SIGHTSEEING TOURS, EXCURSIONS IN SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE. SIMFEROPOL TOURISM AND TRAVELS
Mramornaya Peshera (Marble cave) is a unique karst cave, it has been found out and explored in 1987 on northwest a slope of Chatyr-Dagã by the Simferopol cave explorers. Discovery of the cave unique in the sizes, riches and a variety of mineral adjournment became sensation among the scientific, speleological and tourist public. In 1997, for the purpose of improvement of excursion service or visitors full reconstruction of excursion routes of a cave Marble has been made. For today extent of excursion routes in the Marble cave Marble reaches more than 1,5 km and covers one of the most entertainment galleries of the cave.
Naples Scythian is an archaeological reserve. The place for a city has been chosen rather successfully: the territory represents a triangle turned to the north, from the northeast natural protection is abruptly breaking Petrovsky rocks, in the west - a deep remote beam in the area of which breakage there was a defensive wall. As a result of archaeological researches the main gate of a city and a southern defensive wall presently are opened. Special interest is represented by the Scythian mausoleum and history of its excavation. From an outer side of a defensive wall ancient burial - a number of the funeral boxes, based one over another was found out. There was a deepening covered with a plate in a rock. There was a burial place of II century BC and so the tomb of the Scythian tsar Skilur has been found out. The mausoleum is a unique monument in Scythian settlements. Its location confirms once again value of Naples as economic and cultural centre of the late Scythian state, the capital of Small Scythia.
Angarskyi Pass is a pass in Crimea; it is the highest point of the rout Simferopol - Alushta (752 m above sea level). The Angarskyi Pass is a popular vacation place. On the mountainside of Chatyr-Dag mountain-skiing lines are located they operate during winter time. Near to Angarskyi pass on Chatyr-Dag there is a Beech grove - a popular tourist place. In the vicinities of Angarsk pass competitions on sports orientation take place. On the Angarskyi Pass the post of traffic inspectors and a stop of trolley buses "Simferopol-Alushta" and "Simferopol-Yalta" are located. Near to pass there is a tourist centre with the same name “Angarskyi”.
Red caves or Qizil-Qoba is a system of several caves located in Crimean mountains on spurs of Dolgorukovskaya yayla in 3 km from the village Perevalnoe (Angara) of the Simferopol area. Qizil-Qoba is the greatest cave in Crimea. The general extent of its researched part makes about 21150 m, the area of 64000 m ?, volume of 270000 m ?, and difference of heights of 275 m. Extent of separate halls makes 70 - 80 m, height up to 145 m (the Hall of the Blue thaw). Average temperature of air of ground floors is about 8,1 - 9,0°Ñ. There are several caves they form the complete underground labyrinth consisting of six floors; so, visiting of the Red cave is possible with guides only. On the ground floor the underground river proceeds. In a cave it are a lot of lakes, falls, siphons. Qizil-Qoba is known and as an archeology monument. In the tract about 2,5 thousand years ago people lived. Scientists call them Q?z?l-Qoba culture (possible descendants of Cimmerians). Since 1989 in a cave the equipped excursion route operates with extent about 500 m.
Republican museum of local lore is one of the most interesting in Crimea. Its history goes back to the Museum of antiquities of the Taurian scientific archival commission (it was based in 1887) and the natural-historical museum of the Taurian zemstvo (it was based in 1899). In 1988 to a museum a new building on Gogol's street, 14 has been given where the museum is located today. Nowadays the Crimean republican museum of local lore has more than 100 thousand exhibits, among them the remarkable archaeological collection from Paleolithic epoch to the Middle Ages, numismatic collection, unique drawing of XVIII-XIX centuries with views of Crimea, personal archives of known researchers of the nature and history of peninsula of P.I.Keppen, A.H.Steven, A.L.Berte-Delagard, the richest funds of photos and documents. The museum stores interesting historical-household things, arts and crafts subjects, a porcelain collection and ethnographic materials. Simferopol, Gogolya str., 14 Tel.: +38 (0652) 252511, 259866
Simferopol art museum began its history in 1922 when as a part of the Central museum of Taurida there was an art department. A collection of art department products made masterpieces from palaces, country houses and private residences of Southern coast of Crimea, which have arrived as a result of nationalization of 1918-1920. Now in a museum 77 products are presented which have remained from a pre-war collection. Collections of a present Simferopol art museum is very interesting, it has high art value. In the exposition beginning it is possible to see icons of the Moscow school, portraits painted by D.G.Levitsky, A.G.Venetsianov, V.A.Tropinin, I.K.Ayvazovsky landscapes. Creativity of artists-peredvizhniki is presented by works of N.A.Jaroshenko, I.E.Repin, N.N.Ge, A.I.Kuindgy. In a constant exposition V.M.Vasnetsov, V.D.Polenov, M.A.Vrubel, V.M.Nesterov, A.N.Benua paintings are presented, L.S. Áàêñòà, K.A.Korovin. A galaxy of brilliant names is continued by I.E.Grabar, K.S.Petrov-Vodkin, K.F.Juon, P.P.Konchalovsky, A.A.Dejneka and T.N. Jablonsky. Special interest is caused by large monographic collections of artists, whose life and creativity are connected with Crimea: Ayvazovsky’s student E.J.Magdesjana, M.M.Kazasa, M.A.Voloshin, K.F.Bogaevsky, N.S.Samokisha, N.S.Barsamova. Modern Crimean painting and a drawing are fine works of S.G. Mamchin, F.Z.Zaharov, V.D.Bernadskiy, L.V.Labenko, E.A.Sizikov and many other talented painters. Nowadays in funds of the Simferopol art museum it is stored about 9 thousand works of art. Expositions of the Simferopol art museum are constantly updated. Simferopol, Karla Libknehta str., 35
