There are many sights and beauties in Crimea, but Ak Kaya overshadows them all. Rising impregnably above the Biyuk-Kasu valley, the river, which has seen a lot, White Rock or, as the natives call it, Ak Kai, it dazzles with purity and brightness.

It would seem that there are ridges and peaks here, much higher than Mount Ak Kaya, which is just over 325 meters, but the limestone rocks and elaborate shape natural monument attract the gaze of travelers and force them to gaze with rapture at the gray-white rock protruding like the bowsprit of a frigate. Millennia have not broken the spirit of the mountains; this is a special, wild and majestic beauty that amazes with its inescapability and unbridled pride.

Located next to Belogorsk, by the way, the city is named after the white rock Ak Kaya, the elevation is part of the Inner Ridge and continues with a chain of the same limestones that are visible when looking to the east.

Ak Kaya becomes especially beautiful at sunset, when the mass acquires a golden hue and literally begins to glow.

It is interesting that it is in this part of Crimea that the limestones have a slightly yellowish color, but upon closer examination it becomes clear that the yellowness is imparted by shells and other remains of life forms of the Cretaceous period, when these rocks were formed.

Legends and history of Ak Kaya

The legends of White Rock have been sung for centuries. According to one of the tales, a long time ago the Ak Kaya rock was the refuge of a dragon or the Serpent-Gorynych. He flew freely, carried the shepherds' cattle, slaughtered domestic animals and, as usual, fell in love with a young girl of unearthly beauty. He grabbed the charming girl and brought her to his cliff. The young woman disliked the monster, refused her love, but was cunning.

And, after crying a little, she decided to be flattered by the snake and ask about his death. The monster said that in one of the houses there was a hero stronger than him, and besides, there was a real treasure sword hanging on the wall. The girl tore off the sleeve from her clothes, wrote on the fabric everything that the Serpent told her, wrapped a stone in her sleeve and threw it down from Ak Kai.

Of course, the message was found, but no one rushed to the rescue. After a while, the young woman carried her son, and the monster took care of the golden cradle. People heard the cry of the baby snake and found the hero and challenged the Snake to battle. Both died, the girl took the life of her child and also threw herself to the ground. But the golden cradle remains and still excites the minds of jewelry hunters.

The story is, of course, mythical, but Ak Kaya White Rock keeps reliable facts. In particular, during the reign of the Tatar Khanate, the place became disastrous for thousands of people disliked by the khan’s view, who were thrown down without trial or investigation.

And in 1777, Ak Kaya was the location of Russian troops under the command of Suvorov. Already in 1783, the great Russian commander Prince Potemkin took the oath of allegiance from the beys and murzas to allegiance to Russia.

White Rock in Crimea, like most of the spurs and ridges of the Inner Ridge, is a cuesta, the shapes of which are not symmetrical. Sheer slopes compete in beauty with gentle slopes. As a result of weathering, grottoes, pillars, niches of various shapes were formed in the massif, and screes turned into gentle slopes. A huge number of natural caves and grottoes amaze with their beauty. Since 1981 White Mountain in Crimea it is recognized as a Natural Monument and is therefore carefully protected.

It is interesting that the Ak Kaya rock provided answers to many questions of historians. In particular, it was here that a fragment of the skull of an adult Neanderthal and various artifacts dating back to later periods were found. The entire area of ​​the mountain was very favorable for life: water, comfortable shelters for animals, rich flint deposits. The fauna of those times was distinguished by a wide “assortment”: cave bears, deer, saigas, bulls, onagers - the fossilized bones of these animals were generously scattered throughout the caves and grottoes.

Mount Ak Kaya is a monument of nature and for geologists. In the layers you can find the fossilized remains of sea animals, even the teeth of a giant shark that lived in the place of a shallow sea that once spilled its waters quite widely.

