Tarkhankut is rightly called the “wild west” of Crimea. Boundless steppes are the perfect backdrop for a classic Western film, the “wild world” of Dzhangul will remind the older generation of landscapes from the “Mackenna’s Gold” film and mud lake in the village of Mezhvodnoye is really a “gold mine”.
Exotic amusements and exclusive tourist attractions match for the nature of Tarkhankut.
“The Crimean Magazine” will help travelers to get acquainted with a region for 48 hours — Saturday and Sunday.
Note:
Chernomorskiy District
Total area: 1508 km2
Founding date: 1930
Population: 30 thousand people
Some toponymics
The modern name — Chernomorskiy District — which seems to be faceless is very informative in fact. This region possesses the longest coastal zone in Crimea — 154 km.
The geographical name of the Chernomorskiy District is Tarkhankut. Two words were fancifully linked in a close way. “Tarkhankut” is a word of Turkic origin. This how the tax free territory was called in the Crimean Khanate. In the XIXth, the Ukrainian word “kut”, what means “corner”, become attached to it.
The modern village of Chernomorskoye was initially called Ak-Mechet that is translated as “white church” from the Crimean Tatar language.
SATURDAY
Feel velvetiness of sand of “Russian Maldives”
The sand beaches of the Chernomorskiy District were firmly enshrined as “Russian Maldives”. Milk-white quartz sand glittering with red gold really looks like a coast of tropical coral islands of the Indian Ocean.
It’s of no small importance that beaches adjoining localities are fully equipped for recreation. A sloping coastal line quietly fades into the sea. The sea is so clear here that a boundary between water and land can be unnoticed.
Wonder at Maltese landscapes of Big Atlesh
Another impression is given by the natural boundary of Big Atlesh. It’s widely known because of its giant arch sculpted by wind and water in the solid limestone. Not many people know that until recently the arch of Atlesh had a “twin sister” on one of the islands of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the fact that the “Azure Window” was the UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the Maltese rock turned out to be less solid… So, now it’s time to make an application that a wonderful natural monument reincarnated in Western Crimea!
Back in the XIXth century, the artel invited by the owner of these areas Count Vorontsov from Malta, which was one of the world centers of industrial fishing, was fishing near the shore of Tarkhankut. The Maltese technique became so successful that a modern fishing crew uses it to this day. Here, mullet is major commercial fish. In the old day, sturgeons lived there. A peculiar record was documentarily registered — beluga measuring more than two meters and weighing 85 kilos!
Meet Lenin at the underwater “Alley of Leaders”
Almost 60 years ago the president of the Word Underwater Federation Jacques-Yves Cousteau suggested to immortalize the beginning of the “Underwater Age” through installing the monument in the honor of first movers of unexplored depths on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
Is it any wonder that such an ambitious project was implemented in Tarkhankut?
The unique “Alley of Leaders” cozy lies not far from the shore at the depth that is accessible for amateur divers. Primarily, small sculptures of founders of Marxism-Leninism were placed there. As time passed, the collection was replenished with statues of workers of culture, miniature copies of architectural monuments like the Eiffel Tower. The underwater exhibition is constantly updated with new display exhibits. Taken photos are wonderful!
Dive into the sea of activities at the “Extreme Crimea” festival
In the middle of summer, the village of Olenyovka becomes an attraction point, wherein a multi-day fest is held for several years. It attracts adherents of an active life. Modern kinds or sports and musical and dance performances are appeared in stunning glory over a wide area.
Master-classes, competitions and exhibition performances on more than 30 kinds of sports, intense cultural programme involving celebrities attract both children and adults.
SUNDAY
Light a candle in the church built by Vorontsov
In the beginning of the XIX, the Governor-General of Novorossiya Mikhail Vorontsov became a ground landlord in North-Western Crimea. Here, the count arranged grain growing, grape farming, fishing and sheep ranching. The population increased due to peasants and craftsmen, who moved to this area; the “reformer of Taurida” built an Orthodox church in the village of Ak-Mechet in 1838 for their spiritual guidance. Following the states of his client, an architect created a temple in line with village churches of Britain — it had a peaked bell tower and gothic windows.
The God’s house was consecrated on the day of remembrance of saints and righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth. The dedication day was dedicated to a birthday of Vorontsov’s spouse Yelizaveta Xaviyerovna. That was a beautiful gift made by Mikhail Semyonovich to his wife!
Explore the “lost world” of Dzhangul
The word “Dzhangul” is freely translated from Oriental languages as a “soul flower”. A beautiful name conveyed a state of inner harmony very accurately, which people can feel when they contemplate a majestic sculpture, which impersonates an eternal struggle between a sea and land. It may seem that fabulous giants-children played enough here cutting off soil stratums from the shore with their might and place them in water. In fact, natural forces, which are landslides, affect this area. They created an impressive “park of chaos” here: the life in the form of grass and shrubberies makes its way through a fanciful bunching of ragged mountains.
Try fishing luck at Donuzlav Lake
The Donuzlav is an iconic location for lovers of fishing. Here, it’s especially interesting. That part of the lake that adjoins the sea, there catching of marine fish is rather well — mullet and goby. The water is fresh in the upper of the Donuzlav: this area is a happy hunting ground for carp, silver carp and grass carp.
Experts say the tastiest clams in Crimea live in the Donuzlav. The lake in the middle part is some kind of a pasture for mussels, which reach the size of a palm. An oyster farm was established in the waters of the Donuzlav several years ago.
See an “oecumene” in the ancient settlement of “Kalos Limen”
The world civilization came to this territory two and a half thousand years ago. The first people, who evaluated the fertile land and comfortable harbor in a corner of the globe that is forsaken by the Olympian gods were young citizens from the ancient city-state of Tauric Chersonesus, whose ruins were preserved on the territory of Sevastopol. “Breaking new ground”, young guys became men (they chose local women to be their life partners) and full-fledged citizens. Thus, the city of Kalos Limen (translated as “beautiful harbor”) emerged on the shore of the harbor, port for he export of bread and wine. A curious tourist will get an opportunity to see the remains of the citadel excavated by archaeologists. Being in a dilapidated condition, the walls and anti-ram belt of towers amaze with their sizes and inspire respect to craftsmen, who built these fortifications.
Touch the “Heart of Tarkhankut”
The cliffs of Atlesh were decorated with a sculpture “Thinker. The heart of Tarkhankut”. A composition of four meter represent limestone rocks, which are intricately, but sustainably laid on each other. These stones look like they were smoothed by sea and licked by wind (in fact, they were processed by a craftsman). According to the idea of the sculptor, the stones symbolize a human in a state of meditation: he/she sits in the lotus position and stares afar. During a sunset hour, when the sun touches the horizon, evening clouds reach the hole that was cut through the center of the sculpture – and then the “Heart of Tarkhankut inflames”.
