The picturesque Boyko mountain range, whose gentle southern slopes look towards the Grand Canyon, has long attracted the attention of not only archaeologists, but also lovers of everything unknown. But at the same time, this mysterious place still remains little-explored, keeping in its stone heart the secrets of distant antiquity.
The famous local historian and archaeologist O. I. Dombrovsky, who carried out archaeological exploration on Boyka in the 60s, determined that there were six settlements on the plateau that existed from the 9th to the 15th centuries. The Cathedral of the Savior, which he discovered, located between Boyka and Sotira, was the main administrative center of the medieval church-feudal state. This feudal inheritance, unique in the history of Taurica, was a fort protected from all sides.
The rocky and steep slopes of Boyki are already quite reliable protection in themselves. Only on the passes did the lords of the mountain erect massive barrage walls and two small defensive fortifications on the Kurushlyuk ridge. In those distant times, a wide road leading to the temple was built between the ridge and Mount Sotira. This is evidenced by the stone crepida, the remains of which are still visible along the road, which over the years has turned into a well-trodden path. Almost nothing remains of the Savior's Cathedral in our time. And then it was an impressive structure, in no way inferior to similar buildings in the Mangup-Kale fortress. This building, facing the northeast with its altar, later became the central part of the temple complex,nowadays considered one of the largest archaeological monuments of medieval mountain architecture in Crimea.
The erection of protective walls on the mountain is associated with the invasion of the Crimea by the Khazar Kaganate. With the light hand of the Khazar authorities, many ancient fortresses were restored on the peninsula in the 13th century, including Mangup-Kale and Chufut-Kale. The heavy tribute that the Kaganate imposed on the local population was the reason for regular uprisings.
And the constant raids of nomadic tribes, as well as the invasion of the Tatars, under the leadership of Genghis Khan, kept the population of Taurica in fear for many years. In such an unstable situation, the inhabitants, fearing raids and robberies, began to strengthen the shelters in the mountains, using the tradition of Byzantine fortification in the construction. The total length of the Boykino fortifications, the walls of which are built of wild stone, is 1.5 kilometers. The width of these massive walls ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 meters, and in some places the height reaches 3 meters. Truly local builders thoroughly approached the protection of the mountain, making it inaccessible.
250 years later, after the emergence of the Crimean Khanate, an independent principality of Theodoro was formed on Mount Baba-Dag, which was subsequently defeated by the Turks.
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Legends of the "Venerable Poyka"
On some medieval maps, she was called the "Venerable Poyka" ("poyka" - pasture or meadow in translation from ancient Iranian).
It is with the period of the existence of the principality of Theodoro in the Crimea that many legends are associated. And some, the most mysterious of them, touched upon the "Venerable Poyka". One old legend tells about the miller Procopius, who, fearing for the safety of his mill, which stood on one of the mountain rivers near Boika, got out of the fortress one night to check if his property was intact. It happened in the 15th century, during the siege by the Turks of the Boykin fortress walls. To get beyond the fortified walls, the miller used a secret gate - the only breach in the mountain's security system. On the way, he was captured by the Turks, and gave out a secret hole, for which, as a traitor, he paid with his life. The Turks, having penetrated the plateau, massacred the entire local population, and the once strong state was destroyed, and the inhabited top of the mountain again became uninhabited.
But this legend is only a small historical sketch, while others are so incredible and mysterious that they have long gained fame as mystical.
One of them is associated with the Golden Cradle, depicted on the coat of arms of the principality of Theodoro. Many researchers are convinced that the cradle, the image of which is present in many cave temples of those times, is nothing more than the Holy Grail - a cup with the blood of Christ, which disappeared without a trace over the centuries. The Genoese, who owned the southern coast of Crimea in those distant times, constantly fought with the Theodorites. In exchange for a peace agreement, the Genoese principality demanded from Prince Theodoro a sacred relic - the Golden Cradle, once taken out of Byzantium. The proud prince did not want to part with the ancient shrine. After long negotiations with the Genoese, who threatened to take the cradle by force, the prince decided to hide it in a safe place - in a cave on Mount Boyka, entrusting it to mighty mountain spirits for safekeeping. They promised to preserve the shrine for those who wish to revive the glorious people,inhabiting the principality.
