Demerdzhi

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DemerdzhiAnyone who had at least once to travel from Simferopol to Alushta could not help but pay attention to the picturesque mountain range, which suddenly opens up before the eyes of the traveler, right behind the Angarsk pass. When the road starts to decline, you can see the Demerdzhi massif to the left of it. Its top is called Demerdzhi-yayla, the highest point of which reaches a height of 1359 m. The southern and western extremities of the mountain are grandiose cliffs with a pile of rocks and stone chaos. Below the slopes of Demerdzhi are covered with forests, gardens, vineyards, lavender and tobacco plantations. Especially large forests surrounded the Demerdzhi massif from the north and east.

DemerdzhiDemerdzhi is one of the highest peaks of the southern coast of Crimea. In clear weather, a vast panorama opens up from it: Ayudag is visible in the west, and further in the bluish haze, the Ai-Petri teeth. In the east, the long, flat Cape Meganom juts out into the sea.

DemerdzhiIf you go down from the top to the western steep walls of the ridge of the mountain, then you will find yourself in a fantastic world of stone sculptures. At every step there are more and more amazing figures. There are towers, columns, bastions, and pyramids here. And below there are huge stone figures that resemble idols from Easter Island. Especially in the evening and on moonlit nights, these statues amaze travelers with their outlines. Therefore, the western cliffs of Demerdzhi were named "Valley of Ghosts" and were reserved in 1981. One of the pillars in the Valley of Ghosts is a mass 5 m in diameter and 25 m high! On the sides of it are piled smaller idols - 10-20 m in height. There are more than a hundred similar "stone ghosts" here. One of the pillars from a distance resembles a woman's profile, it is called "Catherine's profile." However, up close, this similarity is lost. How did these amazing stone statues appear on Demerdzhi? What sculptor carved all these bizarre figures from stone? His name is weathering. At times, as a result of earthquakes on the weathered mountain slopes, grandiose collapses occur, as a result of which huge stone chaos appear. Such, for example, is the chaos that arose in the neighborhood of the Valley of Ghosts as a result of the landslides of 1894, 1965 and 1966. The vast territory along the steep slope of Demerdzhi turned out to be cluttered with a chaotic heap of conglomerate boulders, some of them as large as a three-story building.

DemerdzhiDemerdzhi's stone figures served as the reason for the creation of a poetic legend. This is what this legend says about the origin of the amazing statues. Once upon a time, hordes of nomadic conquerors poured into the Crimean land. Crimean residents did not submit to the newcomers. But the further the conquerors advanced, the more they needed weapons. Finally the nomads found themselves at the steaming mountain. A column of fire rose from its top. It was a huge natural forge, which was used by local blacksmiths. The mountain was called Demerdzhi, which means "blacksmith". The conquerors built a gigantic smithy on the top of the mountain. Local blacksmiths forged extraordinary steel here, which cut any other. All new craftsmen came to the mountain instead of those who perished from overwork. The burning flame of the mountain dried up the earth, the water from the spring stopped flowing, the rivers became shallow, the gardens withered. To save the people from death, the girl Maria climbed the mountain and asked the chief foreigner blacksmith not to destroy people and leave the mountain. But the blacksmith was furious and killed the girl with a dagger blow. The old mountain could not stand the villainy. She trembled, her mouth opened and all the newcomers fell into her red-hot bowels. When the flame died out, the mountain took on a completely different look: on its slope, stone statues rose, reminiscent of a blacksmith and his assistants.And at the top a rock rose, similar in shape to a woman's head. This rock reminded of the last crime of the evil blacksmith.

DemerdzhiSuch is the legend, but this is what the historical facts say. It is known that the territory of present-day Alushta located at the foot of Demerdzhi was already inhabited under the Taurus. Under the Byzantines, fortresses appeared here. Fortress Aluston was considered large and powerful at that time. And under the very stone chaos, which is next to the Valley of Ghosts, on a hill, literally hanging over the valley, there was a smaller fortress. And she was called Funa. However, the width of the walls of this small fortress reached 2 m. Its remains have survived to this day. And on the southern slope of Demerdzhi you can still see the ruins of medieval settlements, the so-called "Greek glades", the ruins of the Ai-Andriy temple of the X-XII century.

DemerdzhiWhat has old Demerdzhi not seen in her lifetime! One day in the summer of 1774, she saw Russian troops marching from the Angarsk Pass. They hurried to the rescue of Alushta occupied by the Turks. Demerdzhi saw how they fought with a detachment of 7,000 janissaries, how the young lieutenant colonel Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov was seriously wounded in a battle near the village of Shuma. She also saw how the Turks fled and how their landing ended ingloriously.

And this is not all the secrets of Demerdzhi. There are also deep caves, and small grottoes - sites of primitive man, and unusual rocks, lakes, springs, and rivers with beautiful waterfalls ...

DemerdzhiOne of the most beautiful mountains of Crimea - Demerdzhi - amazes travelers with its landscapes, beauty of nature, ancient monuments. Preservation of such corners of nature is our duty.

V.G.Shatko


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