The medieval city of Eski Kermen in Crimea will have a wonderful fate after restoration – it will become a new full-fledged platform for attracting many tourists, like Chersonesus, says the director of the Research Center for History and Archeology of Crimea, Crimean Federal University, Vernadsky Alexey Aybabin.
According to him, this was made possible due to a unique discovery in August 2019, when archaeologists unexpectedly managed to discover an ancient Christian temple built in the late 10th century – early 11th century according to the project of Byzantine architects.
There was a new temple on Eski-Kermen, which no one knew about, Aybabin said. It was built of perfectly crafted rectangular blocks, the main part is paved with slabs of imported dense limestone. Traces of fresco paintings were also revealed.
The church also revealed many graves, that is, it was turned into a kind of cemetery. It is necessary to begin the conservation and restoration of the remains, the scientist explained.
The find was made during the excavation of one of the quarters of the medieval city. According to the scientist, this year it is planned to begin to study the adjacent buildings. According to preliminary estimates, after a year, the newly opened quarter may become available for visiting.
Eski-Kermen is located in the Bakhchisarai region of Crimea on a mountain plateau. It was built in the VI century, and destroyed – in the XIII century by the Golden Horde troops of Nogai. The area of the city was more than 8 hectares. It is a popular tourist attraction.
