Cave town – Eski-Kermen The routs across the western Crimea are different from the rest, primarily, by their simplicity and insignificant physical load, which is quite acceptable for any megalopolis inhabitant worn out by the urban routine. This rout has no drastic elevation changes, long and tiresome climbs. The trips on the rout do not exceed 4-5 walking hours per day. However, it is here where the most famous places of interest are concentrated: cave monasteries, cave-towns, defensive defenses, towers, fortresses and other monuments of the history. We do believe that the beauty and wilderness of Aiaya cape coast will shock even the most worldly-wise tourists. "Cave towns" is a description and is not an exact term. It appeared in XVIII- early XIX centuries, when these "towns" were already abandoned by their inhabitants, and the land-based dwellings went to rack and got covered with bushes and in some places – by forest. Only numerous auxiliary cave constructions preserved: casemates, stockrooms, premises for cattle and sundry religious constructions. However, the first archeologists got an impression that they were the dwellings of their inhabitants. They are located on individual rises or limbs of the Interior ridge over the wide valleys of the Alma, Kachi and Belbek rivers. Each town was surrounded by a group of agricultural settlements. Mangup is a large limestone remnant of about 200 m high. It stands like an island among three adjacent valleys – Karalezskayam Djan-Dere and Adym-Chokrakskaya. Eski-Kermen is one of the largest "cave towns" of the Crimea. It was established on the hard-to-get plateau at the beginning of VI century, supposedly by Scythia-Sarmatians. Its name in Tatar means "old fortress". Eski-Kermen had good fortifications. On the cliffs there were defensive walls of 2 m thick and 3.5 m high made from big limestone bricks. The towers-casemates were cut in rocks or made from stones. The residential part of the town occupied 10 hectares and was encumbered with two-storied houses covered by tiling. The flanks of Eski-Kermen are indented with caves. There are about 350 of them and the majority of them dated back to XII-XIII centuries. The caves were used as premises for the cattle, workshops, wine press rooms and reservoirs for grape juice. Nearby Ternovka village, to the south-east of Mangup, the rests of two medieval monasteries are preserved. One of them is a small cave monastery – Shuldan – dated late VIII. Of the monastery complex only a temple (cut in rock) with baptismal and pontifical chair in altar preserved. On its walls you can still see the murals dated XII-XIII centuries. In parallel with Shuldan, a bigger cave monastery appeared – Chelter. It has more than 50 caves arranged in 4 tiers. Nowedays, Shuldan monastery is being reconstructed and church services are being held in it. Three meals a day will be provided during the whole trip. Accommodation – in tents. | 
