Bakla Crimea how to get there. Cave city of Bakla (map, photo)
The Baklin settlement is 6 km away. from modern village "Nice date."
On the entire surface of the plateau, characteristic irregularities are clearly visible - traces of numerous ground structures. Cave structures were mainly of economic importance. They stored food supplies in them and kept livestock. This is eloquently evidenced by numerous cuttings: recesses for installing pithos (large clay vessels), carved ring-shaped holes for tying livestock, trough-shaped mangers, etc. In many places near the caves outside, gutters were carved out of the rock to drain wastewater.
Along the edges of the cliff, above the caves, there are groups of grain pits carved into the rock and grape presses with reservoirs for draining the must. Churches were also carved into the rocks, which at the time of the enemy invasion were part of the defense system. On the western outskirts of Bakly, on a hill near a cliff, there are the remains of a large church. There are also crypts carved into the rock. Above this suburban church complex, a cave Christian temple was located in an overhanging rock outcrop resembling a large human head. Unfortunately, now we have to talk about it in the past tense, since in the spring of 1998 it collapsed due to natural reasons. To the east of this complex, on the surface of the plateau, in some places one can still discern streets and alleys branching off from them. Traces of buildings are visible here and there.
Residential buildings were built of stone. As a rule, they were two-story, with the lower floor serving for household needs. During excavations carried out since 1961, the remains of several such buildings were discovered, placed on earlier foundations, with storerooms in which large clay vessels (pithos) were found, up to 2 m high, intended for storing grain, oil, water, etc. n. The bases of some walls in the dwellings are carved into the rock. The core of the settlement was a small fortification built in the 6th century. It stands out well on the rocky ledge thanks to the thickets covering the ruins of buildings. On three sides this citadel was surrounded by walls made of hewn limestone blocks. During the life of the fort, the citadel was rebuilt at least three times.
The last time the defense structures were repaired was after a severe fire, probably associated with an attack by the horde of the Tatar emir Nogai in 1299. The remains of a rectangular gate tower were discovered in the northern corner of the citadel. The southeastern flank of the battle walls ended at a cliff, on the edge of which there was a structure that closed the defense, a tower or battle platform with a parapet. This fenced area was built up quite densely. Here the remains of two houses were found, one of which had eight rooms and two floors. The lower one, uninhabited, is sunk into the rock, on the surface of which there are preserved cuttings for wooden pillars and vessels. There was also a small temple with an altar semicircular projection - an apse. During excavations in the fortress and in the settlement, many tools were found: catfish, picks, axes, hoes, ax-kilo (double tool), the latter was usually used for agricultural work in mountainous and wooded areas. Most of the settlement was not protected and formed a craft and economic settlement at the fortress, which was probably the residence of the feudal ruler of Bakly and its immediate surroundings.
In the plowed fields in the vast valley located between the Alma and Bodrak rivers and spreading near Bakla, fragments of clay vessels are found in abundance. Entire pithoi - storage facilities for water, grain and other supplies - all these are eloquent witnesses to the life of the rural settlements that once existed here. To the south of the settlement, on the slopes of a ravine stretching for several kilometers, there is an early medieval burial ground, consisting of crypts dug deep into the ground with family burials and single ground graves.
Here, on a hillock, stood a temple, the remains of which were found during excavations. It was built over a burial crypt, made of well-hewn stone slabs, on which scratched images of people, horsemen, and signs of Turkic and runic writing were preserved. The population of the rural district of Bakly was engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding. The role of viticulture and winemaking was essential in economic life. Crafts were domestic in nature. The entire mass of ceramics, revealed by excavations and exploration, is sharply divided into two main groups: pottery, which is a handicraft product, and molded, made at home, without the use of a potter's wheel. Pottery ceramics, mainly vessels that served as containers, egg-shaped two-handled amphoras, jugs, flasks and large pithoi, found at the settlement and citadel, were produced in the 8th-9th centuries. near Bakly.
On the bank of the Bodrak River near the village of Trudolyubovka, ceramic kilns were excavated - a real pottery center. No settlement was found near it. In all likelihood, potters worked seasonally and lived temporarily near water and clay suitable for pottery production. With the onset of cold weather, they left this place until the next season. Container vessels made here were supplied to the villages of the Baklinsky district.
Show the cave city of Bakla on the map.
How to get to the cave city of Bakla.
The easiest way to get to Bakla is from the village of Skalistoye, Bakhchisaray district.
