Genoese Cembalo Fortress was built in the period from 1357 to 1433. Located on a high rocky steep bank of the Black Sea near the entrance to the Bay of Balaklava. In the mid-fourteenth century Genoese ensuring their dominance in the East coast of the Crimean by fortress of Kafa (Feodosia) attempted to subdue the West part of the peninsula taking the old Greek fishing village situated in a narrow and extremely convenient Syumbolon bay. Here the Genoese established trading posts and built a fortress that dominates the height of the entire bay and named it Chembalo. In 1475 the fortress was captured by Turks. They gave the settlement the name of the Balik-Juve (fish-nest) hence the current name of the city - Balaklava.
For the first time is a cozy village is mentioned in the "Odyssey" of Homer. The ancient Greeks named the bay Syumbolon Limni - Harbour omens and symbols. It is assumed that this was Lamos - port mythical listrigonov faced cunning Odysseus and his companions during his wanderings.
Cembalo Fortress consisted of two walled cities: the Lower - Giorgi and Upper - Nicholas. The Lower town was surrounded by a fortified wall which ran along the bay and then went up the hill to the Upper town. The Upper city occupied a rocky area at the top of the cape over the cliff to the sea. This part of the fortress was the citadel. In the citadel was a consular castle the main structure of which was 15 meters high Consular tower. Because of its unusual structure locals call it - "Tower in a skirt." The Tower has in her basement water tank which was supplied by pipeline from a neighboring pottery mountains.
In the Crimean War during the siege of Sebastopol Balaklava Bay in the British fleet was based. English first paved in the Crimea railroad from Balaklava to the forward positions, built spacious quays, roads, installed telegraph communication with London and Paris, have built up the embankment, shops and hotels. Then and became known as the ancient harbor "Little London".
Legends go on treasure of English frigate "Black Prince". On the night of November 24, 1854 in the Balaklava broke out unprecedented hurricane and storm and many ships that failed to enter the bay, crashed on the rocks by the Chembalo Castle. Among them was the legendary frigate "Black Prince" on board which ostensibly was gold - salary for the entire army.
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Chersonesus  is an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. The colony was established in the 6th century BC by settlers from Heraclea Pontica.
The ancient city is located on the shore of the Black Sea at the outskirts of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula, where it is referred to as Khersones. It has been nicknamed the "Ukrainian Pompeii" and "Russian Troy". The site is now part of the National Historical-Archeological Museum-Zapovednik of the Ukrainian Khersones Tavriysky. The name "Chersonesos" in Greek means "peninsula", and aptly describes the site on which the colony was established. It should not be confused with the Tauric Chersonese, the name often applied to the whole of the southern Crimea.
During much of the classical period Chersonesus was a democracy ruled by a group of elected archons and a council called the Demiurgi. As time passed the government grew more oligarchic, with power concentrated in the hands of the archons. A form of oath sworn by all the citizens since the 3rd century BC has survived to the present day. In 2013, Chersonesus was listed as a World Heritage Site.
In the late 2nd century BC Chersonesus became a dependency of the Bosporan Kingdom. It was subject to Rome from the middle of the 1st century BC until the 370s AD, when it was captured by the Huns.
It became a Byzantine possession during the Early Middle Ages and withstood a siege by the Göktürks in 581. Byzantine rule was slight: there was a small imperial garrison more for the town's protection than for its control. It was useful to Byzantium in two ways: as an observation point to watch the barbarian tribes, and its isolation made it a popular place of exile for those who angered the Roman and later Byzantine governments. Among its more famous "inmates" were Pope Clement I and Pope Martin I, and the deposed Byzantine Emperor Justinian II. According to Theophanes the Confessor and others, Chersonesus was the residence of a Khazar governor (tudun) in the late 7th century.
In 833 Emperor Theophilus sent the nobleman Petronas Kamateros, who had recently overseen the construction of the Khazar fortress of Sarkel, to take direct control over the city and its environs, establishing the theme of Klimata/Cherson. It remained in Byzantine hands until the 980s, when it reportedly fell to Kiev. Vladimir the Great agreed to evacuate the fortress only if Basil II's sister Anna Porphyrogeneta would be given him in marriage. The demand caused a scandal in Constantinople, as imperial princesses had never been married to non-Greeks before. As a pre-condition for the marriage settlement, Vladimir was baptized here in 988, thus paving the way to the Baptism of Kievan Rus'. Thereafter Korsun' was evacuated.
