Where the most famous treasures of Crimea are hidden. The most valuable treasures found in Crimea Unfound treasures of Crimea
Treasure hunting in Crimea
Treasure hunting in Crimea as a type of tourism.
Legal regulation of the search for treasures and historical artifacts in general in different countries ah the world is significantly different. Let’s just say briefly that both legal archeology (as part of archaeological expeditions) and “black” illegal archeology deals with protected registered objects. In reality, only archaeological reserves have security, and let’s say the burial mounds are only marked with security signs and are usually broken. In any case, historical and cultural monuments and archaeological sites, including all mounds, cemeteries, graves, places of mass executions and battles, are excluded from the scope of amateur treasure hunting.
In addition to archaeological tourism sites and military search expeditions, which require special permission and qualified participants, Crimea has the widest opportunities for amateur treasure hunting. First of all, in this review, we will talk about such finds as coins, rings, metal buttons, bullets, and military insignia, but the history of Crimea knows many examples of the discovery of real treasures.
Due to its special position at the crossroads of many world empires, the population of Crimea has already been accustomed to sudden invasions of enemies since ancient times. The traditions of constructing treasures have developed over thousands of years in sanctuaries and dwellings, in hard-to-reach mountain caches and fortress walls. A significant part of the ancient and even pre-revolutionary settlements (especially small farms and estates in mountain valleys) have been abandoned by residents, and little remains of the houses, or rather, they are almost invisible, as well as the inns (caravanserais, khanes) of the Khan's Crimea. Abandoned villages can only be determined by a number of signs on the ground and by maps of the 19th century.
A treasure found by chance, for example during the demolition of an old building (and the “old city” of Simferopol still retains buildings from the 15th to 17th centuries) is supposed to be handed over to the state. The value of the treasure is determined by experts, and the finder is paid a monetary reward in the amount of 25 percent of the estimated value, naturally in national monetary units, and not in coins from the treasure.
However, the purpose of this review is amateur treasure hunting for tourist routes, let's be honest: here we will give more advice not on how to make money, but on how to spend money in order to find some little thing that has only the value of souvenirs.
Currently, a wide variety of travel methods are available for treasure hunters to travel in Crimea. We recommend that before buying a jeep or a riding horse, you experience the real features of different styles of movement in the rental and training mode. Most tourist centers in the mountainous Crimea provide their clients with training routes for mountain hiking (with rock climbing skills and visiting unequipped caves), horseback riding and donkey riding (by the way, a donkey is in many ways more convenient both to better see treasures and to load more of them), mountain biking (MTV), on off-road cars, buggies and ATVs.
The main equipment of a treasure hunter is a metal detector and a universal entrenching tool for setting up a camp in the mountains and traveling on off-road vehicles. For non-motorized movement, you need to select a tool that is lighter and more compact, but for a jeep you can afford large, heavy and strong shovels, picks, hoes, splints, and saws.
It is probably best to order metal detectors via the Internet; models of metal detectors and manufacturers are discussed on online forums for treasure hunters and archaeologists (by the way, we invite experts to cooperate!). The same fully applies to GPS satellite navigation devices.
Features of planning routes for searching for treasures in Crimea
Mountain biking (MTB), in our opinion, is the most natural way of transportation both for searching for ancient villages and abandoned inns, and for monitoring mudflow deposits and alluvial cones in gullies. Even along the concrete embankments of the South Coast or the sandy beaches of the West Coast, a bicycle allows you to move with the necessary equipment at a speed convenient for inspection.
Let us remind you once again that in amateur treasure hunting, the process is more important than the result. The daily mileage can be planned at 30 – 80 km. The routes are only radical, but in the summer it makes sense to spend the night on the beaches of the West Coast to walk along the fresh deposits of sand with rings-earrings-chains at sunrise. Summer storms in the west of Crimea are usually in the afternoon and easily remove jewelry from relaxed vacationers.
ATVs are an expensive, stylish and amazing way to get around. Features of soft tires and “smart” suspension allow you to drive through a mountain forest, yayla, steppe or beach faster than in a jeep. At the same time, the passenger can look around in all directions, and the driver can drive up to anywhere he wants. You can very quickly deliver a team to search sites 20 - 50 km away from the base. and very slowly and carefully comb the places to look for treasures. Although carriage ATVs allow you to take a lot of equipment with you, the routes are only radial. ATVs require daily maintenance, and their lovers need a comfortable rest. Important when planning routes. That ATVs are not allowed to drive on asphalt.
