Sudak is
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warm and clean sea of the Southern coast of Crimea
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excellent beaches with rich underwater world and no waves
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dry climate without tedious humidity
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transport accessibility (not far from the Crimean Bridge)
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developed infrastructure.
And the main attraction, thanks to which Sudak received all-Russian and world fame - the famous Genoese fortress. This majestic ancient construction can be seen on the flag and coat of arms of the city. A monument of medieval architecture of world significance, the citadel is the only one of the Genoese fortresses of Crimea, well preserved to this day. Today it is an open-air museum, the decoration of Sudak, a mecca for tourists, a favourite of domestic filmmakers, in a word, a place that is definitely worth a visit to everyone.
To come to Sudak and not see the Genoese fortress is impossible. It rises above the city on a fossilised coral reef 157 m high. This hill is now called Fortress Mountain - in honour of its landmark. The desire of all tourists holidaying on the sea coast of Sudak is to visit the fortress, which they admire every day from the beach. And many staying in the Crimea, but in other cities, specially come to Sudak to see this ancient fortress with an incredible history.
Who built the Genoese fortress?
Photo: 15814967. Source: Pixabay
The name "Genoese" is a historical inaccuracy. In fact, the fortress existed long before the Genoese colonisation of Crimea. Ancient legends attribute the construction of the fortress to the Alans - nomadic relatives of the Scythians and Sarmatians. According to ancient literary sources, the harsh steppes laid the fortress in 212 AD. Materials for the foundation were taken in the valley of Kapsel Bay, another beautiful place of Sudak. Proof of this is the preserved collapsed ditches, which served as an ancient architect's quarry. Unfortunately, there are no other confirmations, including archaeological ones.
According to archaeologists, the fortress was erected by the Byzantines, approximately in the VI century. Then Sudak carried the name "Sugdeya", from the ancient Iranian word "Sugda", meaning "holy", "pure". By the way, one of the legends claims that the first fortress was built by nomads who came from the territory of modern Iran. Which fits in with the origin of the original name of the city.
It was a crowded Byzantine trading city and a major Christian centre with its own bishop. By the way, one of the bishops of the 8th century - Stephen of Surozhsky - is canonised and is considered the heavenly patron saint of Sudak. In the city was the customs of Byzantium in the Crimea, respectively, there were fortifications. At the excavation of the oldest part of the fortress archaeologists found the foundations of Byzantine buildings.
There is another version: the fortress was built by the Khazars. It is justified by the found burials of Khazar warriors near one of the fortress walls.
Since the 11th century, the famous hill and the fortress on it passed from one owner to another - the Crimea at any time attracted everyone. The fortress was seized by Pechenegs, Polovtsians, and Mongol-Tatars. Just the Golden Horde khans, presumably, and destroyed the first fortress. That is why its Genoese appearance has survived to our days.
Genoa. Renaming Sugdea to Soldaia
The Genoese did not appear here until the 14th century. The Genoese Republic was one of the most powerful states of the Mediterranean in the 13th to 15th centuries. A huge navy, established trade relations - all this only strengthened its power. Genoese merchants supplied money to the whole Europe and expanded their possessions at the expense of the islands of the Mediterranean Sea, and from a certain time began to get their hands on the coast of the northern Black Sea region.
In the middle of the 13th century Genoa receives by treaty with Byzantium advantages in trade on the Black Sea. Merchants begin to trade through the Crimea with the Golden Horde, founding a colony on the site of modern Theodosia. In 14th century they occupy Balaklava, having won it from the Greeks and renamed it Cembalo. In 1365 they captured Sugdeya - modern Sudak. Soon these captures were officially recognised by the Golden Horde. Genoa united all the territories of the Southern Crimea into a military-administrative governorship, which became known as the "captaincy of Gothia".
The Genoese gradually took over all the huge trade in the Crimea - honey, wax, timber, and above all - bread. By the end of the 14th century Genoa achieved a trade monopoly on the entire Black Sea coast. Then the restoration of settlements left by Mongol-Tatars in Sudak and reconstruction of the citadel began. Here appeared a fortified town, which was named Soldaya. From the south and south-west it was protected by rocky cliffs, and from the north-east - a ditch with water. An earth rampart on all sides made the fortress practically impregnable.
During the Genoese Republic, the citadel also protected the harbour part of the city. The wall covered the gorge between the mountains Krepostnaya and Polvani Oba. On the top of the latter, according to historians, a tower was built. Neither the wall nor the tower survived.
The city and the fortress were replenished with houses with several floors, temples, shops of merchants. On each building in Sudak could be seen "information" plate with carved date of construction of the building and the name of its owner. The Genoese brought building stone from the same Kapselskaya Valley. Buildings were constructed according to the Anatolian method: stone foundations of wooden houses and flat roofs. Lime mortar, not clay, was used to bind the masonry. Such houses were not afraid of earthquakes.
