Мангуп-Кале

Mangup-Kale - Mangup Fortress

Useful Information

photography — Mangup-Kale, Crimea. Public Domain.

Location:	Crimean Peninsula. 30 km east of Sevastopol.
Open:	no restrictions. [2007]
Fee:	free. [2007]
Classification:	Cave House
Light:	none.
Dimension:
Guided tours:	A=475 m asl.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:
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History

490s	settled by those Ostrogoths who refused to follow Theodoric the Great in his invasion of Italy.
8th century	Crimean Gothia was conquered by the Khazars.
960	first written mention of the name Mangup.
11th century	severly damagen by an earthquake.
~1300	Mangup becomes the centre of the Principality of Theodoro.
1475	Ottoman commander Gedik Ahmet Pasha besieges Mangup, after five months the city falls.
1774	fortress abandon the Turkish garrison.
1790s	the last inhabitants, a small community of Karaims, abandon the site.

Description

The cave city Мангуп (Mangup) is the largest cave city on the Crimean peninsula. Located 200 m above the surrounding valley it was called the City In The Sky. The remains include cave houses, fortifications, towers, and churches. The remains of a princely palace were once the home of Prince Feodor.

The city was erected by Ostrogoths or Goths, who settled here in the 5th century and named the city Dory or Doros. The area was Christian and there is archaeologic evidence for the erection of basilicas. But in the 8th century the Crimea was conquered by the Khazars. An attempt of a revolt against Khazaria led by Bishop John of Gothia was unsuccessful. During the 9th century the name of the city changed to Mangup, with its first written mention in 960.