Eski-Kermen

Eski-Kermen is a medieval fortress city on a rocky plateau in the Bakhchisarai district of Crimea, founded by the Byzantines at the end of the 6th century. After Chufut-Kale, this is perhaps the most famous cave city of the peninsula.

The plateau stretches for more than a kilometer, with cliffs up to 30 meters high, and about four hundred caves have been cut in it and around it. The 6th century basilica, cave temples with traces of frescoes, defensive fortifications and the main engineering pride are preserved here - a sedimentary well with eighty steps, which the inhabitants used to get water during the siege, without going beyond the walls.

Once there were about two thousand people living here, but after the pogroms of the end of the 13th and the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, the city was completely emptied. Since then, the plateau has been quiet, leaving travelers with caves, landscapes and a bit of melancholy.

FAQFrequently asked questions

What is Eski-Kermen?

A medieval fortress city on a plateau in the Crimea, founded by the Byzantines at the end of the 6th century. One of the most famous cave cities of the peninsula after Chufut Kale.

Where is it and how to get there?

Bakhchisaray district, about 14 km south of Bakhchisaray and 5 km northwest of Mangup. The road leads to a plateau more than a kilometer long with cliffs up to 30 meters high.

What can be seen here?

About 350 caves in the city itself, plus half a hundred more around, a basilica of the 6th century, cave temples of the 12th-13th centuries with the remains of frescoes, and defensive fortifications.

What is the legendary sedimentary well?

This is the engineering pride of Eski-Kermen: a well cut into the rock back in the 6th century with 80 steps and a 20-meter corridor, which the inhabitants used to get to the water without going outside the walls during the siege.

Why did the city empty?

In the 12th-13th centuries, about two thousand people lived here, but in 1299 the city was destroyed by the troops of Khan Nogai, and in 1399 it was finally finished by Edygei. Since then, the plateau has been empty.