Tour 2dn/1n "Kerch, Opuk"

The royal mound is one of the most mystical architectural monuments of Kerch. This place is amazingly harmonious in the natural environment, and it is difficult to believe that this building was built by man. The mound is a narrow cave with a pentagonal entrance. The long dark corridor inspires fear to anyone who sets foot on its territory. But there are no principles of life and movement, there is absolute peace.

The suburb of Kerch, Adzhimushkay, has long been a source of limestone, resulting in the formation of the catacombs, which in wartime became the protection of the Crimean troops. Here was the Kerch defense line, which served as a cover for the withdrawal of the main part of the troops to the Taman Peninsula. In the quarries sheltered and fought about 10 thousand immigrants from the Voronezh and Yaroslavl military schools. Enemy troops staged explosions, collapses, launched gas, but all this did not prevent the fighters to make successful sorties and destroy fascist equipment and ammunition and concentrate all the forces of the enemy on themselves.

One of the famous sights of Kerch is located in the heart of the city and rises above sea level by more than 90 meters. On its territory was the ancient city of Panticapei, its name it received from the king, who fell as a result of the battle with the Romans. There are legends about the castle that stood on the top of the mountain and the treasures of Mithridates that were there. After the king's death, power passed to his son Farnac, who was defeated by Julius Caesar, it was about this event that he later wrote: "I came, I saw, I conquered."
The Matridatch staircase is a real decoration of the city. Construction began in 1833, and ended only in 1840. As a result, the stairs consisted of 423 steps. Just imagine for a second the power and grandeur of this architectural structure. The architectural heritage was built in the style of classicism. The viewing platforms were tamed with a variety of decor. All this was invented and embodied in reality by the Italian architect Alexander Digby.

Opuk is one of the amazing corners of the Crimean coast. It is located on the Kerch Peninsula, far from the main tourist routes. However, it is here that there is a unique place for the Crimea - Lake Koyash.
Mount Opuk rises only 183 meters above the sea, but has unique natural gifts. No wonder this area was declared a reserve in 1998. There are 60 species of plants and animals. Many of them are listed in the Red Book.
In 1989, a stele with runic signs was discovered here, which is now stored in the Tauride Museum of Simferopol. There was also a stone with an eye carved on it, which was later stolen. On the territory of the reserve are the ruins of the Kimmerick settlement, which was part of the Bosporan Kingdom. In the sea there are rocks sailboats Elken-Kai. But the main attraction of the reserve, cape and mountain is not in this. Nearby is Lake Koyash, which stands out with an unusual pink color.
Sometimes the pond is called Opuk. In May, the salinity of the water increases to 35 ppm and the algae dunaliella stains its water pink. In summer, the water from the shallow Koyash lake (1 meter) dries up and on stones and plants remains a layer of salt, inflated around the neighborhood. In it you can see salt icebergs.
Near Mount Opuk are the ruins of the former capital of the Cimmerian kingdom of Kimmerick. The city for a long time protected the approaches to the Bosporan kingdom from the Scythians, but was eventually destroyed. It was discovered by Soviet archaeologists in 1927.
4 kilometers from the coast there are 4 rocks of reef limestone, resembling sailboats. They were called “rock ships”, about which the legend is built. They're called:

Elken-Kaya;
Caravia;
Elchen-Kaya;
Petra-Caravia.

The rocks of Elken-Kaya and Opuk are connected by 2 legends of the Crimea.
The legend of stone sailboats

Yergi Psaras decided to marry his son to the rich daughter of a merchant from Kafa. He grew up without a mother and needed a woman’s hand in the house. However, he fell in love with another, and fled with her on the ship. The father found out about it and rushed after them. A storm arose and he saw that his son wanted to marry his mother, whom he had never known. He shouted, but it's late. Both ships turned into rocks. So they stand in the middle of the sea.
The Legend of Opuk (Woe of the Two Oats)

There was a rich village in the vicinity of Mount Opuk. One day a ship crashed here in a storm. Among the survivors were only two beautiful women, O and Pook. They always appeared together and were called O-Pooka. Soon they became burdened with the righteous life of peasants and wanted to take possession of the village.

They wore crowns, even built thrones for them, and demanded constant sacrifice. The villagers didn’t like it and left the village. One day a wise man walked through the village and decided to help the residents.

He cursed narcissistic women. The earth opened beneath them, and in place of the thrones, a rock appeared, on which sat two hoops, shouting, "O-pooh! O-pooh." And from the water not far from the shore rose 2 rocks, resembling the ships on which these women sailed here.

What's in:
- Transfer (there and back), Guide
- Insurance.
- Visit to the Opuk Reserve
- Visit to Adzhimushkay quarries
- Visit to the King's Mound
- Mount Mithridates
- The Church of John the Forerunner.
In the reserve, we'll see:
- Elken-Kai sailing rocks,
- Koyash Lake,
- Kimmerick.