Boykin caves, located on the western steep slope, are not marked on any of the Crimea maps, and you can get into them only with the help of special mountaineering equipment. Some legends say that in these caves, going deep into the mountain, for many centuries ancient people have been in a state of samadhi. Maybe they are guarding a sacred relic that no one has yet been able to find? Although there were repeated attempts.
They say that during two archaeological expeditions conducted on Mount Boyka in the 60s. (under the guidance of Professor O. I. Dombrovsky) and the 80s. (under the leadership of the scientist V. L. Myts), some members of the expeditions, during the measurement of the ruins, very often felt uncomfortable. Residents of the surrounding villages, located near Boyka, know about the mysterious influence of the mountain on the human mind, and therefore try to bypass it. But this does not stop researchers of ancient secrets. Much earlier, in 1927, another expedition visited the Boykin plateau, led by the occult scientist A. V. Barchenko. Repeated attempts to find the mysterious Shambhala brought him to the Crimea, to the foot of the Boykino mountain range. The search for "secret knowledge in the caves" ended unsuccessfully - one of the members of the secret expedition went mad,therefore research had to be stopped. Reports about the expedition, classified as "Top Secret", are still kept somewhere in the Lubyanka …
Other seekers of the unknown visited here during the Second World War. Five members of the German service "Ahnenerbe", accompanied by 14 SS men, in the summer of 1942 were looking for ancient artifacts on the top of the mountain. However, after some incident, they hastily left this place, taking with them a heavy box with unknown contents … Five members of the expedition never returned home.
Mystical mountain
Mount Boyka is a little-studied place, and therefore surprising and mysterious. The dense aura of legends that enveloped its peaks makes the mountain one of the most powerful Places of Power in Crimea. UFOs often hover over the Boykin plateau, and the trunks of some trees growing on the territory of the massif are bizarrely curved, which indicates its unique energy. Therefore, some believe that an alien base is located on the mountain, while others are confident in the existence of an ancient portal leading to other dimensions. More down to earth seekers believe that many ancient treasures are hidden on Boyka. Sometimes here they see elders dressed in white floating in the air, and near the ruins of the Cathedral of the Savior, lonely tourists often observe pictures of the ancient past. Such paranormal phenomena can be associated with the centuries-old history of these places - as you know,ghosts of the past sometimes appear on any inhabited territory, but all this does not explain in any way why secret expeditions were repeatedly sent to the mountain. Archaeologists talk about the great research potential of this place and have a negative attitude to the numerous lovers of the mysterious, believing that they are damaging the medieval historical monument.
But is it possible to forbid a person to admire the delightful beauty of these places? The road to Boyka, from the side of Bogatyr village, begins at a small but very picturesque lake, in which the mountain is reflected as in a mirror. Walking along a well-trodden path, under the shade of age-old beech trees, you plunge into incredible silence, here and there, broken by the sounds of nature. Soft foliage rustles quietly underfoot, the murmur of a mountain river is heard, birds sing, and trees rustle. More than an hour of walking at a steady pace, pressing a little at the top, and you find yourself on a perfectly flat stone plateau, dotted with giant cracks. This "Runic Labyrinth", densely wooded, is another mysterious place on Boyka. The cracks in the rock formed bizarre patterns reminiscent of ancient runic writing. But the riddle is solved very simply. Such stone fields are called Karr and are found all over the world, in places where soluble, most often limestone rocks, were once under the thickness of glaciers. The glacier subsequently melted, and cracks in place of the dissolved limestone remained, forming an impressive labyrinth in the rock. However, the evenness of some of the cracks is striking, and one cannot help thinking: maybe it was not the glacier that caused the cracks?
From the top of Boyka, incredible views open up - forest distances drowning in a green haze attract the eye. Nature is the best painter and never ceases to delight us. Descending from the mountain, at the approaches to the Makhuldur pass, you can find the remains of the Cathedral of the Savior, about which it was written above. Low embankments made of stones stacked on top of each other mark the location of the walls of the ancient shrine. An iron cross is installed nearby. Under the cross, there are several icons intended for pilgrims, and right there is a glass three-liter jar for donations filled with small bills.
There are a great many springs with delicious mountain water scattered all over the Boyki plateau. And on the southern slope, not far from the "Boyka" campground, there are forest gardens - teas. Many cherries, apple trees and pears are ready to share their delicious fruits with the traveler. Remnants of glazed ceramics made of white clay can still be found in the locations of medieval settlements. And being at the once reliable protective walls, you can feel the former power of ancient structures.