A road passes through Skalistoye, connecting the Simferopol-Sevastopol highway and the village of Nauchny. Having passed the village, you need to move along this road towards Nauchnoye until the roadside white sign: “Skalistoe”. From the sign to the left (to the north) a dirt road runs along the cliffs of a low mountain range, and after 2.5 km leads to our cave city. This path is convenient for pedestrians. After a while, the road will narrow and turn into a path that will go either through an open area or through a forest. On the right along the path there is a clearly visible, although not very aesthetically pleasing, landmark - a large trash can. Another landmark showing that we have already arrived is a remnant of a characteristic shape “growing” from the cliff. Below you can see the caves of the western settlement of Bakly.
Autotourists can drive their car directly under the slopes of the ridge. To do this, you need to use not the primer that starts at the sign, but the next one, located no more than a hundred meters from it.
We get to Skalistoye like this:
By public transport:
From Simferopol:
on the Simferopol-Nauchny bus departing from the Zapadnaya bus station.
From Sevastopol:
1 – by bus “Sevastopol-Simferopol” to the village. Novopavlovka. In Novopavlovka we change to the Simferopol-Nauchny bus.
2 – A cheaper, but less comfortable option: by train to Pochtovaya station, then on foot to Novopavlovka, and from there by the same bus “Simferopol-Nauchny”.
Own transport:
On the Simferopol-Sevastopol highway we reach Novopavlovka. We turn at the “Scientific” sign. The next village after Novopavlovka is Skalistoye.
The cave town of Bakla in Crimea is not the most popular place among tourists. Firstly, it is the northernmost of all cave cities and is remote from tourist routes. Secondly, not many interesting historical objects have been preserved there. But I love this place for the beautiful views of Chatyr-Dag, for the planes in the sky and for the unity with nature. It is designed for walking alone, taking many beautiful photographs and exploring utility caves, grain storage facilities, and underground temples. And after the walk, you should choose a convenient place for a picnic and listen to the sound of the wind, the rustling of grass, and the singing of birds.
Location
Bakla is located near the village of Skalistoye in the Bakhchisarai region. This cave city is the northernmost. The path to it runs through the so-called Martian Lake, a flooded quarry with incredible colored water. In the summer they swim here, the rest of the time they just take pictures. The most beautiful photographs will be taken in the fall, when the turquoise color of the water harmoniously combines with the white shores and yellow-red leaves on the trees.
The name of the cave city translates as “bean”. But there is another translation - “water vessel”. On the territory of Bakli there are many holes in the rock, shaped like Greek wine vessels. However, they did not store wine, but grain. The residents of Bakly were engaged in agriculture, in particular, they grew wheat.
Story
The history of the cave city of Bakla begins in the second half of the 3rd century. It was then that a village appeared on this site. Two centuries after this, the settlement was fortified: the inhabitants built the first wall that protected it from the southern sloping side. Around the same time, the winemaking complex was replaced by a castle. It was fortified on all sides. On the northern cliffs, combat casemates were installed, some of which could be accessed through a hatch. However, only the castle was protected; the village spread around it remained outside the fortress walls.
In 1299, the city of Bakla was attacked by the Golden Horde Khan Nogai. After this raid, the city fell into decay, the last residents left their homes, and the story ended.
How to get there
From Sevastopol by bus in the direction of Simferopol. You need to exit at the turn to Nauchny and walk to the village of Skalistoye. At the end of Skalisty, turn left, go around Lake Mars, climb through the forest to the cliffs. After this, turn left again and go down to Bakla.
If you go to the cave city of Bakla by public transport from Simferopol, then you need to take a bus going to Nauchny at the Zapadnaya bus station. Get off at Skalisty and walk to Bakly. The journey on foot will take about an hour. In summer, be sure to take water with you and wear a hat, as the path will be in open areas.
I love this Crimean attraction so much that I included cave cities in routes for one-day hikes in Crimea. You can learn more about this.
The early medieval cave complex of Bakla is located southeast of the village of Skalistoye. You can get to it either by train from Simferopol to Pochtovaya station, then on foot along the highway to the village of Skalistoye, or from Simferopol to Skalistoye by bus, then from Skalistoye along the highway towards the village of Nauchny. Beyond the bridge, the highway on the left side hugs the cliff face, under which a couple of residential buildings are nestled. At the foot of the rock you can see a grotto called Shaitan-Koba (Devil's Cave). On the far edge, during the Mousterian archaeological era, in a small natural grotto about 4 m deep, a group of Neanderthals, the predecessors of Homo sapiens, found refuge.
