Mount Sokol

Mount Sokol (Kush-Kaya) is a 474-metre rock massif on Crimea's southern coast, in the Feodosia district, by the village of Novy Svet between Sudak and Novy Svet. It is the largest fossil coral reef in Europe and the third largest in Eurasia.

Geology

The massif is made up of four rock layers: clay shale at the base, conglomerate and sandstone above it, and marble-like limestone — the fossilized coral reef itself — crowning the summit. The mountain is 987 metres wide and 1,208 metres long.

History

In the 1st century AD the Romans called the rock "Senator." In the 14th–16th centuries, under the Crimean Tatars, the massif was known as Kush-Kaya, "bird rock." The modern name Sokol appears in documents from the late 19th century, after Prince Lev Golitsyn acquired the land. At the foot of the mountain archaeologists have found the ruins of a late antique settlement from the 1st–5th centuries, a cave monastery from the 8th–10th centuries, and the remains of a Byzantine monastery from the 8th–13th centuries. Emperor Nicholas II vacationed in Novy Svet in 1912, and in 1927 Mikhail Bulgakov climbed to the summit of the mountain.

Legends

According to tradition, in the 8th century the rock held the hermitage of Saint Anastasia with a healing spring. Local legend offers another origin for the spring: the mountains are said to have wept bitterly when a pack of wolves tore apart a shepherdess named Nastya, and the spring arose from their tears.

What to see

Hiking trails lead to the mountain from the Golitsyn estate, which now houses the Museum of Champagne Wines. The rocks carry climbing routes of varying difficulty, from category one to category six, so easy trails run alongside sections that require specialized training and equipment. Viewing platforms along the Sudak–Novy Svet road overlook the bays and the Black Sea.

Nature

Mount Sokol lies within the Novy Svet botanical reserve. About ten species of birds of prey are found in the area.

Getting there

The mountain can be reached by bus or minibus from Sudak toward Novy Svet, or by car along the Sudak–Novy Svet road. The village of Novy Svet sits right at the foot of the massif.