Cape Chauda. Crimea, nature, description, history of Cape Chauda in Crimea. Cape Chauda - a picturesque training ground in Crimea Video: Diving in the coastal waters of Cape Chauda
- the extreme eastern part of the coast of the Feodosia Gulf. It is located 35 kilometers east of Cape Ilya, the westernmost point of the bay. Chauda has been protected as a geological natural monument since 1964. This is a low, flat section of the Kerch coast with steep banks, up to 30 meters high. Large slabs of durable shell rock successfully resist erosion by sea waves.
In the sands and shell rocks of the ancient sea terrace of Cape Chauda (twenty meters above sea level) you can see numerous fossilized shells of mollusks of the Chauda Sea. This is a unique outcrop in Ukraine, where marine sediments with fossil fauna were discovered. The entire basin was named after the only location in Ukraine of marine sediments of this era.
The desalinated Chaudin Sea existed on the site of the present Black Sea more than a million years ago. It was connected by the Manych Strait with the Caspian, and in the south, apparently, with the Sea of Marmara.
In the vicinity of Chauda there is the largest population in Europe of the two-flowered tulip, listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. Local residents come here for the white Chaudin mushroom, which grows only on the territory of the cape. Alas, we must dispel the rumors that the mushroom was brought here by Catherine II and here it was grown to serve the imperial table. Oyster mushroom is really tasty - I had a chance to try it!
You can talk for a long time about the Chaudin “kut” (as the area with capes is called on the Kerch Peninsula), because there are plenty of attractions around. The salt lake Kachik, located near the cape, is separated from the sea by a sandy embankment.
On the cape itself, the Chaudinsky lighthouse and the Chaudinsky oyster bank fossil, wonderful sandy beaches and Cosmonauts Bay, where the first Soviet descent vehicles were tested to return cosmonauts to Earth, are of interest. But Cape Chauda is also interesting because of its geographical latitude coordinates: 45 degrees 00 minutes. It is through this point that the middle of the northern hemisphere lies. From here it is 5000 km to the equator and to the North Pole.
Photo by Dajv
Karangat- a small cape on which ancient artifacts were found. There was also a late medieval settlement here, as evidenced by a well in the ravine, the mouth of which was blocked by a limestone slab with a hole. The seashore in this area is high and is actively being destroyed by abrasion - most of the late medieval and ancient settlements have been destroyed. Fragments of handles from light clay amphorae dating back to the turn of the era were found in screes on the seashore.
Due to its inaccessibility, since there were military installations here, the southwestern part of the Kerch Peninsula remains the least explored area of the Bosporus Kingdom. According to natural and geographical conditions, this region is considered the least favorable for life due to aridity and lack of fresh water. However, recently it has increasingly attracted the attention of archaeologists. And it turns out there is water on Chaud. And landfills are already history.
Entrance to the landfill
Photo by mail.cr
Groundwater accumulating in sands overlying water-resistant Maikop clays is associated with the deposits of the Chauda marine terrace. This aquifer is fed mainly by melt and rainwater and partly by condensate. Similar favorable hydrogeological conditions on the southwestern plain of the Kerch Peninsula between Feodosia and Cimmerik exist only on Capes Chauda and Karangat. It is with this circumstance and the favorable geographical position, as well as the abundance of arable land in the district, that the development of Cape Chauda in ancient times is associated. On the ruins of the former Tatar village of Dermen near Cape Karangat, in many abandoned farmsteads, Crimean archaeologists A. Gavrilov and A. Ermolin discovered limestone ribbed rollers for threshing wheat. This indicates the suitability of local soils for agriculture and the employment of the local population in arable farming even in the first half of the last century. And most importantly, near Cape Chauda, archaeologists excavated ancient settlement of Kazeka. Where did this name come from? According to Arrian's reports in the Periplus of Pontus Euxine (2nd century AD) and Periplus (IV-V centuries AD), attributed to pseudo-Arrian, at the eastern end of the Theodosian Gulf in the 2nd century AD there could be a settlement called Kazeka. So scientists compared distances based on ancient measures of length and calculated the location of the city! Kazeka is an ancient settlement (late IV - early III centuries BC and existed later) on the periphery of the Bosporan state. Later, an early medieval settlement of the Saltovo-Mayak culture was located on the same site. The area of the monument is about 12 hectares. It includes three objects: the remains of the cultural layer of the ancient settlement, ancient quarries and wells and the remains of an early medieval settlement.