The Sarmatians, one of the most warlike tribes on Earth, did not bypass Ak Kaya. The discovered tamgas, which are tribal signs of the tribes, give reason to state that the Ak Kaya rock was the residence of numerous clans and the burial place of Scythian leaders. And there is documentary and visual confirmation of this - the Scythian fortress White Rock! It is located on the western slope and the road there is difficult to access. Not everyone would dare to try to climb into a hole, the entrance of which is located 52 meters from the base and 49 meters from the edge of a steep cliff.

The caves and grottoes of Ak Kaya are a different story. Many believe that an extensive network of caves will lead the traveler far to the sea, and the labyrinth ends at the southeastern part. And along the way you will come across a lot of buried treasures, chests with jewelry and other pleasant and useful things. On the one hand, the Scythians could really hide their wealth here, but on the other hand, geologists have already examined many caves and it is impossible to find anything valuable for a person without preparation. But did these considerations push anyone away? And tourists wander through the caves, looking through literally everything that is under their feet, in the hope of finding Scythian gold.

And the value of Ak Kaya is in the caves themselves. Only here you can see incredible and unique connections of limestone layers that belonged to different eras of our planet. Each layer is a millennium. There are still remains of shells, and if you look a little closer, you can see the transition of shades from pinkish to gray, ashy and white - differences between periods.

Ak Kaya Grottoes - a refuge from the summer scorching sun, it’s nice to sit in them and think about what the White Rock fortress was like in its heyday. The steep edges provide a complete understanding of the futility of attempts to capture the highest sloping point, for which there is a lot of historical evidence. The flat top provides a huge overview of the Crimean lands. The higher you rise, the fresher the wind becomes, filled with the aromas of flowering herbs and shrubs. And at the very peak of Ak Kaya, the panorama, breadth of view and all the charm of the picture literally take your breath away!

How to get there

If you want to see exactly where such famous films as “The Man from the Boulevard des Capuchins”, “The Leader of the Redskins”, “Mustang Pacer”, “Armed and Very Dangerous” were filmed, estimate the size of the height from which the characters in the movie “Mirage” jumped ”, and also get into the fairy tale “Chippolino”, you definitely need the White Rock! Getting to Ak Kaya is easy if you set the coordinates in your navigator: N 45.5.53 E 34.38.00 or drive to the Belogorsky district - Ak Kaya is visible from the highway, which is very convenient for all travelers.

Exact location: 50 km from Simferopol and 5 km from the Simferopol-Kerch highway. Buses go to Belogorsk quite often, the trip is inexpensive. And, by the way, you cannot drive a car only from the south side; from the north this can be done without any problems. And it’s better to drive not to the village of Belaya Skala, but a little further, to Vishenny (village), where the road to Ak Kaya begins.

And to make the journey pleasant, at the entrance to the road there is a grotto with a source of delicious water.

Except independent travel, you can accept the offer from travel companies Simferopol, where they offer the most different tours for parents with children over 4 years old.

Crimea has many attractions for every taste. There are mosques and waterfalls, gorges and monasteries, museums and cave cities, mounds and quarries, palaces and caves, dolphinariums, parks, gardens, fortresses, observatories, nature reserves, mud volcanoes, art gallery and even dormant volcano. You can live your whole life in Crimea and not see half of it. This is what happened with the White Rock. How many times, driving along the Feodosia-Simferopol highway, we saw it in the distance, not even imagining how interesting this place could turn out to be. This year we finally went on purpose. My school friend and part-time Feodosia tour guide, Elena, went with us.

White Rock - Ak-Kaya, the most beautiful massif of the Outer Range of the Crimean Mountains. An almost hundred-meter sheer cliff of limestone rises on a conical base of white marls, rugged deep ravines. This landscape, close to the chalk prairie, allowed Soviet filmmakers to shoot westerns and adventure films here: “The Headless Horseman”, “The Man from Capuchin Boulevard”, “The Mustang Pacer”, “The Leader of the Redskins”, “Cippolino”, “Armed and Very dangerous", "Kings and cabbage".

