Ayu-Dag (Bear Mountain) description and photo - Crimea: Partenit (Topic)

Ayu-Dag (Bear Mountain) description and photo - Crimea: Partenit. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

On the southern coast of the Black Sea between two large cities - Alushta and Yalta - Mount Ayu-Dag is located, or otherwise it is called Bear Mountain. The height of the mountain above the level of the Black Sea is 577 meters. The area of this mountain is more than four square kilometers. In 1974 it was declared a state reserve.

There are several legends about the name of the mountain. The most beautiful and somewhat romantic legend tells about a beautiful girl. She lived on the southern coast of the Black Sea, among a large congregation of large bears. Nobody knew how she got there, but it was known that she had a life with bears since childhood. The bears loved and cherished her, taking care of her. She had a beautiful voice and sang well, and the bears loved to listen to her. Once, when none of the predators were at home, a boat washed ashore. There was a wounded guy in the boat. She took him in her arms and hid him in her little house. Bears have never entered this house. She began to treat the young man, and hid him far from her dwelling. And the day came when the young man got stronger and invited her to run with him, in his canoe.

Offended and angry bears ran to the sea and growled furiously. They lowered their evil muzzles into the sea, and began to greedily drink the water. Seeing the angry bears, the girl began to sing. The bears tore their heads from the water and listened to its enchanting song. Only the old leader plunged his big head deeper into the water, trying to drink it without a trace. But a little time passed, and the trail of lovers disappeared, and since then he has been standing on the shore and hopes to return the beautiful girl. After a while, he completely stopped moving and turned to stone. Its sides turned into terrible rocks, wool - into a very dense forest, and a mountain top formed from its back.

If we take the Greco-Tatar language as a basis, then Ayya-Dag in translation is Holy Mountain. Since ancient times, in the distant Middle Ages, this place was one of the many centers of Christianity. A monastery with several churches was erected on the mountain, and there were also several settlements. Ayu-Dag was also called Buyuk-Kastel, and this translates as the Big Fortress. Indeed, at the present time on the top of this mountain there are the ruins of a very old fortification, which the Taurus built.

Bear Mountain has an advanced age - it is more than 150 million years old. The mountain was formed in the Middle Jurassic era. It consists of igneous rocks, which are called gabbrodiabase. Ayu-Dag was formed from lava poured onto the surface.

577 species of various plants grow on this mountain, 44 of them are listed in the Red Book. On Ayu-Dag, foxes, badgers, squirrels and martens are most often found. On the coast of the mountain, cormorants and swift seagulls are frequent guests, and in other places you can see an owl, a woodpecker, a chirping sparrow and a little tit. Lizards and snakes live on the mountain. The Red Book contains 16 species of various animals living on the territory of the Bear Mountain.

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Topic: Ayu-Dag (Bear Mountain) description and photo - Crimea: Partenit.