Arabat fortress: description and photo. How to get to the fortress?

For thousands of years the Crimean peninsula has been the arena of armed conflicts between different states. In order to strengthen their positions in this strategically important corner of the planet, people built fortresses, many of which have survived to this day.

Today in the Crimea, tourists can see the Genoese, Byzantine and Roman citadels. Turkish fortifications are also preserved. Among them, the Arabat fortress occupies a special place.

The uniqueness of this defensive structure is due to the fact that it is located between the Sea of Azov and Sivash on a narrow strip of land, and therefore in due time reliably protected the peninsula from attacks from the north.

Name

According to some researchers, the word "Arabat" is of Turkic origin and means "suburb", and word for word - "something in front of". There is also the assumption that the name it came from the Arabic language and means "strengthening". In any case, the mighty Arabat fortress, which was surrounded by a high rampart and deep moat, also gave the name to a geographic object - a picturesque and long sandy spit that separates the Sea of Azov from the Gulf of Sivash.

The history of the citadel before the annexation of the Crimea to Russia

Reliable information about when the Arabat fortress was founded was not preserved. However, the first written mention of the citadel from the Ak-Monai Isthmus in the book "Description of Ukraine", written by the Frenchman G. Boplan, refers to 1651, therefore, most likely, the fortification was built in the early 17th century. The records of the famous Turkish traveler Evliya Chelebi, who during his trips to the Ottoman Empire visited the Crimea and described Arabat as "a large and powerful stone round tower", which served as a protection of the peninsula from the Kalmyks and Zaporozhye Cossacks. He also points out the founder of Mehmed Ghirai Khan's stronghold, apparently referring to the son of the ruler of the Crimea, Saadet.

Fortress and Cossacks

The Turkish citadel, which protects the Crimea from the north-east, did not remain inaccessible for long. In 1668, the Cossacks, commanded by Ivan the Horn, took the fortress by storm and destroyed its garrison. Since the aim of the operation of the Cossacks was to frighten the Turks, they did not linger in the citadel, which was restored by the Ottomans.

The second time, the Arabat fortress was subdued by the Cossacks in 1737, when Onisim Bilogy's regiment, taking advantage of the drop in the water level due to the wind, passed Sivash and captured the fortification. Success, and this time was not final: soon the Cossacks were knocked out of the citadel, and the Turks returned there.

The fall of Arabat

Finally, the fortress was conquered by Russian troops under the command of V. M. Dolgorukov, after which there was a military garrison there permanently. He played an important role during the Crimean War, not allowing the landing of Allied forces and the capture of the Arabat Arrows, which would lead to the encirclement of Russian troops.

In 1860, the fortress lost its strategic importance and began to deteriorate. In addition, residents of neighboring villages began to dismantle the walls and use stones from their masonry to build their homes. Since then, the restoration of the citadel has not been practiced, so at the moment it is in a rather deplorable state.

Arabat Fortress: description

The citadel was designed by Turkish engineers in accordance with all the rules for the construction of fortifications of that period. In images taken from a satellite, even in a dilapidated form, it clearly resembles a huge pentagon.

The Arabat citadel was protected by a moat filled with water supplied from the Azov Sea. From the fortresses were dug up the passage, allowing the Turks in the event of a siege from the sea to sneak up to the shore and attack at night on enemy ships. Inside, there was a zindan - pit, where prisoners were held, who were supposed to be there until they were paid a ransom.

The Arabat fortress had two entrances and was divided into 5 bastions with gun loopholes, which were arranged so that the citadel could defend from several sides simultaneously.

Current state

Many tourists specially come to the Crimea to see there are numerous military monuments of architecture there. The Arabat fortress is one of them.

At the moment, from the once formidable bastions remained only a small part. These are fragments of powerful walls with loopholes and an entrance arch on the south side. Particularly noteworthy is the shaft, which sometimes reaches a height of 7-8 meters. The modern appearance of the walls differs from what it was during the Turkish rule, as in the early days of the Crimean War they were faced with limestone bricks. Near the fortress there are also several German pillboxes left from the time of the short occupation of these places during the Great Patriotic War.

Legend

The fortress on the Arabat's arrow has been in desolation for more than 150 years. About this place, the locals laid down many legends. For example, they say that even before the revolution in the salt mines located near the ruins, the young man worked. He dreamed of saving money for the wedding, so he worked tirelessly. Soon the young man fell seriously ill. He asked the owner to pay honestly earned money and let him go home. He refused and demanded that Memet continue to work until the deadline for which he was hired. Soon the irreparable happened, and the young man passed away. Then, on his grave, located next to the walls of the fortress, began to appear salt stains, reminiscent of the inscriptions in Arabic. As locals consider, so unhappy Memet tries to convey to the living his indignation at the evil destiny and curses the evil master.

Rest on the Arabat's arrow

More recently, these places have attracted beach lovers, especially since the walls of the citadel reach the depth of 2 m at a distance of 100 meters from the shore. Due to this, water quickly warms up - its temperature can reach 30 degrees. In addition, the air on the Arabatskaya arrow contains pairs of iodine and bromine, therefore it is extremely useful for children and those suffering from pulmonary diseases.

Recently, thermal springs have been discovered on Arabatka, which help in the treatment of diseases of the nervous system and various problems of joints and bones. Also there are huge reserves of salt brine and therapeutic mud.

The Arabat arrow is also suitable for organizing fishing, as it is possible to catch flatfish, mullet, pelengas and gobies. Seated in the Sea of Azov and shrimp.

Arabat Fortress: directions

The geographic location of the citadel is characterized by coordinates 45 ° 17 '44. 38 "northern latitude and 35 ° 28' 41. 83" eastern longitude.

By car, you can get there by the interstate highway Moscow - Simferopol. You should drive to the turn to Genichesk, then turn off by the sign and continue to the gas station (20 km from the turn). From there you need to proceed in the direction of the sea and then continue straight ahead to the fortress. You can get to Arabatka by train, which goes to Genichesk, Arabatskaya arrows or Novoalekseevka. At any of these stations you can take a taxi, which will take you to the fortress.

Now you know what is remarkable about the Arabat fortress in the Crimea, as well as what events took place in this citadel for centuries.