Off-road jeeps can be recommended for amateur expeditions with linear routes. In a car caravan outside road workers, all cars should have approximately equal driving capabilities, it is better, of course, cars of the same or similar brands in order to have a common stock of spare parts and accessories. We recommend combining a spacious multi-seater jeep with three doors on the expedition (a winch is required). It is very useful, for example, to take 2-3 mountain bikes with you when traveling outside the camp to buy groceries.
A caravan of jeeps, even if overnight stays are planned only at tourist centers or the private sector, must be equipped for comfortable self-contained tent camps. In Crimea, at least three vast areas can be recommended for amateur treasure hunting routes in jeeps:
B) The Kerch Peninsula, especially the Kalaral steppe (Baghirovsky air training ground), the surroundings of Kyz - the Aum lighthouse and Cape Takyl are also interesting. Let us remind you once again that we are talking about tourism and recreation; adventures and beautiful places are guaranteed, for example, “pocket beaches” on the coast of the Azov and Black Seas. And the treasures themselves are not at all necessary.
There are a huge number of abandoned villages on the Kerch Peninsula: 13 settlements of colonists from Italian Genoa (1475-1918), settlements of the Kerch Nogai.
B) Sivash region (Dzhankoy, Sovetsky, Nizhnegorsky districts). In addition to the frequent raids of the Don Cossacks and Kalmyks, who destroyed villages in the 18th century, during the period of collectivization in the 1930s, the consolidation of Ukrainian collective farms took place here, many villages and farmsteads were plowed.
In the Steppe Crimea the main building material for houses and sheds - kalyb, adobe, mud brick made of clay, manure and straw. So tractors could turn villages into fields. We will write separately about the visual signs of disappeared villages.
The routes on horseback and donkeys are romantic and cinematic. Mounted monitoring can be recommended for inspecting the alluvial cone in the ravines and valleys of the Crimean foothills (Sevastopol, Bakhchisarai, Simferopol, Belogorsky, Kirov regions) and the land of Koktebel, as well as the hills and ravines of Kapsel, Meganom, Solnechnaya Dolina, Sudak, Alushta.
The method of traveling on foot in search of treasures is the main one and especially makes sense on mountain and coastal pack trails. Areas that require special attention on such routes are springs, and especially chashme (fountains), as well as wells, especially ancient ones, indicated on old maps.
Actually the main search work for all vehicles happens on foot. In most cases, exploring beaches is possible in ordinary cars on an asphalt highway and even using inexpensive regular buses. The entire western coast is well provided with public transport from Severnaya station to the village of Chernomorskoye, and in the summer it is very good.
Of course, an experienced treasure hunter could, if desired, go to the Crimean Peninsula, which belonged to Ukraine, find an opportunity to transport equipment across the border and indulge in his favorite pastime - searching for legendary treasures. But it was quite difficult to avoid the attention of local law enforcement agencies - Ukrainian law was not particularly favorable to “black” archaeologists. Now, after the annexation of Crimea, Russian diggers can almost legally begin searching in the forbidden territory.
5 legends about treasures of Crimea
Over the entire existence of mankind, this blessed land has experienced many battles and wars. Therefore, both on land and in the waters of the Black Sea, there are about 5 thousand objects that are of interest to archaeologists. In this article we have collected the most famous of them.
Gold Mamaia
The defeat on the Kulikovo Field marked the beginning of the end of the reign of Khan Mamai. Khan dreamed of regaining power and, in order to prepare a coup, fled with all his army and the treasury of the Golden Horde to the fertile lands of the Crimean Peninsula. However, Mamai’s dreams were not destined to come true; he died and was buried somewhere in Crimea.
Marble Cave – Chatyr-Dag Mountains
The Khan's burial place has been sought since the 10th century. Archaeological historians are inclined to believe that Mamai’s grave is hidden in numerous caves of Mount Chatyr-Dage.
