In Antiquity
In the Middle Ages
Near Outlying Areas
Far Outlying Areas
Mangup-Kale cave town
Eski-kermen
Chufut-Kale fortress
Tepe-Kermen site
Bakla cave town
Kyz-Kermen fortress
Kachi-Kal'on cave monastery
Chelter-Marmara monastery
Shuldan monastery
Kyz-Kule site
("fortress of virgins")
5th to 9th century
Kyz-Kermen (literally "fortress of virgins", in Tatar) is located in the valley of Kacha river, close to Tepe-Kermen. The plateau still keeps the remains of defensive walls, towers, and residential houses.
 Defensive wall |
 Cave cell in the eastern steep of the promontory |
There is an old Crimean legend about Kyz-Kermen and Tepe-Kermen, according to which once there was a bridge between them, where the beautiful daughter of the prince of Kyz-Kermen had to meet the heir of the castle of Tepe-Kermen in order to enter into marriage and thus finish centuries of conflicts between two kin. Nevertheless, when the girl came to the middle of the bridge, she remembered the old offences, drew the sword, and slew her fiance and was immediately slashed to death by the prince of Tepe-Kermen guards. And the war between two towns broke out anew… The bridge collapsed to pieces, and the huge stones that constructed it are still, according to the legend, spread through the ravine, which separates Kyz-Kermen and Tepe-Kermen.