The preserved cultural strata of Kazeki extend from the cape along the shore of Mayachnaya Bay. And on the Chauda plateau, between the cape and the top of Mayachnaya Bay, four ancient shallow wells were discovered, carved into the shell limestones down to the aquifer. And they are still in use today! All wells are pear-shaped, and only one of them has a rectangular entrance mouth. Dating the wells is difficult, but archaeologist Alexander Gavrilov said: “It is possible that, having been built in the first centuries of our era, they were actively used and were reconstructed in modern times.” It is also difficult to date the quarries - well-preserved developments of building stone on the shore of Mayachnaya Bay above the western cliff of the cape plateau, in which limestone-shell rock was mined. The construction remains near the lighthouse are also problematic for dating: fragments of ceramic containers from the first centuries AD and amphoras of the Black Sea type are mixed with modern garbage, including from a Tatar village located on the site of the lighthouse. That’s why archaeologists are actively conducting research here—we need to literally get to the bottom of the truth, to the depths of the ancient Kazeki.
Sergei Tkachenko, "
In the morning, while I was having breakfast, another column of armored personnel carriers passed about a hundred meters from me. There is a lot of equipment around, I am in the very center of the action. Thank God no one ran over me.
I'm heading out onto the road. In daylight it is even wider. There should be a landfill fence on the left, but there isn’t. I'm going to look for my satellite beacon. 
This is the place where I fell and where I was supposed to have lost my purse with the beacon. I walked around everything. There is nothing. 
This is the road beyond the horizon. 
There is equipment on the right and on the left, and in the middle I am, all in red. 
View back. 
Cape Chauda and the lighthouse of the same name. The road turns left, towards the shore. On the left in the distance is a checkpoint to the training ground, next to a huge tent city.
Then a car stops in front of me, a military man gets out and slows me down. It turns out he found my purse with the beacon. I don’t know how he figured me out, but the incredible happened. In an open field, a man stops me and returns my beacon to me. A wonderful man, may God grant him health and the shoulder straps of a general. 
Entrance to the lighthouse. Strange, no locks, no scary inscriptions. The tag is in Ukrainian, no one here in Crimea is fighting the nightingale’s motto. It is written that the lighthouse was founded in 1886. 
There is silence in the yard. 
A well was discovered. Stocked up with water. 
Here is the testing site checkpoint next to the lighthouse. Both the checkpoint and the buildings around are complete ruins, which means that even here, when there are no exercises, you can drive safely. There’s just no reason to go here, nothing interesting. Steppe, empty shore, ruins and crooked pillars. And for some reason there is no security on this side. Here, in Crimea, even the military guards only the central gate.
The tent city is a little further, it is not visible. 
That's it, it seems the training ground is over. I drove further along the coast, to the west towards Feodosia. 
There are warriors ahead again. How many are there? 
Again I come across a barrier, next to a house, cars and again soldiers. They turn me back into the steppe, again they talk about the training ground. They categorically do not let you through directly. At the Great and Mighty I tell the soldiers what I think about their training and their training ground, and I don’t forget to mention their closest relatives. Guys, it’s clear that this has absolutely nothing to do with it, but I’m really tired of running around the steppe.
I'm heading north again. There is no road, there is this track. 
I make a small detour and again steer towards the shore. 
An abandoned house on the shore. It is written on the wall that this is a restricted area and that there is no need to collect anything, because it might explode. As I understand it, this is the end of the training ground and we can move on calmly. 
There is a tower, houses and trees ahead. Well, I think it’s a village. I'll have to go to the shop to get some food. And the pillars along the road are branded, Crimean.
I think that on the coat of arms of Crimea it is necessary to draw a garbage dump near the ruins, a poster “Stop, you bastard, passage is prohibited” and a crooked pillar. It will turn out just right. 
Ahead of the houses turned out to be not a village but an observation tower of the training ground. There is an ensign on the road. We've arrived. I'm sick and tired of the warriors and their training grounds two days ago. And the ensign turned out to be a very decent person. Clean, ironed, shaved. He politely introduced himself and asked to see his passport. Moreover, he made a reservation that I was not obliged to do this, but it would be easier and faster. He looks at the passport, calls somewhere and asks to wait, now, they say, the authorities will arrive.