Treasures of Byzantium
Not far from Bakhchisaray on the Baba-Dag plateau rise the remains ancient city Mangup. According to legend, after the surrender of Constantinople to the Turkish Sultan, the Byzantine treasury was located here. In 1475, the last stronghold of the defenders of the Principality of Theodoro, Mangup, was surrendered, but the Turks did not find the treasure.
Ruins of the ancient city of Mangup
It is believed that Prince Alexander, who led the city's defense, ordered the Byzantine treasury and all the wealth of the city's inhabitants to be hidden in an intricate system of caves that are located under the city. Finding this treasure is considered a matter of honor by many professional archaeologists, but so far they have to be content with only minor finds - ancient jewelry by Byzantine craftsmen and fragments of household items made of precious metals.
The Mystery of the Golden Mound
At the entrance to Kerch are the ruins of the Altyn-Oba mound; according to archaeologists, the treasures of the Bosporan kingdom are hidden under a layer of earth and stones.
Altyn-Oba mound
Back in the 19th century, two attempts were made to get to the secret hiding Altyn-Oba: the mound was blown up and archaeological excavations began, but the treasure was not found.
Treasure of Gireyev
The period of rule of the Crimean Tatar Girey dynasty ended in the 18th century; the last of the Shagin khans, fleeing from the Turks, was forced to hide the gold treasury and jewelry of his court. There is a version that the treasure is buried on the territory of the Bakhchisarai Palace. But there are documents indicating that Shagin-Girey buried treasures under ancient Kafa (Feodosia), because it was here that the mint functioned.
The last khan of the Girey dynasty
The Gireyev treasure is, first of all, tons of gold and silver coins. It is believed that the Zaporozhye Cossacks found some of the Gireyev’s treasures, but they certainly didn’t take everything. Already in our time, an attempt to find the Khan’s gold was secretly undertaken by the SBU, and the treasure is still there...
NKVD Treasury
There is an opinion that the Ak-Monai quarries, located near the village of Kamenskoye, reliably protect the regimental treasury and the NKVD file cabinet. In the fall of 1941, during the retreat of Soviet troops, a strange revival was noticed there - soldiers unloaded and hid suspicious boxes in the quarries.
Ak-Monai quarries in Crimea
After the war, the inspection from the Ministry of Internal Affairs was very interested in the Ak-Monai quarries and the finds that occurred there. Then scientists appeared here, but the cache itself was never discovered or opened.
Find a treasure and live comfortably even on the 20% that is due from donating the find to the state. This thought visits everyone at least once, especially the Crimeans living on the Treasure Peninsula. We tried to find out what treasures excite the fantasies of seekers.Big bummer
“In the summer I dived in Balaklava,” says Simferopol resident Denis. - And next year I’ll be there - maybe I’ll get lucky and at least find a couple of coins.For a successful entrepreneur, Balaklava scuba diving is a matter of principle. His father also went to these places at one time: maybe he would be lucky and the “Prince’s” gold would be found. According to rumors, there were about 30 barrels of gold coins - wages for British troops besieging Sevastopol in the Crimean War.
The British frigate Prince (better known as the Black Prince) was lost in November 1854 during a storm off Balaklava. According to official data, he was bringing warm clothes and medicine to the British. But a few years after the war, rumors of riches appeared. The first divers appeared in Balaklava Bay. Not only amateurs from Russian Empire, but also the French, Germans, Americans, Norwegians, Italians, Japanese. They found some debris, a small amount of coins, remains of shoes, iron boxes, but there was no mass of gold. I was looking for gold and Soviet Union. The reason was the discovery of several coins by one of the divers in 1922. Thanks to them, by the way, the Special Purpose Underwater Expedition (EPRON) appeared in the country. Engineers Vladimir Yazykov and Evgeny Danilenko, who developed a unique diving bell for this purpose, in 1923 enlisted the support of the country's chief security officer, Felix Dzerzhinsky, in creating a group to search for gold on the Prince. Gold, of course, was not found, although they raised a fragment of the Prince’s mast, from which they made a chess table and presented it to the new chief security officer, Vyacheslav Menzhinsky. But they gained considerable experience in underwater work. EPRON became a famous service that saved many people and raised many ships from the bottom of the sea. Representatives from different countries spent more than 150 years and huge sums of money searching for the Prince’s treasure, but the owners of the cargo, the British, showed no activity at all. They knew that the Prince’s gold was not in Balaklava Bay.