Since 1981 it has been a natural monument of national importance. This entire area is of great interest to archaeologists. It was here that the remains of Neanderthal man were discovered for the first time on the territory of the USSR. The caves of the White Rock served him as shelter from bad weather, and its steep cliffs helped to drive the beast during the hunt. And in a quarry where limestone was mined, in 1981 the bones of an ancient whale that lived 50 million years ago were discovered. This is the first such find not only in Crimea, but throughout Eurasia.

Like most of the mountains of the Inner Range, this is a typical cuesta, that is, a mountain with asymmetrical slopes - gentle and steep. We drive from the Golden Field and enter the White Rock from its gentle side, along the road that is marked on the map as the road to the quarry.

Of course, we did not miss the opportunity to get closer to the Scythian mounds, of which there are a lot here, from very low to ten meters high. But let's get back to this a little later. In this message I will only talk about the landscape part of our walk. Archaeological deserves a separate story.

If you look to the north, this is the usual Crimean steppe.

Which suddenly ends abruptly

revealing the vast valley of the Biyuk-Karasu River (from Crimean Tatar - big black water).

Here she is, curling like a green snake

Along the entire cliff you can see cracks separating large blocks from the main massif. Sooner or later they will collapse.

But destruction is constant. The white color of the rock is caused precisely by the fact that the rocks that make up Ak-Kaya do not have time to change color under the influence of natural influences. The mountain has a two-tier structure - the main massif is Paleogene limestone, and under it there is a cone-shaped slope consisting of rock intermediate between limestone and clay, that is, scree formed as a result of the slow destruction of limestone. We will see this later when we go down into the valley and look at the White Rock from below.

I don’t risk going closer to the cliff - a strong gusty wind literally pushes me unexpectedly into my back. Although I really want to go to the very edge and appreciate the height and beauty of the valley.

I must say that we were very lucky with the weather. The cyclone passing at this time added drama to the landscapes and adrenaline to the sensations.

The sky is clearing up

then it's covered in dark clouds

I was not able to get closer to these interesting blocks - in this place we literally “lay down in the wind”, trying to move.

With great difficulty we got to the car and, descending from the plateau, drove up to the grotto, marked on the map as “disc-shaped”.

The grotto turned out to be quite large

and inside it is really disc-shaped!

In 1960-70, 20 sites of primitive man of the Mousterian era were excavated at the northern foot of the cliff. Found a large number of silicon points, knives, scrapers. Near the ancient hearths are the bones of extinct animals of the Crimea - mammoth, red and reindeer, saiga, primitive bull, wild horse, onager, etc.

In the upper part of the rock, weathering created pillars, grottoes, and oval niches. At the bottom, weathering products accumulate: screes, piles of blocks. In some places, erosion is restrained by thickets of wild rose and hornbeam.

We climb the scree to walk along the entire cliff at the base of its steep upper part.

First small grotto

And this is a big grotto. Impressive, right? Climb up without special equipment we didn't try.))

At this time it started to rain.

If the trail had been clayey, we would not have gone far during the rain. But the loose rock only sank under our feet.

Another big grotto. There is a hawthorn tree at the entrance.

The cave located in the middle of a steep cliff has always been of particular interest. Due to its inaccessibility, it is overgrown with legends and is called Altyn-Teshik, which means Golden Hole. The entrance to it is located at a distance of 52 meters from the base and 49 meters from the edge of the cliff.

The photo was taken by my husband on his phone, and these two figures on the left are us.

In the Middle Ages, the Tatar city of Karasubazar grew 5 km from the rock. Today this is Belogorsk - a modest regional town. And in the heyday of the Crimean Khanate, Karasubazar in its importance could be compared with Bakhchisarai. There was a large trading hub here. Numerous slaves captured in the northern lands were driven here to the market. And at the top of the White Mountain in those days there was an execution site. Convicts were thrown from a steep cliff. Young Bogdan Khmelnitsky observed this sad spectacle in 1620. He spent more than a year in Tatar captivity in Karasubazar. He was often led to an ominous cliff, thus hoping to encourage him to more persistently write letters to his family asking for a ransom. During the Russian-Turkish wars, the headquarters of A.V. Suvorov was located in these places. On the White Rock, the result of the centuries-old struggle of the Russian state for Crimea was summed up. It was here on June 10, 1783 that Prince G. A. Potemkin ordered the Crimean beys and murzas to appear in order to take an oath of allegiance to the Russian state from them.