We stand and talk. There is a huge building nearby, next to the stands. There are different types of equipment around the target. It turns out that this is the training ground where in the spring they organized an air show for Crimeans with shooting. For this occasion, stands were made and everything was put in order. I read about this show. Everything seemed to be done correctly, but they did not take into account that such a huge mass of people would come. In general, there was a terrible traffic jam, people abandoned their cars on the side of the road and walked to the stands. Moreover, after the shooting it started to rain, everyone got wet by the time they got to their cars. In general, it was fun, but no one particularly complained. 
About thirty minutes later the authorities arrived, stood about fifty meters away, looked at me from afar and ordered me to be driven away.
The ensign showed me the way and reassured me that this was the last training ground and no one would arrest me until Feodosia.
There are targets ahead in the photo. I drove straight across the target field. 
There is a piece of the runway and a couple of planes seem to be taking off. And the planes are real, Czech training ones. 
There are air defense systems here. 
Column of armored vehicles. Only for some reason all the equipment is painted white. Are our people going to bomb the UN troops? 
I got onto the highway. View back to the tower. Everything was seriously arranged, clean, beautiful. 
I had to make a small detour. It was impossible to drive along the coast; the coast was crossed by deep ravines.
This is me again on the shore. View back. 
View to the north. Steppe to the horizon. 
And the shore is still continuous cliffs. 
Yuzhnoye village. I drove along the main street in search of a store. The village is small, there are many abandoned houses. There is no store as such. In one of the courtyards, the owner allocated one room in the house for trading. I got some cookies and water. I asked the hostess why everything was so bad? She said that it’s not easy to live here, people are slowly running away. They feed only on cows. Some kind of local steppe breed that manages to not only feed in this scorched steppe, but also give milk. 
I went to the shore. It's late in the evening. We need to look for a place to spend the night. It's not that simple. You can’t stop near the village, but in the steppe everything is thorny and tussocky. 
View of the village from the shore. 
I found a cozy place about three kilometers from the village. I didn’t go down to the water. You still can't swim. The wound on the sole keeps bleeding, as if it doesn’t cause an infection. Then it will be completely funny if he drums his foot.
I admired the sunset and had dinner. Lights out. 
The last two days of the hike showed that there was absolutely nothing to do in this part of Crimea. Even if there are no exercises and travel is free, it’s just melancholy to watch here. Depressing places, deserted shore and scorched steppe all around.
The only thing that makes sense is to come to Cape Opuk, then you need to go down to the beach. swim for a couple of days, and then go out onto the highway and head straight to Feodosia.
Certain attractions of Crimea are not easy for an ordinary tourist to visit. But they are worth the extra effort to organize a visit. They are associated with special events and contain special beauty. This is Cape Chauda in Crimea.
Where is the cape in Crimea?
Even a bad geographer will not find it difficult to find this object on the map. Cape Chauda in Crimea is one of the ends of Feodosia Bay. In fact, it represents a kind of “branch”.
Chauda on the map of Crimea
Historical sketch
In ancient times, on the site of the cape there splashed a fresh sea, conventionally called the Chaud Sea. Geologists suggest that it was connected by straits to the Caspian and Mramorny. Specific bottom sediments of this reservoir can now be observed on Chauda. Thanks to this, in 1964 it was recognized as a geological reserve. Its geography is still changing today. The destruction of the banks is quite active, the last major collapse was recorded in 2004. This process threatens the archaeological sites found here.
Legends from life
The cape is small enough (its area is approximately 5 sq. km) for many legends to fit on its territory. But they are there, and they all have a vital basis.
So, the appearance of a lighthouse here (it is the main attraction here) is really connected with a maritime disaster. In 1888, the Orest, a fairly large passenger steamer, was wrecked nearby. To avoid such tragedies, marine signaling was provided.
There are many picturesque coves on the cape, one of them is loudly called Cosmonauts Bay. And this is not bragging. Naturally, they didn’t fly into space from here, but in Soviet times, descent vehicles were tested here, designed to return cosmonauts to Earth at the end of the flight. They didn’t go to the bay, but it gave many of them a chance to set foot on their home planet again.
Cape Chauda has reason to be considered something of a decoration on the belt of the northern hemisphere. The fact is that its geographical latitude is exactly 45 degrees. Consequently, strictly equal distances separate it from the North Pole and the equator.
Cape Chauda: a beautiful nature reserve
Before deciding how to get to Cape Chauda, a tourist should find out whether he can get there at all. The fact is that there is a military training ground nearby, therefore, the territory is sensitive, and you need a special pass to visit it. But it is possible to draw up such a document, but it is better to do it in the spring.