“The Prince’s gold is a beautiful legend,” says Sergei Voronov, head of the Black Sea Center for Underwater Research. “Three years ago, in Balaklava Bay, our underwater archaeologists managed to find cannonballs, a ship’s propeller, guns (one is kept in the museum in Artek. - Ed.), a plate from the captain’s service, based on the emblem of the company that owned the ship on it, they were able to identify that this is the same “Prince”.
The site of the ship's sinking has been found, but what about the gold? As an underwater archaeologist invited to the British Embassy was then told, it was unloaded on the way to Crimea. In Constantinople (Istanbul), where the British troops were stationed. All these years in England they knew about this, and the country’s national bank keeps a confirmation receipt from the assistant chief quartermaster John Smith. And yet, many treasure hunters with scuba gear strive every year to Balaklava Bay: what if they get lucky!
Another supposedly “ship with gold” that perished off the coast of Crimea is the motor ship “Lenin,” on which more than 4 thousand people were evacuated from Odessa in 1941. It is believed that they carried a lot of valuables with them. An underwater mass grave - a maritime memorial - reliably keeps secrets: several divers who decided to profit from the past died.
Randomness is the key to success
“It is impossible to dig up burial places in search of treasures,” historian Igor Pavlenko is sure. - This is blasphemy. And no matter how mystical it sounds, the souls of the dead will not forgive desecration. Treasures obtained in this way do not bring good: there are many examples of how “diggers” and their families died and suffered. And then, in most cases, the treasure is found not by those who deliberately wander around with a map and a shovel, but by those who don’t even think about it. Chance is the main companion of finding treasures. This is exactly how real scientists and archaeologists are lucky, who, without thinking about profit, bring back from the past populated areas and eras. Or for those who, while working on construction sites, in vegetable gardens, or traveling, suddenly find an old “stash”. So, in 1886, in the village of Neizac (Belogorsk region), a mill dam was being repaired and a vessel with silver coins from the 14th century was accidentally discovered. And in 1959, in the area of the Sudak Valley, archaeologists working on excavations found gold coins III century. In 2004, during the demolition of an old house in Feodosia, a large sum of money from 1917 was found, and in 2007, a resident of Old Crimea was repairing a stove and found a gold pendant.
And yet, those obsessed with the idea of treasure have their own “search points.” Kerchanin Alexey hopes to find two at once. In the quarries in the Leninsky district, where before the occupation of Crimea by the Nazis, security officers allegedly equipped a hiding place.
“One local resident has been studying this topic for many years,” says the man. “And he seemed to have found the place, but he soon died without revealing the secret.” What is there is unknown, maybe valuables, or maybe documents. But interesting. Although it is dangerous - collapses often occur. By the way, they say that the fascists also set up storage facilities for valuables during the Great Patriotic War - they allegedly hid the gold of the Crimean Scythians in a bunker near Sevastopol. Even Reichsführer SS Himmler himself came.
Another place where Alexey has already wandered with a metal detector in search of treasure is Bear Mountain. Here I wanted to find the horse of the Pontic king Mithridates VI Eupator. According to legend, the king ordered a figure of his favorite horse to be cast from gold, and before his death he hid it in a mountain. True, that mountain is the current Mithridates in Kerch. But it has been studied since pre-revolutionary times, there were interesting finds, but the horse was not found.
“Maybe they weren’t looking in the right place,” the treasure hunter suggests. — After all, there are many mountains in Crimea. Although there is an opinion that even before the revolution a golden horse was found by a Kerch water carrier, which was then discovered profitable enterprise and did a lot of charity work. But there is no confirmation, which means the chance remains.
