Chaban-Kale camping site, then take a walk, which will not only strengthen your health, but also give you unforgettable experience from the surrounding landscapes.