The flora here is quite rich. This includes a large population of biflora. It usually blooms during this time - this sight is worth attention. It is important to remember that the plant is listed in the Red Book, 
so forming a bouquet or collecting planting material for a personal flowerbed is excluded. But taking a photo as a souvenir and preserving the beauty of the spring steppe for yourself is not prohibited.
There are also several archaeological sites here. Unfortunately, the degree of their research leaves much to be desired. Tourists can see a place where excavations of ancient quarries were never completed. Archaeologists have established that there was a Kazeka settlement here, the emergence of which dates back to the beginning of our era.
People also lived here in the early and late Middle Ages. The natural features of the cape, where the fertility of the land is complemented by the presence of a good aquiferous limestone layer, determined such popularity of these places among our ancestors. Scientists have discovered several well-preserved wells, which made it possible to use the groundwater of the limestone layer.
Often those who have a hunting license manage to get here. 
But “silent hunting” also goes well here: spring Crimean porcini mushrooms are found in considerable quantities. At the same time, it’s easy to walk along (be careful, landslides are possible) and look for the shells of ancient mollusks.
Such antiquities, teeth, and other paleontological souvenirs are constantly washed ashore from the Jurassic sediments. At the end of spring and summer you can swim – the beaches are beautiful and comfortable. It’s also easy to try to do this in Cosmonauts Bay and feel like a conqueror of the Universe.
Of the notable buildings, the lighthouse attracts attention; everyone who comes here tries to photograph it. Reviews from tourists note the originality of the local landscape and the charm of its shores. It's a shame that research into his past hasn't been done properly yet. We need to hurry up with this: the destructive power of the sea will not wait.
How to get to Chaud?
It is not possible to get to Cape Chauda by public transport; the best option is a personal or rented car. From here you need to take the E97 highway, towards Kerch. Before reaching the village of Batalnoye, there will be a turn to the right, towards the village of Yuzhnoye. After this, there is still about 40 km of travel ahead - after turning to the village of Yarkoye you need to turn south. On the map the route to the attraction looks like this:
Note to tourists
- Address: s. Yarkoye, Leninsky district, Crimea, Russia.
- Coordinates: 45.004499, 35.831951.
For obvious reasons, Cape Chauda in Crimea is not the most visited and popular place. But it’s worth trying to get here to get the opportunity for a short time, but to be a paleontologist, a botanist, and an astronaut!
Today I will continue my story about the capes of Feodosia. The next natural attraction that I will focus my attention on will be Cape Chauda.
geological natural monument located at the eastern end of the Feodosia Bay. Since 1964, it has been a state reserve with an area of 13,176 hectares of steppe.
Landscape and geological natural monument. This plateau is up to 30 m high, with steep banks and large slabs of shell rock lying at the base, which prevent its erosion.
Nests on the territory of the reserve bustard and little bustard.
In the Chauda Nature Reserve they grow rare and unique plants. For example, the population of two-color tulips is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
Chaudin mushroom. Dishes made from these mushrooms were served at the table of Empress Catherine II.
IN Chaudin sands and shell rocks can be seen numerous fossilized remains of animal organisms that inhabited the sea in the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic era.
Desalinated Chaudin Sea existed on the site of the present Black Sea more than a million years ago. The Chaudin Sea was connected along the Manych Strait with the Caspian Sea, and in the south with the Marmara Sea.
Near Cape Chauda there was an ancient settlement - Kazeka. But people settled here much earlier: between 8 and 9 km northeast of the village of Primorsky, in the Chernaya Balka tract, there were 4 sites of ancient people, dating back to the Mesolithic - Neolithic eras.
Between the top of Mayachnaya Bay and Cape Chauda 4 wells were discovered, up to 7 m deep, cut out of limestone, they are pear-shaped. And only 1 rectangular well. The construction of these wells dates back to the first centuries AD.
Near Mayachnaya Bay You can see abandoned excavations for the extraction of building stone.
Sights of Cape Chauda:
- Salt lake Kachik (located near the cape, separated from the sea by a sandy embankment).
- Chaudinsky lighthouse (built in 1888, after the shipwreck of the passenger steamer "Orest").
- Cosmonaut Bay (test site of the first Soviet descent vehicles).
- Wonderful sandy beaches.
- Fossil Chaudin oyster jar.