Gold of the Khans and ready
They hope to find the treasures of the last Crimean khan, Shagin Giray, on the peninsula. Allegedly, in February 1783, before abdicating power and moving to Taman (from there to Voronezh), he ordered the property to be hidden in Bakhchisarai, according to other sources - in Cafe (Feodosia). Although this is doubtful, because the khan was planning to leave the peninsula forever; he lived in the Russian Empire until 1787, then moved to the Ottoman Empire. Why leave treasures if you understand that you will not be able to return?— I know that even during the Soviet Union they tried to find the treasure of the Crimean Khan in Krasnodar region, says Crimean Sergei Makarov. — In Taman and even in Krymsk, arguing that this town was named after the Crimean Khan. But this is completely nonsense. Krymsk, the former village of Krymskaya, appeared almost a century after the death of Shagin Giray and was named in honor of the soldiers of the Crimean 73rd Infantry Regiment that fought during the Russian-Turkish wars. I met treasure hunters of the Khan's treasures when I was searching with friends in the Krasnodar region. We were looking for a “golden suitcase” with gold and silver objects from the Kerch Museum that disappeared in 1942.
Crimea... An ancient mysterious land. There are countless secrets that she keeps within herself. There are countless peoples whose home this peninsula was.
Time passed, cities and countries, tribes and states changed. Leaving the hospitable Black Sea land, people hoped to return. They hoped - and hid the most valuable things. They left hiding places and graves, houses and castles on the peninsula.
Crimea is one of the places where treasures are most often found. Not a year goes by without news of the discovery of a handful of ancient coins, shards of an ancient pot with chains, or some other trace of antiquity. Many small finds are probably unknown.
There were also discoveries that made waves throughout the world. It is curious that they were all found by chance.
At the end of the 19th century, a German colonist repaired a mill dam in the then settlement of Neusatz. Deep in the dam, he found an earthenware jug containing silver coins and gold jewelry. The age of the find was almost half a thousand years.
In 1908, two treasures were found. Under an old oak tree near the village of Taraktash, peasants found a pot of gold coins from the 5th century. In the same year, coins of the same age were found near the village of Eltigen, not far from Kerch.
1959 brought archaeologists gold coins of the Bosporan kingdom. According to experts, the coins were minted back in the 3rd century. This wealth was found near Mount Alchak near the Sudak Valley.
Less than ten years later, construction began on the outskirts of Simferopol. While digging pits for the future building, one of the largest treasures in the history of Crimea was found: about 2.5 kilograms of gold, silver and stones - jewelry, coins, badges.
In 1990, a treasure was found near Alushta, probably buried by some merchant. It was 3.5 kilograms of silver bullion.
The 21st century was marked by a number of wonderful discoveries. A five-kilogram treasure of gold and silver coins of the 14th-15th centuries in the Bakhchisarai region, the Myrmekian treasure - a bronze jug with electric kizikin coins of the 6th-5th centuries BC, copper coins two thousand years ago in Feodosia - this is not a complete list of treasures found.
No matter how many treasures have been found, even more mysteries are still waiting to be solved. The Crimean land and the water surrounding it contain many treasures.
Somewhere near the Khan's Palace in Bakhchisarai lies the Gireyev treasure, hidden by the last Crimean Khan.
In Crimea lies a golden horse - a huge ingot of pure gold. Legends differ regarding its location: Armyansk, Ayu-Dag, Mount Kastel... Maybe it’s just an ancient beautiful legend.
At the end of the 19th century, a ship carrying 30 barrels of gold sank in Balaklava Bay. They have been searching for the Black Prince for more than 100 years, but, alas, to no avail.
Somewhere under the water near the western Crimea, a ship is waiting, which was supposed to evacuate valuables from museums before the arrival of the Nazis. German bombers sank the ship. The exact location of his crash remains unknown.
Large caches and small burials. Mysterious treasures and a handful of coins, jewelry and ingots put aside for a rainy day - a lot has accumulated in the Crimean land over several thousand years of its history. In the mountains, caves, old houses, ancient ruins - it is unknown where the chest of gold awaits the lucky one.
Treasures of coins: secrets of Crimea
Many treasures of the Crimean peninsula, about which there are legends, have not yet been found. So, they say that Khan Shagin-Girey hid his treasures near the Bakhchisarai Palace, and at the bottom of the Black Sea in the Sevastopol area you can find the precious cargo of the Lenin motor ship. However, those treasures of coins that have now already been discovered are of considerable interest and attract many fortune hunters to Crimea.
