Russian Gate in Anapa

“Russian Gate” is a monument of Ottoman military architecture of the XVIII century. At the top of the gate you can see a slab with the inscription "Russian Gate 1854". On the supporting wall is another plate "Fortress gate Remains of the Turkish fortress, built in 1783, named by Russians in honor of the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Anapa from the Turkish yoke in 1828." In 1995-96 there was a restoration of the gate. Inside was installed a stele, which depicts the order "For the Caucasus" and has the inscription: "Here lies the ashes of Russian soldiers who fell at the walls of the fortress in 1788-1828." In the second half of the XV century, a young aggressive state appeared in Asia Minor - Turkey. By waging wars of conquest, this state becomes a huge empire. The imperial aspirations of the Turkish sultans included complete assertion and domination of the Black Sea. For three centuries, the Anapa lands were of no strategic or economic interest to Turkey. The situation changes in the 80-ies of the XVIII century, when as a result of the struggle of Turkey with Russia, the latter go to the Crimea and Right-Bank Kuban. And Turkey has a need to strengthen on the coast near the Caucasus Mountains. It was for this purpose, on the instructions of Sultan Abdul Hamid, that it was decided to build a fortress on Anapa land. In 1783 the fortress was built. Its fortifications consisted of 7 bastions connected by curtains and three gates. We are now in front of the east gate. The fortress itself has not survived to this day, so we can only imagine what it looked like. The fortress wall from the gate stretched towards the sea to the embankment, along the embankment to the port, from the port on the high bank to Mayak, from Mayak turned almost at a right angle, passed along the street. Serf to the center of folk culture of the Motherland and from the Motherland to the gate. Thus, the length of the walls was 3.2 km, the height was 8 m. In addition, a ditch was dug in front of the fortress wall, up to 4 m deep and 16 meters wide, and a palisade was built. The remains of the moat can still be seen near the Park Hotel. This ditch remained until the mid-50s of the last century along the street of the Fortress. Then he fell asleep and a park was planted there. Anapa Fortress becomes a stronghold of Turkey in the North Caucasus. There was one of the lively slave markets here. From here, the mountain peoples were kept under control, planting Islam among them, and attracted as allies in the fight against Russia. It was for these reasons that the Russian government persistently sought to destroy the Turkish fortress. This was extremely difficult to do, and within 40 years Russian troops made six campaigns against Anapa. “Far from being a first-class, but extremely malevolent in political terms, the Turkish fortress of Anapa demanded from the Russian state such a number of military campaigns as the army and navy, which no other enemy fortress and a stronger structure did not cause,” he wrote. Veselovsky in his “Military-historical sketch of the city of Anapa” The first, reconnaissance campaign to Anapa, in the autumn of 1788, is headed by General-Anchef Tekelli P.A. As a result, a strategic task was achieved: the Turks engaged in the defense of the Caucasian coast did not attack the Crimea. But the march of Tekelli’s detachment from Anapa was presented by the Turks as their victory. It was necessary to assert the strength and might of Russia. To fulfill this task undertook ambitious Lieutenant General Bibikov Y.B. This, the second campaign, made in the early spring of 1790, was the most dramatic. Possessing an adventurous warehouse of character, Bibikov went beyond the Kuban without preliminary preparation and without a wagon, hoping to get food requisitions. In addition, the time for the campaign was chosen unsuccessfully: severe frosts were replaced by sluggishness, which made it impossible to advance artillery and cavalry. On March 24, exhausted by a 42-day crossing, the detachment approached the fortress. On the day appointed for the assault, a blizzard began, a severe frost struck. The lack of storm stairs made attempts to climb the rampart futile and the Russians were forced to retreat with great damage. The retreat was accompanied by even greater calamities. The Turks and Circassians, pursuing the detachment, constantly imposed battle, famine began, the soldiers fed on roots and raw horse meat. In one place, the troops had to make a transition of 14 versts in icy water to the very throat, as spring weather turned mountain streams into stormy rivers. Only in early May 1790, the detachment, which lost half of its composition, managed to cross the Kuban and break away from the persecution of the mountaineers. Bibikov was suspended from service and put on trial. As for the soldiers, their suffering was appreciated and they, all the surviving 5,000 people, on the personal instructions of Empress Catherine II, were awarded a specially issued silver medal "For fidelity". It was essentially a medal for defeat. The failure of two military campaigns against Anapa made this fortress an impregnable glory, and to debunk this glory, it was necessary to take it in this war. Third trip. This difficult task was set before General-Anchef Gudovich I.V., appointed in January 1791 the Caucasian governor. The preparations for the campaign were carried out thoroughly and thoroughly. On June 9, 1791, Gudovich's consolidated detachment approached Anapa. According to the laws of war, this fortress had to be besieged and taken three months, but Gudovich knew that a strong Turkish fleet was coming to the aid of Anapa. And that he had no means for a proper siege, so he was in a hurry. Before the assault, the fortress was subjected to the strongest artillery shelling. After the Turks rejected the ultimatum on the surrender of the city, Gudovich gives the order to storm. On June 22, 1971, Anapa was captured. 