Cape Chauda is unique due to its geographical latitude coordinates: 45° 00 min. The 45th parallel (the middle of the northern hemisphere of the earth) runs through this point, from here it is 5000 km to the equator and to the north pole.
Cape Chauda is currently closed to the public. There is a large military training ground here. You can get to the cape only with the permission of the military leadership or for hunting under a license.
Cape Chauda
Cape Chauda is the southern tip of the Kerch Peninsula. This eastern edge of Feodosia Bay is clearly visible from the city. It is not far, but this area is already deserted and waterless. And further, throughout the south of the peninsula, there are active and abandoned military units, remains of metal objects in the ground, and in some places abandoned buildings are visible. In summer it is dry, in winter it is cold and windy. Only the sea reminds you of where you ended up in your wanderings, and reconciles you with the boring steppe nature. But let's take a closer look at this edge of the earth. Here, among the gnarled stones and rocks indestructible by the surf, there are fossilized shells of marine organisms from the Mesozoic era. If you're lucky, you can find a large mmonite - this is a treasure for any historical museum. Due to the abundance of such finds, Cape Chauda has been declared a geological natural monument.
Cape Chauda is a landscape and geological natural monument with an area of 5 square meters. km. The height of the cape is 15-30 meters above sea level. In addition to the vegetation, the cape is interesting for the fossilized remains of animal organisms that inhabited the sea in the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic era. The 3 km long water area adjacent to Cape Chauda is also protected. The area of the protected area of the Chaudinskaya steppe is 13,176 hectares. Not far from Cape Chauda, archaeologists have excavated the ancient site of Kazeka.
The Chaudinskaya steppe near the village of Yarkogo is a nature reserve with many different plants, including orchids. In the spring, rare plants listed in the Red Book - two-flowered tulips - are born after overwintering in bulbs. They rush to bloom during the short season of warm rains, produce seeds, and then hide, conserve moisture reserves and not show up until next spring. You don’t want to leave this land when it’s decorated with tulips. The reserve is also notable for the fact that here is one of the rarest places in the Crimea, where the bustard and even its capricious relative, the little bustard, which requires virgin lands, nest.
A stubborn, angry east wind bursts into Feodosia Bay, rounding the steep Cape Chauda. There are often storms there, especially in winter. From the first years of navigation, ships ran into the rocky reef surrounding the cape; This was the case in December 1862. The passenger steamer "Orest" rounded the ill-fated cape during a storm - and, for the third time in a year, ran aground. Both the crew and passengers were saved - they swam across and then ran across the waves to the shore. But here it is, the winter steppe: frost -16, icy nor'easter and stripes of fog from the sea. No shelter, no tree to break branches, make a fire, or at least hide from the wind. On the edge of the earth, which is also called part of the fertile Crimea, thirty people died overnight from the cold.
This tragedy was investigated by a special commission. They came to the conclusion that sea workers had known for a long time: the accident occurred only because there was no lighthouse on the cape. “If a 1st category lighthouse, rising 100 feet above the surface of the sea, had been... built on Cape Chauda, its fire would have protected the Abin transport and the Orest steamer from wrecking, despite unfavorable weather conditions.” That's what it said in the investigative report.
The Directorate of Lighthouses of the Black and Azov Seas urgently developed a lighthouse project. The Marine Technical Committee approved it, but then, according to the well-known tradition of officials... it was frozen for an indefinite period of time (it turned out to be more than 20 years). The lighthouse was built only in 1888. They immediately began to conduct meteorological observations and transmit weather reports to Feodosia. And finally, maritime accidents stopped abeam the cape. Pilot notes of the Geographical Department of Russia report that this lighthouse is intended “... to prevent accidents with ships sailing into the Kerch Strait, and will make it easier for ships to approach Feodosia. The white lighthouse building, consisting of a one-story residential building and a tetrahedral tower attached to it in the middle, is built of rubble stone with facing... The height of the tower from the base is 37 feet, the height of the fire above sea level is 121 feet. The fire is constant, white, with flashes of white and red alternately after one minute. Mathematical fire horizon 12.6 miles.”
In clear weather, this bright light could be visible at a distance of 20 miles - this was already mentioned in the sailing directions of the late 19th century. The lighthouse building survived the war and was reconstructed in 1956. A modern light-optical apparatus provides an estimated flashing range of up to 17 miles. The lighthouse on Cape Chauda remains a shrine of the sea - even in our century it helps navigators to see danger and chart the right course in time.
Tarasenko D. N.
Photos of Beautiful places in Crimea
