Kutlak Fortress: description and history

Kutlak Fortress is one of the most beautiful sights of the Crimea. Ancient construction - a famous place in Tauris, an ancient monument of the 1st century BC. E. In the Crimea, the fortress received a second name - Bosporus. It is located in a bay near the Veselovsky Bay.

History of the fortress

The fortress of Kutlak (Crimea) was originally called Athenion. The ancient fortification was built by the order of Asandra, the viceroy of Pharnac the Second, the Pontus king. He ruled in Bosporus Cimmeria. Asandr overthrew Pharnaces, but he did not manage to convey his descendants.

The fortress served as an outpost in the west of the state. Kutlak became the last refuge of Asandra. In the 14th century Armenians built fort inside the fortress walls. The Crimean Tatars called Kutlak a foundation pit, according to the terrain.

Location

Kutlak is located next to the sea, on the western cape of Mount Karaul-Oba. The fortification is located between the Veselovsky Bay and the Blue Bay. The land, where the remaining ruins are located, belongs to the urban district of Sudak. The remains of the fortress lie four kilometers from the modern village of Veseloe.

The functioning of the fortress in ancient times

In ancient times a military garrison was located inside the fortification. He numbered hundreds of soldiers. The fortress walls protected the state from the sea side from pirate barbarians and invasions of the Taurians. There is a suggestion that next to the fortress was a port, which was also under the protection of Kutlak.

Her soldiers, most likely, were from Feodosia and Thrace. They were not taught to read and write, they did not know how to write, but they made excellent clay products and masterfully worked with metal. Due to the confrontation between Feodosia and the Bosporan state, the inhabitants of the fortress left the defensive fortification. This ended his 60-year existence. The fortress was abandoned.

Description

Strengthening Kutlak, located on the plateau of the mountain range Karaul-Oba, had a 5-coal form. The area before the construction of the fortress was not leveled, so it was built in record time. Kutlak was surrounded by a two-hundred-meter-high wall from 4 to 6 meters in height. The thickness of the stone fence was different. Over the wall break was only 0.6 meters, on the eastern and northern sides - 3 m.

The fortress of Kutlak had 5 towers, each in two floors. Also in the fortification a bastion and a dungeon were built. They were on the north-west side. The largest tower was a square, measuring 10.7 x 8.5 m. On the first tier there were utility rooms. There were no doors, and it was possible to reach the stairs through the second floor.

He was led by a separate bridge. When a threat occurred, it was simply destroyed, and the tower became a significant obstacle to the enemy. Kutlak in many respects differs from similar ancient monuments. In the fortification, there were originally large gates through which wagons could pass. But then this entrance was immured.

People came to the fortress of Kutlak through the eastern and south-western towers. A modest alternative to the central gate was a small narrow gate. From one to the path to the sea. In the lowlands near the fortress was a source of fresh water. The second small narrow gate was on the opposite side of the defensive structure.

Inside the fortress there were barracks and four houses. Separately there was a workshop for processing iron. The roofs of the buildings were covered with slate tiles and fastened with clay. Of the same material with the addition of local sandstone, the walls were built.

On the territory of the defensive fortress there was a dug well, which provided people with drinking water during siege times. In civilians took fresh water from a source located outside the fortification.

The remains of the fortress in modern times

Crimean defense fortification Kutlak was discovered by archaeologist Baranov. In 1982, the first finds and subsequent expeditions were able to help in setting the size of the Bosporus kingdom. Prior to the discovery of the fortress, it was believed that the state was located on a smaller territory.

Looking at the remaining ruins, it seems that there is nothing left of the ancient monument of architecture. But according to experts-archeologists, Kutlak fortress has remained very good for determining what was the strengthening, its functions and significance for the Bosporus kingdom.

For example, it became known that in the living quarters fires and braziers were once installed. The tower, which was located in the south-west corner, served simultaneously as a lighthouse. The ancient defensive structure is distinguished by a clear layout, because of which it received the name "Pentagon". The main tower was preserved until the second tier, the top of the building eventually collapsed.

From the weapons were found iron ax and very large arrowheads. Most likely, they were intended for the ballista. Around them lay a variety of stone cores for sling and stone stones.

So far, in the ancient fortification, excavations and studies have been carried out. The fortress was included in the list of historical monuments of antiquities and its museumification began. But in recent years, the work has stopped.