Mount Ayu-Dag

Mount Ayu-Dag, located on the southern coast of Crimea, is a unique natural site with a rich history and diverse biodiversity. Rising 570.8 meters above sea level, it is a mountain range, slightly elongated in the northwest direction, with a protrusion into the sea of 2-2.5 kilometers.

Mount Ayu-Dag was formed about 150 million years ago as a result of the intrusion of magma into faults in the earth's crust. It is a classic laccolith, that is, a “failed” volcano. The Ayu-Dag complex is represented by an array of homogeneous gabbrodiabases alternating with hornfels and hornfels.

On the top and slopes of the mountain there is a shiblyak forest with small groves of Crimean pine. The flora of the reserve includes 577 plant species, of which 44 species are listed in the Red Book. Among the animals living on Ayu-Dag you can find foxes, badgers, stone martens, hedgehogs, brown hares, squirrels, various types of rodents, bats, as well as various species of birds and reptiles.

Since 1974, Mount Ayu-Dag has been a state reserve of republican significance, which confirms its importance as a natural object that deserves special attention and protection.