New and recent history of the Genoese fortress
Since 1475 the fortress became a Turkish fortification, and Sudak became the administrative centre of one of the provinces of the Ottoman Empire for almost 300 years.
During the Russo-Turkish War, Russian troops easily liberated the city. A company of the Kirillov regiment was stationed in the fortress. After the military left, the citadel slowly but surely began to fall apart.
Archaeologists paid attention to the fortress in the 18th century. By that time, the great historical monument was not making the best impression: the fortress walls and towers were inevitably crumbling. It is not known what would have been the fate of the citadel had it not been for the visit of Empress Maria Alexandrovna in 1864. It was thanks to the support of the wife of Alexander II, the fortress was taken under close supervision and transferred under the responsibility of the Odessa Society of History and Antiquities.The first stage of work on the restoration of the main attraction of Sudak was carried out already in 1890. Repair of dilapidated buildings was carried out at the expense of an outstanding researcher of the Crimea, historian and archaeologist Berthier-Delagard.
Fortunately, the fate of many architectural monuments after the October Revolution Genoese fortress passed. No one tried to destroy it, on the contrary, in the Crimea appeared all new and new archaeological expeditions.
In the 20s of the last century, the architectural ensemble "Genoese Fortress" completely came under the control of the state. Its active research and spot restoration began. Since 1968 - large-scale repair. It was one of the most qualitative and thoughtful Soviet restoration of historical monuments. As a result, the original appearance of the Genoese fortress was reproduced amazingly accurately. What was not restored was mothballed to stop the destruction. Thanks to the restoration of the Genoese fortress does not resemble ruins, and looks like a complete architectural monument.
Genoese Fortress today
Photo: Hamerani. Source: wikipedia
Today it is one of the most interesting museum-reserves in the Crimea, which every guest of the peninsula strives to visit, either independently or with an excursion. The attraction occupies an area of almost 30 hectares.
The best preserved are 12 defence towers:
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Watchtower
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Georgievskaya
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Corado Cicalo
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Lucchini di Fieschi di Lavagna
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Round
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Pasquale Giudice
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Giovanni Marione
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Corner
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Baldo Guarco
Basically they consist of 4 tiers, where the first one was an armoury, the rest served for firing. The fourth tier is protected by powerful crenellations.
If you get to the top of the hill, you can wander round the Consular Castle. There are several wooden staircases, comfortable and secure, which you can use to get to the upper floors - to see the personal possessions of the Genoese aristocracy and admire the fortress from above.
If you want to visit the museum yourself, do not forget to see the remains of ancient reservoirs in the form of rectangular stone baths. Precipitation was collected here, and water from the valley came here - through a special pipeline. It was the most important construction in the fortress, especially in summer. It in the Crimea is always arid and had to save literally every drop.
Temple with arcade
The building has been around since at least the 13th century, and has been radically rebuilt several times in that time. No one knows what it was originally or whether it was even a temple. Perhaps it was just a freestanding tower. According to the most widespread version, at first it was a mosque built by Seljuks. It is even dated exactly - 1222 - just when the Seljuks were trying to take Sudak from the Polovtsians. It is believed that then it became an Orthodox church. The Genoese converted the temple from Orthodox to Catholic. There is even an assumption that they generally turned the temple into a public building for meetings. When the area was taken over by the Turks, the building became a mosque again.
After the establishment of Russian power in Sudak, the Orthodox Church became active here again. By the visit of Alexander I in the Crimea and in Sudak in 1818, urgently carried out a revision of all fortress buildings. Something was repaired, and the dilapidated church was simply closed. In 1883 it again became a church, now already Armenian. It was finally closed in 1924.
Now the temple houses a museum. In its 4 halls there is an archeological collection. Its exhibits represent the history of the fortress from the earliest times.
Photo: PrintMart. Source: Pixabay
Crimea has always attracted filmmakers - unusual natural landscapes, ancient settlements and just steppes. Any place in the Crimea is asking for a camera. When shooting historical films, the undisputed leader is the Genoese fortress.
More than 40 films were shot here:
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"Marco Polo"
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"Socrates"
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"Hamlet"
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"The Master and Margarita"
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"Russia the Original"
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"Pirates of the 20th century"
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"Chief of Chukotka"
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"Amphibian Man"
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"The Odyssey of Captain Blood"
For each film, the Genoese fortress was externally transformed. When the film "Socrates" was shot, the fortress became ancient Athens. The square was decorated with plywood goddess Athena, whose head flew off in the dark during a strong wind.