After walking a little further along the highway, then you need to turn left, following the country road. On the right there will be a small clearing, and on the left there will be a rocky ridge over which the Soviet man “worked”, the slopes are strewn with sawed-off fragments of rock. Then you can continue along the road, soon a stone crusher will appear on the right, after which you need to walk along a dirt road running along the edge of the field, along the forest edge, or you can, having turned earlier towards the rocks, walk along the beam and terraces of the rock ridge, through the bushes, along rocks On this path there are fragments of rocks with caves; here you can admire the beauty of the rock ridge and the approaching complex of the Baklinsky settlement, which are not visible because of the forest edge if you walk along a dirt road.
Bakla - this interesting archaeological site was first explored by employees of the Crimean regional museum in 1929. The appearance of the cave city dates back to the second half of the 3rd century AD.
If you climb the path to the caves located to the west, in the midst of deep silence you can hear the sound of steadily dripping drops - this is in a break in the rock above, from the cliff, water seeps in thin threads from a source located somewhere higher in the thickets. The path along the rocks, past the caves, leads to the plateau. Far from its edge rises the second tier. Moving east along the plateau, traces of the life of a long-abandoned city are noticeable: utility pits, water collection tanks, gutters, tarapans (grape presses), grain pits, steps to caves, graves. There are many artificial caves preserved throughout. The terrace is covered with wild fruit trees - the remains of gardens.
On the southern edge of the cliff, dominating a narrow valley, in a very small area there are the remains of a fortification. Excavations have shown that the defensive walls cover layers dating back to the time of the open settlement; the fortification area was integral with the rest of the village. Here in the III-IV centuries. there was a significant settlement. The population - Sarmato-Alans, partly Goths - was engaged in viticulture, gardening, agriculture, and winemaking. The earliest belt of defensive walls was built in the 5th century. Later, it is believed, in the 6th century, a castle was built here. Its defensive structures were made of large blocks of local limestone with lime mortar. The fortified settlement was probably destroyed during the Tatar raid of 1299.
The citadel was surrounded on three sides by walls made of hewn limestone blocks. During the life of the fort, the citadel was rebuilt at least three times. The remains of a rectangular gate tower were discovered in the northern corner of the citadel. To build defensive walls, the surface of the rock was hewn. Outside the fortification there was a basilica building, which burned down around the 10th century.
The southeastern flank of the battle walls ends at a cliff, on the edge of which there was a structure that closed the defense - a tower or battle platform with a parapet.
The area was quite densely built up. Here the remains of 2 houses were found, one of which had 8 rooms and 2 floors. The lower, non-residential one was sunk into the rock, on the surface of which there were preserved cuttings for wooden pillars and vessels.
"In the western part of the cave settlement, in the upper tier, almost at the level of the ridge, there is a rock ledge, separated from the ridge by a crack: a church was carved into this ledge. The doorway faces north, a step leads down, the interior is divided into two parts, the smaller one is the altar - somewhat lower; small recesses are carved into the altar; it is separated from the rest of the space by an iconostasis, judging by the grooves carved into the walls. Opposite the altar is a window; immediately at the entrance to the left, two crosses are carved on the wall." - you can find such a description of the church in most sources, but you will not be able to find the temple itself using this description, because it collapsed and you can find it on the slope, with the doorway facing up.
In the western part of the settlement there are a lot of battle caves, some of them were led from the surface by hatches, others were led by stairs carved into the rock.
Where the upper cliff of the ridge recedes far from the edge of the terrace, it is easy to climb it, and, walking in an easterly direction to the highest point, look around the surroundings. At the foot of the cliff lies a valley and fields, on the left on the horizon you can see the majestic Chatyr-Dag, on the right - the slender silhouette of Tepe-Kermen and the Chufut-Kale plateau.
In the valley visible from Bakli in the Middle Ages there was a village. Fragments of large clay pithoi are often found here; In its eastern part the remains of a pottery kiln were discovered. To the south of this place, on the slopes of a ravine called Bad Yar, a burial ground with burials of the 7th - 8th centuries was discovered. Unfortunately, this necropolis was almost completely looted.
Here, on a hillock, stood a temple, the remains of which were found during excavations. It was built over a burial crypt, lined with well-hewn stone slabs, on which scratched images of people, horsemen, and signs of Turkic and runic writing were preserved.
Information
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Cave city "Bakla" (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.
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The cave city of Bakla, which was a populous settlement and fortification in the Middle Ages, is interesting for its archaeological and historical monuments: the ruins of an old castle and houses, crypts and a church carved directly into the rocks, as well as many grain pits. It is the huge number of places for storing provisions that distinguishes it from hundreds of other cave cities. But, despite the popularity of Bakly among travelers, there are very few tourist routes here, and the city is rightfully considered lost.