Here Lena shows the continuation of the trail. But due to strong wind and rain, we decided not to go along it

and go straight down the slope.

And here Ak-Kaya is before us in all its majestic beauty.

By this time the sky had completely cleared.

We stopped on the shore of Biyuk-Karasu to have a little snack. Doesn't this "Big Water" seem too big? For the low-water Crimea, it is not so small.

One last look at White Rock from the highway.

About Scythian burial mounds, petroglyphs and meeting with archaeologists - in the next series. In the meantime, a short video.

1052

It’s not for nothing that Crimea is called the Earth in miniature; it has everything: subtropics and steppes, deciduous forests and relict pine trees, sea and lakes, lowland rivers and turbulent mountain streams, waterfalls and mountains of indescribable beauty. And many of these beauties are covered in legends.

The White Rock or Ak-Kaya in Crimea is one of these wonders. It is located near Belogorsk, in the valley of the Biyuk-Karasu river, in the east of Crimea. This place is little known to tourists, although it has a very rich history.

The giant White Rock in Crimea, 120 meters high, was once the bottom of an ancient ocean. When the water receded, the rock rose above the steppes of Crimea. And since then, for thousands of years, the winds blew and washed the rains, turning it, the same age as the mammoths, into a kind of impregnable fortress with caves and bizarre towers, grottoes and niches, relief patterns, columns and “honeycombs”, which for thousands of years knocked out rock particles carried by the western winds.

The age of the White Rock in Crimea is judged by the fossilized remains of ancient animals and fish. Not so long ago, in one of the Ak-Kaya quarries, the remains of an ancient whale were found, which had lain in the limestone for more than 50 million years, while the numerous remains of mammoths, a primitive bull, a saiga antelope, and a cave bear are innumerable.

Historical past of Ak-Kai

People have always lived on the White Rock in Crimea. Fresh water, many caves and grottoes, a lot of flint - all this was favorable for people, even a steep cliff cliff helped during hunting. The very first inhabitants of the rock caves were Neanderthals - not so long ago, archaeologists found the perfectly preserved remains of a mother and child, and the age of the bones is 150 thousand years.

Later the Scythians came here, this is proven by the many Scythian burials on the White Rock plateau in Crimea. Then the Sarmatians lived here, and their family signs - tamgas - were found on the stones. In the Middle Ages, Tatars lived here, and in 1783, on the Ak-Kaya plateau, Prince Potemkin took the oath of Russia from the Tatars.

The White Rock in Crimea is overgrown with all sorts of legends about treasures, ancient dragons and tunnels that stretch for many kilometers. The most famous legend tells about the treasures of the Golden Nora. On the steep wall of the White Rock in Crimea, at an altitude of 52 meters, there is a cave that is almost impossible to climb into without climbing equipment. They say that robbers hid a treasure in this cave, which has not yet been found. The second popular legend says that a tunnel leads from the Golden Nora to Feodosia; this is also, of course, fiction. But anyone who sees the White Rock in Crimea, especially at sunset, will doubt - what if it’s true?

How to get there

Getting to Ak-Kai will have to take place in several stages:

• There are buses from any city in Crimea to Belogorsk;
• at the Belogorsk bus station you need to take minibus, going to the village of Belaya Skala;
• Once in the village, you need to walk several kilometers north, towards the bridge over the river;
• There is a path leading to the White Rock plateau; it is better not to look for it yourself, but to find a guide, since the path is quite steep.

White Rock (Crimea) is something completely unusual and mysterious for ordinary people. This place attracts many tourists every year who want to get unforgettable experience. Getting to the natural attraction is not difficult, because Ak-Kaya is located near Belogorsk, that is, almost in the very center of the peninsula. White Rock - Crimea in its almost original form, preserving its natural splendor and permeated with the spirit of history.