Since this campaign is not recorded in Greek sources, historians have suggested that this account actually refers to the events of the Rus'-Byzantine War (1043) and to a different Vladimir. In fact, most valuables looted by the Slavs in Korsun' made their way to Novgorod (perhaps by way of Ioakim Korsunianin, the first Novgorodian bishop, as his surname indicates ties to Korsun), where they were preserved in the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom until the 20th century. One of the most interesting items from this "Korsun Treasure" is the copper Korsun Gate, supposedly captured by the Novgorodians in Korsun' and now part of the St. Sophia Cathedral.
After the Fourth Crusade Chersonesus became dependent on the Empire of Trebizond, and then fell under Genoese control in the early 13th century. In 1299, the town was sacked by the armies of Nogai Khan.
In 1333 a Latin Church diocese of Chersonnesus was established, but it appears that it had only bishop, a Dominican called Richard the Englishman. No longer a residential bishopric, Chersonnesus in Zechia is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see. Chersonnesus had been a Greek episcopal see for centuries, elevated early to the rank of archbishopric, since it is mentioned as such in the Notitiae Episcopatuum; it disappeared after the Turkish conquest in 1475 and the destruction of the city. In the late 19th century, St Vladimir's Cathedral (completed 1892) was built on a small hill overlooking the site; designed in Byzantine style, it was intended to commemorate the site of Vladimir's baptism.
Chersonesus' ancient ruins are presently located in one of Sevastopol's suburbs. They were excavated by the Russian government, starting from 1827. They are today a popular tourist attraction, protected as an archaeological park.
The buildings mix influences of Greek, Roman and Byzantine culture. The defensive wall was approximately 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) long, 3.5 to 4 metres wide and 8 to 10 metres high with towers at a height of 10 to 12 metres. The walls enclosed an area of about 30 hectares (74 acres). Buildings include a Roman amphitheatre and a Greek temple.
The surrounding land under the control of the city, the chora, consists of several square kilometres of ancient but now barren farmland, with remains of wine presses and defensive towers. According to archaeologists, the evidence suggests that the locals were paid to do the farm work instead of being enslaved.
The excavated tombstones hint at burial practices that were different from the Greek ones. Each stone marks the tomb of an individual, instead of the whole family and the decorations include only objects like sashes and weapons, instead of burial statues. Over half of the tombs archaeologists have found have bones of children. Burned remnants suggest that the city was plundered and destroyed.
In 2007, Chersonesus tied for fifth in the Seven Wonders of Ukraine poll.
On February 13, 2009, Ukrainian Defence Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov called on Russia's Black Sea naval fleet to move its automobile depot from the site to another place. The location of the Russian Black Sea naval fleet's automobile depot was one of the obstacles to the inclusion of the reserve on UNESCO's list of world heritage sites.
The 1935 Basilica is the most famous basilica excavated in Chersonesus. The original name is unknown so "1935" refers to the year it was opened.[8] The basilica was probably built in the 6th century on the site of an earlier temple, assumed by historians to be a synagogue, itself replacing a small temple dating from the early days of Christianity.[9] The 1935 basilica is often used as an image representing Chersonesos. Its picture appears on one Ukrainian banknote.
As well as the archaeological sites, the museum has around 200,000 smaller items from 5 AD to the 15th century, over 5,000 of which are currently exhibited. These include: ancient texts, including the Oath of Chersonese citizens (3 AD), decrees in honour of Diophantus (2nd Century AD); a collection of coins; a mosaic of black and white pebbles and coloured stones; ancient ceramics; architectural fragments, including ancient and medieval abacuses, reliefs, the remains of ancient murals.

Chersonesus

The ancient Eski Kermen is situated on the mountain tableland difficult of access. It is one of the oldest and the most picturesque cave towns in Bakhchysarai surroundings. Due to its imposing age and rare authenticity that allows feeling the atmosphere of antiquity in full, the medieval settlement, whose name means Old Fortress in Tatar, is reckoned among the most frequently visited archeological monuments of Crimea’s highlands..
The well fortified town-fortress was built by Byzantine residents in the late 6th century in order to protect approach to Chersonesus, which was Byzantine Empire’s main outpost on the Crimean Peninsula. Up to 30-meter-high forbidding sheer rocks surrounded Eski Kermen and served as its natural defense. In addition, massive stone walls towered in gorges’ upper reaches, which lead up to the city. Settlement’s fortification system consisted of the most fortified southern defensive center, situated at the main city gates, and of the northern patrol complex, which could be reached only by stairs through secret cave with hidden entrance. Casemates and rooms for guards who controlled approaches to Eski Kermen were situated right in front of the steeps.