A little history
The Crimean Museum of Local Lore began studying Bakla in 1929, and in almost 90 years it was possible to learn a lot of facts about it. People first settled here in the 3rd century. At first they used natural voids in limestone rocks as housing, and in the 6th century they began to create above-ground buildings, and they did this on a mountain ledge at an altitude of 470 m above sea level.
The name of the city comes from the Turkic word “baklak”, which means “travel water vessel with a narrow neck.” And this is no coincidence, because the grain pits - the most striking feature of the city - have exactly this shape.
In those days, Goths and Sarmato-Alans lived in the city, engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry and wine production, as evidenced by over 200 grain pits, wooden troughs and other finds. According to some experts, Bakla was used by the Byzantines for some time - here they converted the locals to the Christian faith, and also stationed troops.
The exact reason for the death of the city is unknown, but most likely it was a Tatar-Mongol raid in 1299 led by Temnik Nogai. After the raid, Bakla was plundered and the inhabitants abandoned it. Since then, the ancient settlement has been empty, but the danger for it has not disappeared even now - “black archaeologists” regularly visit here and take away even the most insignificant valuables with them for sale.
What to see
You can get into the city along three roads, but the main one is only one and it leads through a cliff. On one side of it there is a granary with pits in the shape of vessels covered with lids. On the other side there are dilapidated defensive structures and towers. There is also an entrance to a tunnel connecting the city buildings, and nearby you can see a cave temple.
Nearby there are utility caves and a canal for spring water. A little higher are ancient cult burials, rock-cut crypts and the remains of a church. Also, several cells with niches for lamps and lamps and a grotto with frescoes - figures of holy martyrs, silhouettes of a temple, crosses, images of boats and fish - were carved into the rocks. Already in the city itself, traces of small streets and two-story houses are visible.
general information
The cave city of Bakla is the northernmost cave city in Crimea. Located on rocks about 300 meters high in the Bakhchisarai region near the village of Skalistoe (Tav-Bodrak), on the watershed of the Alma River and its tributary Bodrak. It is about 18 km from Simferopol to the southwest. Thanks to its secluded location, the city has retained its natural beauty.
The exact time of the founding of the city is unknown. The first burials on the territory of Bakli date back to the 4th century AD, and the most ancient walls date back to the 5th century. The inhabitants of the city and its surroundings at that time were Sarmato-Alans and Goths. Bakla died, most likely as a result of a Tatar-Mongol raid led by Temnik Nogai in 1299 AD. Now the danger from the Tatar-Mongols has decreased somewhat, but the ruins of the city are regularly raided by modern robbers - black diggers. A sad example is the ravine of Bad Yar, south of Bakly, completely dug up by the deepest pits. It once housed an ancient necropolis, now irretrievably lost to science.
The book of the brothers Alexander and Andrey Yen “Cuestas of the Crimean Foothills” (Simferopol, 2010) provides the most plausible (from my point of view) version of the origin of the name Bakla - from the Turkic “Baklak” - “a road vessel for water with a narrow neck.” Indeed, the most striking feature of this cave city is the presence of a huge number of grain (as well as tandoor and flood) pits with a characteristic shape. There were quite a few defensive structures of their own, and in case of danger, the residents of Bakly took refuge in the impregnable Chufut-Kala. The only significant fortification was the 6th century AD castle. in the city center, on the southern cliffs.
There is evidence that Byzantium used this city to convert local residents to Christianity at the end of the first millennium AD. A Byzantine military garrison was located on the territory of the city for some time. In general, Bakla is an example of a medieval feudal complex: a castle with an undefended settlement adjacent to it.
How to get there?
1. From Simferopol: At the Zapadnaya bus station (access to it from the railway station by minibuses 86 and 57) we take the Simferopol-Observatory bus and go to the last (third) stop in the village of Skalistoe. The local name for this stop is “gorka”. Walking 200 meters ahead in the direction of the bus (to the south), you will see an adjacent well-worn dirt road on the left. A special feature is a sign at the very turn with the inscription “making monuments”.
We turn there, to the east. Behind us is the valley of the Bodrak River, and on the left rises a ridge stretching into the distance, the slopes of which are strewn with fragments of limestone blocks from an old quarry. Once upon a time there was a necropolis in its place, naturally, completely destroyed... After less than a kilometer of driving along this dirt road to the east, a small, but dusty and noisy factory crushing stones will appear on the right. However, on weekends it quiets down. There are mountains of rubble all around. Now pay attention to the steep white-yellow rocks on your left. If you follow them further to the east, you will notice the first caves. We leave the quarry behind. Another kilometer along the dirt road, sticking to the right edge of a small forest, and several paths leading steeply up the slope will become visible. Let's go there!