The content of the article:

• First acquaintance with White Rock
• How to get there
• Historical information
• Active recreation and entertainment

What does the Ak-Kaya mountain range look like at first glance?

Unfortunately, it often happens that masterpieces created by nature are destroyed by man for some pressing purpose. While a destroyed building can be restored, the situation is different with a mountain. Fortunately, now guests and residents of the peninsula can admire the preserved Ak-Kaya rock. Crimea is not only wonderful beaches, warm sea, parks, palaces and fortresses, but also picturesque mountains, formed over millions of years of tectonic processes. The white rock is one of the most unusual places which you should definitely see with your own eyes.

Ak-Kaya translated from Crimean Tatar means White Rock. Crimea was repeatedly visited by film crews who were creating films in these amazing beautiful places. Interestingly, the mountain looks mesmerizing even from afar thanks to the color of the limestone rock. In bright sunlight, observing the massif is a particular pleasure: it seems that there is a glow coming from the White Rock. Crimea is definitely worth a visit if you haven’t seen this magical place yet.

Hiking to enjoy stunning views of the White Rock

Pleasant and in a useful way To spend time is a walk to the White Rock (Crimea) with a visit to very ancient caves that were formed in the Paleolithic. In addition to the benefits of walking, you will enjoy the stunning views that open over the surrounding area from Ak-Kaya. It is interesting that it is possible to get to the mountain range and directly to it by horseback riding.

If you decide to ride a horse, there will be even more positive emotions. People with a developed imagination can feel like a character in one of the Soviet films that were filmed in these places. White Rock (Crimea) will fully meet all your expectations and even exceed them. The mountain is located far from crowded and dusty cities, it is easy to breathe on it - you can feel the wonderful aromas of sun-warmed herbs. There are no heavy industries or endless streams of cars with suffocating exhausts nearby, so if you want to breathe the cleanest air, then be sure to visit the White Rock. Crimea is ready to give you many of the most positive impressions and help you restore your health.

the views at the top of Ak Kaya are so different

White Rock, Crimea - how to get to an amazing attraction

You can find it five kilometers from the city of Belogorsk. If you like to spend active holidays, you should definitely visit these scenic spots. You will be captivated by the grandeur of the steep white cliffs, from the tops of which a stunning view of the endless expanses opens.

You can get to Mount Ak-Kaya, Crimea, in different ways.

• If you are driving your own car, you need to get to Belogorsk first, and then drive another 5 kilometers towards the mountain.
• You can also enter the coordinates of the mountain into the navigator: 45° 5" 55.45" N 34° 37" 53.92" E.
• For those who travel to public transport, first you need to take the Simferopol - Belogorsk bus. From there you need to take a minibus that goes towards the village of Belaya Skala, Crimea. There you need to walk along a wide street leading to the river. You can also walk along the river valley, cross it over a small bridge, and then pass an apple orchard. if you don’t have water with you, then it’s better for you to get it in this river, since there are springs on the White Rock itself fresh water No.

We are on the map:

If you have any difficulties on the way to Mount Belaya Skala, Crimea, you can find out how to get to it from the residents of Belogorsk or the village of Belaya Skala, who will be happy to tell you which road and where you need to go to get to this amazing place.

The height of the White Rock is 325 meters above sea level. White steep cliffs proudly rise above the picturesque river valley with the amazing name - Biyuk-Karasu.

Clarification of where the rock is located

Some tourists who decide to go to this place for the first time require more detailed information. From White Rock (Crimea) to the capital of the peninsula is about 50 km and about 7 kilometers to the road connecting Feodosia and Simferopol. You should cross Belogorsk and drive about 4 kilometers to settlement, called the White Rock, which is located next to the mountain range of the same name, which rises above the Biyuk-Karasu river valley. From the surface of the valley to the top of the mountain is about a hundred meters.