The wealth of the peninsula
The Crimean peninsula is the territory of many legends and traditions, including those about numerous treasures. Interesting, eventful ancient history, frequent migrations, numerous wars - all these circumstances forced people to trust the most precious things to the earth, the basements of houses, and mountain caves. Here are just a few of the coin hoards. Coin hoards: amazing finds. discovered at different times on the territory of Crimea:
The most valuable Crimean treasures
Crimea is an ancient land. It so happened that the peninsula became a crossroads of many cultures. Gold coins from Asia Minor and treasures of the Golden Horde are found here. Interestingly, many significant discoveries were made quite recently.
Simferopol treasure
In 2009, members of the Artesian archaeological expedition discovered two treasures at once. The discovery was made on the territory of the ancient Artesian fortress. According to archaeologists, these were a kind of offerings to the underground gods, and not ordinary treasures. The inhabitants of Artesian believed that the sacrificial treasures would contribute to the acceptance of their souls by the gods if they were killed by enemies and were not interred according to the requirements of the funeral rite.
In the first treasure, in addition to coins, a bronze mirror, gold rings with garnet and agate inserts, and a round brooch with the image of the goddess Aphrodite were found. In the second, in addition to coins, there were small glass vessels with incense, bracelets and necklaces. On one of the vessels it was possible to distinguish two faces located on both sides of it. One of them was sad, the other was happy. All finds were transferred to the Kerch Historical and Archaeological Museum.
5 most mysterious unfound treasures
Despite the many legends about hidden treasures in Crimea, none of them pointed to large treasures. They were always found by accident.
Treasure of Gireyev
There is a legend that at the end of the 18th century, somewhere near the Khan’s Palace in Bakhchisarai, the last of the dynasty of Crimean khans, Shagin-Girey, hid gold and jewelry. The legend of the treasure was supported by the testimony of modern eyewitnesses, whose ancestors allegedly helped hide the treasures. Several years ago there was even a rumor that the Ukrainian security service was conducting excavations on the territory of the palace — they were looking for that very gold.
Golden Cradle or Golden Horse
This is a huge ingot precious metal, sheltered by Crimeans from enemies in time immemorial. Historians consider such stories simply a beautiful legend, especially since the location of the treasure wanders: it is advised to look for it on Mount Ayu-Dag. V underground passages near Armyansk, on Mount Kastel near Alushta.
Treasures of the Black Prince
The ship with such a romantic name sank in Balaklava Bay on November 9, 1854. According to rumors, it was carrying 30 barrels of gold. Attempts to find the treasures of the Black Prince have been made since 1905, and they continue to this day.
Treasures of the Bakhchisarai Museum
At the bottom of Donuzlav Bay, they have been searching for a mysterious ship for decades, which was supposed to take away valuable exhibits - paintings, church utensils, things from Crimean palaces during the Great Patriotic War. The Germans bombed the ship and it sank. According to legend, a cloth embroidered with gold washed up on the seashore here: a piece of precious church vestment.
Cargo of the motor ship Lenin
This ship sank off the coast of Sevastopol at a depth of 90 meters. In 1941, the ship sailed from Odessa, taking away refugees. Among them there were quite a lot of non-poor people who took valuables with them. And the ship's hold was loaded with copper or bronze. His further fate is unclear Lenin was either blown up by a mine, or he was hit by a bomb. About 4 thousand people went to the bottom along with the ship. In the early 90s, an Israeli citizen walked around Sevastopol, wondering how to find people ready to go down to Lenin. The visitor claimed that his father was sailing on the sunken ship with some mysterious suitcase. Dad was saved by a miracle, but the suitcase sank. When asked what was there, the man winked mysteriously: there is enough for everyone, for him, for the city, and for those who dive to Lenin.