13 thousand Turks were captured, including the commandant of the fortress, as well as Sheikh Mansour, a famous Islamic preacher. The assault on Anapa is often compared to the assault on Ismail. But to take Anapa Gudovich happened in much more difficult conditions: Izmail was surrounded on all sides by Russian troops, Gudovich could encircle Anapa only from land, and from the sea she had the opportunity to receive reinforcements. Suvorov knew one enemy who was ahead of him, in the walls of the fortress, Gudovich was placed between two fires, with the failure of Suvorov could retreat - Gudovich was surrounded and in case of retreat would inevitably die with the whole detachment. Special bravery, courage and heroism during the assault distinguished Tiraspol horse-guards, Vladimir, Astrakhan, Nizhny Novgorod dragoon regiments, Greben and Terek Cossacks. The streets of Anapa were later named after them. And the central boulevard of the city was named after Count Gudovich. The fall of Anapa prompted the Turkish government to rush into peace, and on 21 December 1791 a peace treaty was signed at Iasi. Under this treaty, the Crimea was ceded to Russia, the border in the Caucasus was restored along the Kuban River and Anapa again withdrew to Turkey. At the beginning of the XIX century the main forces of Russia were concentrated in Europe, against the troops of Napoleonic France. Taking advantage of this, Turkey began to violate the terms of the treaty on the procedure for the passage of Russian ships through the Bosporus and Dardanelles, and in December 1806 declared war on Russia. One of the first military operations of this campaign was a campaign against Anapa Black Sea squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Pustoshkin S.A. in April 1807. During the fourth expedition, Anapa was occupied for several hours, without serious resistance or bloodshed. The walls and batteries of the fortress were blown up, the cannons were removed, and on May 6 the squadron left for Sevastopol. A year later, the fortress was restored and Turkey continued to carry out its previous policy towards the mountain peoples from Anapa. In order to manage the situation in the Caucasus, Russia had to reconquer this fortress. This task was determined by a small squadron of captain-lieutenant Perkhurov, who successfully completed it. On June 15, 1809, the squadron shelled Anapa, the Turks left the fortress in a hurry and the Russian troops occupied the city without resistance. A small garrison was placed in the city, but there was no need to talk about peaceful life, since mountaineers constantly attacked Anapa. On May 16, 1812, the Treaty of Bucharest was signed and Anapa was returned to Turkey. And again Anapa becomes the center of Turkish espionage and adventures, inciting the mountain peoples to hostile actions against Russia. In December 1827, due to the unilateral violation of the Russian-Turkish treaties, Russia declared war on Turkey. The sixth campaign was led by Vice Admiral Greig A.S. and Adjutant General Prince Menshikov A.S. On May 2, 1828, a fleet of 26 warships with landing troops on board, anchored in the Anapa Bay. On May 3, the 5,000th Taman Combined Cossack detachment under the command of the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, the mandated ataman of the Black Sea army, Colonel A.D. Bloodless, approached the fortress. In addition, around the fortress, in the rear of the Russian detachment, almost 8 thousand mountaineers gathered. The decisive battle took place on May 28, 1828. One and a half thousand detachment of Turks, suddenly leaving the fortress, attacked the detachment of the Bloodless. The Circassians rushed to help him from the mountains. The Turks and the Circassians tried to unite, but the Bloodless did not allow this. Most of the Turks were cut off from the fortress, pushed to the high bank (in the Mayak region) and thrown into the sea. After this battle, the Turks no longer took forays. Wanting to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, the Russian command offered the Turkish commandant to surrender the fortress. On June 12, 1828, the 4,000th garrison of the fortress of Anapa surrendered. On the same day, Prince Menshikov reported to Nicholas I: “The enemy, not daring to withstand the attack, submitted, and the troops of Your Imperial Majesty entered the fortress.” All regiments participating in the campaign were awarded banners with the inscription "For the capture of Anapa". Greig was promoted to Admiral. Colonel Bloodless received the "Major General" and the Order of St. George of the 4th degree. Later, one of the border fortifications near Anapa was named in his honor by Alekseevsky. Prince Menshikov was awarded the rank of vice-admiral with confirmation as chief of naval staff. He was also awarded the Order of St. George of the 3rd degree (“to the neck”). On September 14, 1829, on the basis of Article 4 of the Adrianople Peace Treaty, Anapa was permanently ceded to Russia. The capture of Anapa was a major success for the Russian army. Russia seriously strengthened its position on the Caucasus coast of the Black Sea, which was of great importance for the final annexation of the Caucasus to Russia.