History of origin

It is interesting to learn about exactly how the masterpiece created by nature was formed. In addition to internal tectonic processes, the cuesta relief was affected by weathering. Due to the external influence of atmospheric phenomena, all kinds of niches were formed.

At the bottom mountain range As a result of erosion, residual materials accumulate, such as:

• limestone blocks;
• scree of small stones;
• ravines and beams.

Vegetation partly inhibited the weathering process, which influenced the unusual appearance of the mountain. Having rented housing for daily rent in Belogorsk, you can go see the amazing beauty of this place. No photographs or videos can convey the stunning view of the rock.

Historical information about the attraction

In the 20th century, in the 60-70s, on the northern slope of the massif, a paleontological expedition excavated sites of primitive people, the total number of which was about 20 places. Then they found numerous household items, as well as skeletons of animals that do not exist in Crimea today:

• wild horse;
• giant deer;
• cave bear;
• mammoth.

At the same time, the remains of Neanderthals were discovered.

Ancient people settled in this region because it was optimal for subsistence. Nearby one could find water, shelter in caves, and flint necessary for everyday life. In these places, primitive man hunted, which brought great success, because there was a lot of game.

Much later, Sarmatian tribes built their dwellings on the territory next to the rock. They created ritual places in rock cavities, left signs in caves, carving them on stone. Tourists love to engage in interesting entertainment in Crimea - looking for symbols of ancient people on the rock.

Traces of history

On the hill there are numerous mounds left by people who lived next to the rock. It is interesting that in the Middle Ages the head of a rich Tatar family, Shirin, lived near it.

It is difficult to enter the Altyn-Teshik cave located at the top, since it is 50 meters away from the base of the mountain. There are several legends about this place:

1. the grotto cave was the haven of a werewolf snake who stole beautiful girls and took them to his lair;
2. there are rumors that secret passages stretch all the way to Feodosia;
3. The cave was once inhabited by a gang of bandits who hid treasures somewhere.

In the old days, various political meetings were held on the mountain, when it was necessary to choose a clan head or discuss a khan who was causing discontent. Executions were also carried out in this place. Bohdan Khmelnytsky was present on the mountain when captured soldiers were thrown off it to speed up the process of payment of money by the hetman.

Even on the White Rock in the 70s of the 18th century, a headquarters was located in which Suvorov was engaged in military affairs. In the 80s of the same century, local noble people became loyal subjects Russian Empire, taking the appropriate oath.

Attraction in our time

To get acquainted with ancient sights, you should go on weekend tours in Crimea - the amazing beauty of the White Rock will definitely not leave you indifferent. When approaching the mountain range on close quarters It will become clear that its color appears absolutely snow-white only from a distance. In reality, the slopes of the mountain are beige with a yellowish tint.

In the caves located on the rock, you can feel like a real speleologist. You should definitely stock up on a flashlight, because sunlight penetrates only to the beginning of the caves, and beyond there is absolute darkness.

Numerous patterns can be found on the rock. It seems that only people could create them, but in fact, nature did their best. As a result of the activity of the winds, all kinds of cavities were formed, as well as supports on which the upper part of the massif rests.

The top of the mountain is marked by numerous signs of erosion. At the bottom of the rocky massif, crushed stone embankments cut into hollows are visible. Among them, large fragments of limestone are noticeable, having great weight and impressive appearance.

Guides and seasoned tourists It is advised to go to the mountain in the evening because it is not so hot and visibility is better. If you want to look into the caves and recesses, then it is better to climb the western path. Armed with a camera, you will take many wonderful pictures as a keepsake.

Active recreation and entertainment

White Rock (Crimea) is perfect place For active rest. Extreme enthusiasts will definitely appreciate the opportunity jump off a mountain range , tied with a rope. You need to register in advance, because only 2 dozen jumps from a height of more than 100 meters are carried out per day. The cost for the first time is 1200 rubles, then jumps are done for 900 rubles. Free fall length - 80 m.

If you have never jumped with a rope before and are worried, then there is no need to worry - professional equipment provides a 100% safety guarantee.