Holm Slavi (the Glory hill) or Kolan-bair in Dolgorukovskaya Yayla, everything there is connected with wars, guerrillas, shooting; however, getting here, you will feel only silence and pacification. War is far in the past, and all entrenchments, shell-holes, splinters of bombs and shells seem entertaining exhibits of a museum. In our peace time everywhere on yayla you will find a large quantity of monuments - monuments to the guerrillas who were at war here. The centre of the memorial certainly is - the Glory Hill. Glory Hill has been made at the height of 887 m. the memorial is executed in the form of a five-pointed star. On all edge of the forest around the Glory Hill there are monuments and obelisks to the heroes-guerrillas who have died on fighting boundaries. Near to the Glory Barrow the guerrilla source is located. In days of the war in these places guerrilla dugouts settled down and it is possible to see their traces now. Some of them are even restored. And over an input tablets hang.
Mountain range Chatyr-Dag (yayla and caves) are the nature sanctuary and reserved natural boundary of Crimea. Even ancient travelers paid attention to the original form of this mountain. It reminded them a table, and on ancient cards Chatyr-Dag was called Trapezus (trapezium). When you approach Simferopol from the north, from flat Crimea, or from Black sea approach Alushta, it seems as if the giant tent was stretched among mountains. It is an explanation of the Mountain range name - Chatyr-Dag, or the Tent-mountain. The most known and often visited karstic cavities on plateau Chatyr-Daga are caves Suuk-Koba (Cold) and Binbash-Koba (Thousand heads). Cave Suuk-Koba represents a cavity in the form of a tunnel in length of 210 m. It has seven big halls to 20 m in height and width. Binbash-Koba is a little bit shorter - 110 m.
Cave Emine-Bair-Hosar, is in 900 meters far from a cave Marble. In 1994 by employees of the centre speleological tourism "Onyx-tour" there has been begun works on equipment for excursions. Underground galleries Baira are stretched on 1460 meters and fall on depth more than 120 meters. In 1995 the new hall which has been named after the known researcher of the underground world of V.N.Dubljanskiy has been found out. Unique paleontological finds have been made: bones of mammoths, a cave bear, a woolly rhinoceros. On the basis of these finds in a cave the paleontological mini-museum is created. From the Main hall routes disperse. The left gallery leads in a hall Dubljanskiy, amazing because variety and color of leakages, but also the rare cave creation - two-level tiff lake. The right gallery, passing snow-white columns, leads in the Throne hall to leakages "the Monomove Cap" and "the Stone flower". The top gallery of a cave begins at height of ten meters over a bottom of the Main hall. Having risen here on a ladder, we get to the Lake hall. The walls of a hall decorated tiff with a drapery are buried in emerald waters of underground lake. Its water is so transparent, that the bottom on depth of 6 meters is visible. The hall of the Idols is one of the largest equipped cave halls of Europe. Grandiose walls are covered with snow-white tiff flowers and cascades multi-colored tiff leakages, rush down 20 meters “stone falls” from the ceiling. Tens stone "idols" (stalagmites of the various sizes) are piled up on all hall, giving to a cave fantastic magnificence. From a hall of Idols, the excursion route through 28 meter artificial tunnel leads in a hall Dubljanskiy. The most beautiful, but also remote bottom galleries of the cave are natural mineralogical museum reserve.
Mosque Kebir-Dzhami is a prominent architectural monument of Simferopol, the oldest building of the city. The inscription at the input of the Mosque testifies that the mosque has been constructed in 1508. It has been many times altered subsequently, and its shape has changed a lot. In the beginning of XVI century to the north of ruins of Naples-Scythian, on crossing of trading and strategic roads, there was a large city of the Crimean khanate, the Ak-mosque. In 1508 mosque Kebir-Dzhami has been consecrated. They suppose that the mosque whiteness has entitled a medieval city the Ak-mosque (the White Mosque). The ak-mosque was represented by large enough settlement, on medieval scales. The medieval Ak-mosque totaled about 10000 inhabitants, not including visitors. In the Ak-mosque the residence of the kalga-sultan - the second person of the Crimean khanate, after the khan settled down, some houses were two - and three-storied, the city had mosques, markets, hotels (khans), and was decorated by fountains.