In Vladimir Bortko's film adaptation of The Master and Margarita, the Genoese fortress played the role of Herod's palace, and Saharnaya Golovka, a mountain not far from it, became Golgotha. In the cordon at Golgotha stood members of the local militia - it was they who played the Roman legionaries.
In 1981, for the filming of the film "Year of the Dragon" (about the battles of the Uighurs with the Chinese) from Moscow brought a herd of horses. It is the Genoese fortress that is stormed by Chinese troops in the finale.
This place is so picturesque and falls out of modernity that it is ideal for historical reenactments. Every year, a large number of people come to the Genoese Fortress to participate in the international Knights' Helmet Festival. It is among the top 5 knight festivals in Russia and neighbouring countries. As part of the costumed performance, reconstructions of medieval tournaments are held here. Their participants throw knives and axes, shoot bows and fight with swords.
Every tourist has the opportunity to become a participant in the competitions in medieval dress. They can also visit the "City of Masters" fair where modern craftsmen sell their products.
Genoese Fortress: how to get there
There is only a bus station in Sudak. Any way to the city is via Simferopol. From the international airport, the road to Sudak usually takes about 2 hours. It is possible to take a taxi. The only public transport that goes to Sudak is buses. And they run directly from the airport, there are bus ticket offices and platforms for boarding. Buses - comfortable, different capacity, run daily from early morning to 18:30. There are no night flights.
From the railway station of Simferopol buses run more often, there are no problems with tickets. The flights are direct, run regularly throughout the year, from 8:00 to 20:00. There are transit buses from Dzhankoy, tickets for them are cheaper.
If you have already got to Sudak, you need to go to the Fortress Mountain, where the main attraction is located, you can walk. Taking into account the upcoming excursion, it is better to go by bus from the bus station on the route "Dachnoye - Uyutnoye". Get off - at the final stop, in Uyutnoe, the nearest to the fortress neighbourhood.
For reference: Genoese fortress can be visited daily, in the off-season from 9:00 to 18:00, in the summer months from 8:00 to 20:00. Ticket office closes one hour before the end of the museum.
Where to stay
Source: Ostrovok.ru
Astarta 4*
It's hard to find a hotel in Sudak with a better location:
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at the foot of the very hill with the Genoese fortress.
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at the beginning of the city seafront
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30 metres away is the seaside.
Hotel "Astarta" is beautiful, with original architecture, small - only 28 rooms. Among them guests can choose both standard rooms for 1-2 people and 2-room suites with exquisite design. The views from the balconies will impress everyone."
Breakfasts are included in the price and are offered in buffet format on the 1st floor. Lunches and dinners are charged separately. Everyone loves to dine on the semi-open terrace of the restaurant on the top floor - the panorama is magnificent. There is a spa with indoor pool, sauna and hammam.
Bastion 3*
The hotel is especially convenient for those who come with their own transport - there is free parking. Located right at the foot of the main tourist object Sudak - the fortress. To the seafront and the beach - 150 m. In 5 buildings of the hotel "Bastion" you can find rooms of different categories, from economy class to 2-room suites. All - with a full set of benefits of civilisation, only balconies are not in all rooms.
The tariff of food on a choice: breakfast or half board. The buffet is varied. In the evenings the summer terrace offers barbecue and barbecue dishes. On a small territory there is a swimming pool with a sunbathing area, a sauna.
Guest House Mall
Mini-hotel - cosy, with a lot of nice amenities: in the yard there are summer kitchens, barbecue, sauna, swimming pool, sun loungers, veranda. Everything is beautifully decorated. The road to the sea coast (450 m) goes through the park. In guest house "Mall" 5 rooms - standard and one deluxe. All are spacious, comfortable, with good household appliances and excellent plumbing. Welcoming hosts when ordering a room in the hotel offer a shuttle service.
Sparrow's Nest
In a radius of 1 km from this mini-hotel there is everything: Genoese fortress, water park, market, attractions, supermarket. The sea - in 400 m. Rooms - standard, comfort, junior suite and suite - spacious, with different interiors and colours. Suites are fully decorated with wood, include 2 bathrooms and as many as 3 balconies.
Hotel Sparrow's Nest positions itself as a family hotel, so there is a children's pool and a playground with a trampoline.
Hotel Grand 3*
In the 4-storey building of the hotel there are 44 rooms of different categories, from standards to 2-room suites. All have comfortable furniture and appliances. Views from the balconies - on the sea, Genoese fortress, Cape Alchak or swimming pool..
For guests in Hotel "Grand" offers a swimming pool, children's animation and playground. There is a shuttle service to the beach. All meals are available: breakfast, half-board, à la carte.