2. From Sevastopol: At the central bus station we take the Sevastopol-Simferopol bus and go to the Novopavlovka stop. In the direction from which the bus brought us, we see an intersection. From west to east there is a highway to Simferopol, and to the south there is a road to Nauchny. We cross this road and wait at the stop opposite the Khan-Saray restaurant for the Simferopol-Observatory bus (give a link to the schedule). We ride it until the last (third) stop in the village of Skalistoe. An alternative name for this stop is "slide". And then we move as already described in point No. 1. If you don’t want to wait for the observatory bus, you can go on foot. It takes 40 minutes to the turn to Baklu described in point No. 1.
There is also an alternative option. It takes longer, but is relatively inexpensive. We take the train in Sevastopol or Simferopol and get to the Pochtovaya station. Then walk south through the village and apple orchards along dirt roads. In autumn I recommend walking carefully, the gardens are guarded. On the way you will have to cross the Alma River (translated from Turkic as “apple”). In February and March, when the snow melts, this can present some difficulty. I recommend looking for a bridge for pedestrians, located between the gardens, or going east to the Simferopol-Sevastopol highway, there is a good road bridge.
What will we see?
The city, built on two tiers of rocks up to 15 meters high, consisted of above-ground and underground structures. Unfortunately, Bakla is located in a relatively easily accessible place, close to villages, so the above-ground buildings, dilapidated during the Tatar raids of the 13th century, were finally dismantled and stolen by local residents. Of these, only the solid foundations of several houses and temples have survived. The recently excavated single-apse Christian temple, oriented strictly from west to east, stands out noticeably.
Looking around the steppe above the cliffs, once filled with life, but now representing virgin soil, you involuntarily think about how many more secrets it holds. Underground structures amaze with their abundance and diversity. Every square meter of rock within the city has been developed. Carved hatching is noticeable on the walls of the caves. Occasionally there are “handles-ears” carved into stone. Most likely, they served to tie up livestock. There is a curious misconception associated with them. The first explorers of cave cities of the 18th-19th centuries (for example, Berthier-Delagarde, Baron Tott, Cambridge professor E. Clark and Pallas) assumed that the handles served for mooring boats, because. The space between the rocks, in their opinion, was filled with the sea.
Today water can only be found in a small drying spring. In the driest years it stops running already in June, in others it gurgles until August. But in September there is always a break in the water supply. Once upon a time, a stream ran in the Bad Yar ravine, descending from the mountains to the south, but it is very doubtful that it was active all year round. Now he is completely dry. There were difficulties with water during the life of the city. The cliffs that have not collapsed since the abandonment of Bakly keep traces of drainage gutters. In the eastern part of the city, on the rocks, you can see a whole “reverse Christmas tree” that collected rainwater towards the top. And almost every grain pit is surrounded by a special ditch that retains precious water. From many ditches, special channels lead drops of life-giving moisture to containers carved into the limestone.
In the central part of Bakly there are entire fields of grain pits. Most of it is filled with debris almost to the neck. Many of the pits available to us are so spacious that they can easily accommodate an adult. Be careful when examining them! Thick grass masks the necks, making them dangerous traps for unwary tourists.
Everywhere there are wine presses carved into rocky cliffs - tarpans with reservoirs for draining wine juice. The well-preserved eastern entrance to the city is interesting. It rises smoothly from the east, cutting the slope. A drainage channel about thirty centimeters wide is visible at the bottom. It is doubtful that he collected drinking water, rather industrial water. Just above the canal, perpendicular to it, slots were knocked out in the slopes for installing logs or a whole log flooring along which carts could climb.
Various sources indicate the existence of a semi-secret underground tunnel on the territory of the settlement, but I have not found it yet. Note the prominent rocky headland with a wooden cross 500-700 m from the city center to the west. The ruins of a temple from the 8th – 11th centuries AD are preserved here. with numerous crypts and a cave complex, once decorated with wall paintings. In one of the caves, archaeologists discovered the burial of several dozen people. Nearby there are grottoes carved right into the cliff, from which a delightful view of the Bodrak valley and the surrounding area opens. Most likely, a sentinel defensive complex operated there.
Half a kilometer to the south, in the valley, there were three Orthodox churches. Archaeologists discovered there traces of the cruciform architecture of one of the temples and fragments of ornamentation. And not far from Bakly there was a pottery center that produced pottery in large quantities.
- A story about the campaign to Baklu