Town’s prosperity period started in the 10th century and lasted for almost three centuries. At that time its territory widened to nine hectares, and its population rose to three thousand people who were mainly occupied in gardening and farming. Eski Kermen became a large trade and handicraft center and an important administrative and political center of the Southeastern Crimea. It was a full-blown medieval town, built-up with rectangular quarters that were divided by wide streets. In addition to dwelling buildings, several surface and underground temples were situated there.
In total, Eski Kermen numbered 350 caves, more than any other Crimean cave town. Most of them were used for household needs: as corrals and grocery stores. Separate network of caves served as a granary, whose reserves helped medieval town’s residents to withstand long sieges.
Eski Kermen ceased to exist in 1299, when it was almost completely destroyed by Mongol troops. The town tried to recover, but a century later, the Mongol army destroyed remaining fortifications and ravaged it. Since then, the Eski Kermen is abandoned, and numerous caves gape in it as wounds. Despite its tragic fate, the city managed to preserve the remnants of many fortifications, temples, and residential estates cut in the rocks. Now it offers an opportunity to visit amazing stone houses and to walk through medieval streets.
The Temple of Three Riders, carved into gigantic stone mass, is Eski Kermen’s structure of great interest and value. Fragments of fresco painting, dated to the 12th-13th centuries, survived on its walls. Ruins of another ancient temple – the Basilica, built fifteen hundred years ago – stand on the former central square of the cave town. One of Eski Kermen’s most interesting sights is a deep siege well, cut through the entire thickness of the rock. Stairs with 89 steps descended into its depth and lead to the cave, in which water arrived from sources at the foot of the plateau and accumulated.
Getting here. Take a bus from Bakhchysarai to one of the villages neighboring Eski Kermen: Holmovka, Zalesnoye or Krasny Mak. Then, walk to the mountain plateau.
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Eski Kermen

Mangup also known as Mangup Kale (kale means fortress) is a historic fortress in Crimea, located on a plateau about 9 miles due east of Sevastopol (ancient Chersones).
According to the 6th-century Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea, the region of Dory or Doros was settled by those Ostrogoths who refused to follow Theodoric the Great in his invasion of Italy in the 490s, marking the beginning of the Crimean Goths and their homeland, Gothia. Archaeological excavations have demonstrated the establishment of Christian basilicas, fortifications and cave settlements (alongside Mangup also at Eski Kermen etc.) during the 6th century. By the late 7th or early 8th century, a new bishopric, the Metropolis of Doros, was established in the region. Crimean Gothia was conquered by the Khazars in the early 8th century, and later in the 8th century was the center of an unsuccessful Gothic revolt against Khazaria led by Bishop John of Gothia.
As a result of the Khazar conquest, the name Dory/Doros disappeared after the 9th century and was replaced by Mangup, first attested ca. 960, although the early medieval name may have survived in a corrupted form in the name of the Principality of Theodoro, which existed in the area in the late Middle Ages. In the mid-10th century, the Crimean Goths were Khazar vassals, before falling under the influence of competing powers: the Kievan Rus and the Kipchak tribal confederacy. The town was severely damaged by an earthquake in the 11th century, yet managed to maintain autonomy during the Mongol conquest of Crimea but was compelled to pay tribute to the Great Khan.
In ca. 1223, the towns of Gothia may have been tributary to the Empire of Trebizond, and in the late 13th/early 14th century Mangup became the centre of the Principality of Theodoro, whose ruling elite maintained Byzantine traditions and the use of the Greek language. The ruling dynasty, stemming from the area of Trebizond, was called Gabras (in Greek) or Chowra (in Turkish). In the late 14th century, one branch of the dynasty emigrated to Moscow, where they established the Simonov Monastery. The Khovrins, as they came to be known, were hereditary treasurers of Muscovy. In the 16th century, they changed their name to Golovin.
Between 1395 and 1404, Theodoro was under the control of Timur, but its prince, Alexios, managed to regain his independence after Timur's death, and his successors maintained it until the Ottoman conquest in 1475. In 1475, Stephen III of Moldavia sent his brother-in-law, Alexander Gabras, to Mangup with the purpose of replacing a local ruler from the Gabras family, who was Alexander's own brother and vassal to the Ottomans. In May that same year, the Ottoman commander Gedik Ahmet Pasha conquered Caffa and at the end of the year, after five months of besieging Mangup, the city fell to the assault. While much of the rest of Crimea remained part of the Crimean Khanate, now an Ottoman vassal, former lands of Theodoro and southern Crimea was administered directly by the Sublime Porte.
The town's inexorable decline continued. In 1774 the fortress was abandoned by the Turkish garrison. The last inhabitants, a small community of Karaims, abandoned the site in the 1790s.