Great on the rock spend time camping , sit with a guitar by the fire.

Horseback riding

If you want to climb the White Rock on horseback, then there are all possibilities for this. You should use the services provided by the Cowboy equestrian club. Available:

• many horses;
• car parking for which you don’t have to pay anything;
• area for picnics open air;
• refrigerators;
• dishes;
• barbecues.

Riding horses that are calm in nature will give you a pleasant experience. In addition, for the convenience of tourists, various routes have been developed to the White Rock - a place that is definitely worth visiting.

Come and enjoy the wonderful Crimean nature!

The Cowboy equestrian club offers its services to everyone who wants to have fun. With us you can:

The Crimean mountains are fraught with many interesting and unknown things. They protect the peninsula on the southern side and delight with their sometimes bizarre shapes. One of the particularly remarkable and memorable rocks is called Ak-Kaya. Ak-Kaya is located near the village of Belaya Skala in the Belogorsky district.

Geographic coordinates of White Rock - Ak-Kaya on the map of Crimea GPS N 45.098056, E 34.633333

Name Ak-Kaya translated from Crimean Tatar as “white rock”. Moreover, it is under this name that it is better known among tourists and local residents. And the village of Belaya Skala received its name precisely in connection with the proximity of Ak-Kaya. Approaching these places in the Belogorsk region, Ak-Kai simply cannot be missed. This is cool sheer cliff white in color with a very flat top. Ak-Kaya serves as a natural decoration of the Biyuk-Karasu river valley. The height of the White Rock reaches three hundred and twenty-five meters, so if you approach its foot and look up, it will seem infinitely high. From a distance, Ak-Kaya looks perfectly flat, but in fact it is filled with many rapids and ledges.

It must be said that only the most courageous and prepared climbers dare to conquer this peak. The white color of Ak-Kaya is due to the fact that it is composed of limestone and sandstone, and is the result of their weathering and erosion. At the top of Ak-Kaya there are various natural grottoes and rounded niches, and below you can see rocky mounds and accumulations of large stones. Such an unusual and massive appearance of Ak-Kai attracts many filmmakers here. The rock became a film set during the creation of such films as “The Headless Horseman”, “Code of the Apocalypse”, “The Leader of the Redskins”, “Escape to the End of the World” and some others.

In the second half of the 20th century, the White Rock aroused considerable interest among archaeological researchers. At this time, excavations were carried out here, the progress of which was led by Yu. G. Kolosov, an employee of the Institute of Archeology. Two dozen sites of ancient people who, according to researchers, belonged to the Mousterian era were discovered here. Stone knives and tools were found on the rock. For the first time, the bone remains of Neanderthals were excavated here. There is also confirmation that mammoths, giant deer, cave bears, saigas and other animals that are not typical for modern fauna once lived here. There is an assumption that settlements of the Sarmatians and Scythians were located on Ak-Kaya.

How to get to the White Rock - Ak-Kaya

The easiest way to get to Belaya Skala is from the city of Belogorsk, in the north of the city, there is an exit towards the villages: Yablochnoe and Belaya Skala, 4 km from Belogorsk and you are in the village of Belaya Skala, the Ak-Kaya rock simply hangs over the village, you can drive through it or not notice it It's just not possible. A dirt road leads to the top of the mountain from the village; it lazily goes for several kilometers and rises to the large plateau of the Ak-Kaya rock. there are many observation platforms on the plateau, there are even observation decks for cars. In late spring and early autumn, the dirt road is severely washed out, so it is best to get there by all-wheel drive; in winter, even on it it is very dangerous.

In the middle of the White Rock wall there is a hard-to-reach cave called Altyn Teshik (“golden hole”). There are several legends about it, one of which says that the treasures of robbers are hidden there.
Over many centuries, Ak-Kaya continually changed its purpose. It was also a place of execution and ceremonial oath-taking, and a home and even a military headquarters. White Rock is one of the most famous and visited.

White rock Ak-Kaya on the map of Crimea