Sources: crimea.vgorode.ua, www.luxemag.ru, vsegda-tvoj.livejournal.com, jalita.com, www.uliss-voyager.narod.ru
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Top 10 little-known treasures of the peninsula waiting in the wings
It’s always interesting to read about sensational archaeological finds in Crimea, because each such news means that treasures on the peninsula are becoming less and less, and therefore the chances of finding something valuable. We decided to make a rating of little-known legends about the treasures of the peninsula, which have not yet been added to either museum exhibitions or private collections
1. Treasures of Byzantium (Mangup)
There is a legend that during the many-month siege of Mangup by the Turks in 1475, when the defenders of the Principality of Theodoro already understood that they could not resist the onslaught of the enemy, Prince Alexander ordered to hide the treasury and all the valuables of the inhabitants in the cave city. Moreover, according to legend, there were a lot of treasures, since it was here that they were brought from all over Byzantium after the fall of Constantinople. The Ottoman vizier Ahmed Pasha allegedly knew about the treasures, but after the capture of the capital, Theodoro was never able to find them. The archaeological expedition, which has been working on Mangup for many years, has not yet been able to discover anything like this. Who knows, maybe they are looking in the wrong place...
2. Treasures of the Bakhchisarai Museum (Kacha)
Off the western coast of Crimea, in the Kachi region, a ship rests on the seabed, which in 1941 was supposed to evacuate the treasures of the Bakhchisarai Palace - carpets, historical clothing, household items, coin collections and much more. Even the museum’s act on preparations for the evacuation of valuable exhibits has been preserved. But as soon as the ship put to sea, it was sunk by German bombers. They say that the ship could not have gone far and should be looked for at shallow depths near the shore. Although Crimean divers have not yet stumbled upon these treasures.
3. Regimental treasury (Ak-Monai quarries)
According to legend, the regimental treasury is hidden in the Leninsky district, which the NKVD soldiers left behind during the retreat of Soviet troops from Crimea. The cache, which has not yet been found by treasure hunters, allegedly stores ammunition, money, jewelry and secret dossiers on spies and saboteurs. Local residents tell in detail that on a November night in 1941, a truck drove up to the entrance to the quarries and stopped at the railroad tracks, the soldiers unloaded some boxes from it, took it to the catacombs and left. These rumors can be confirmed by the fact that in the mid-50s, in the village of Kamenskoye, located not far from the Ak-Monai quarries, a certain inspection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from Moscow showed up and made inquiries about what local residents had found in the quarries. But it seems that the cache has not yet been opened.
4. Treasures of the Temple of the Virgin (Fiolent)
In the 50s of the last century, somewhere in the area of Cape Fiolent, not far from Sevastopol, a Crimean rock climber late in the evening accidentally discovered a cave into which a vertical well led. Having descended to the very bottom, he saw fragments of ceramics and many human remains. Since the lantern was weak, he considered it pointless to go deeper into the cave and decided to return to the same place the next morning. But he failed to find the narrow hole into the cave again. It is quite possible that the skeletons belonged to people whom the Taurians sacrificed to the goddess Virgo. After all, it was on Fiolent, according to experts, that the main sanctuary of the ancient inhabitants of Crimea was located. And if this is so, then the treasures of the Tauri may also be stored in the cave, because at that time it was the temples that served not only as sanctuaries, but also as kind of banks, albeit with perpetual deposits...
5. Golden Horse (Grand Canyon)
There is a legend that a golden horse is hidden in one of the mountain gorges of the peninsula - a huge ingot of pure gold, supposedly the size of a real horse. According to legend, the horse statue was installed in a pyramidal sanctuary, inside of which a fire burned all the time. The horse froze in a vertical position with its front hooves raised and as if it was about to jump into the sacred flame. Apparently, this legend is about the golden horse of Mithridates VI Eupator, which, after the death of the Bosporan king, somehow ended up in the hands of the Scythians and migrated from Kerch to the Crimean mountains. It is believed that when they decided to deliver the statue from the sanctuary to the Scythian capital, the caravan was attacked. To prevent the enemies from getting the sun horse, the priests threw it into a gorge. According to legend, it was the largest gorge on the peninsula. So, apparently, we are talking about the Grand Canyon...
6. Golden chariot (Kerch)
But the golden chariot, unlike the horse, as legend says, remained in the depths of the Kerch Mount Mithridates, named after the Bosporan king, who owned the priceless item. Belief in the reality of the existence of such a treasure was reinforced after a Scythian burial was discovered in the Kul-Oba mound, which contained gold plaques, the famous hryvnia made of an alloy of gold and silver, a gold hoop, an electric vessel and much more. Before his death, Mithridates allegedly hid a golden copy of his steed and a golden chariot in a mountain. But later another legend appeared about the golden horse of the Scythians, who apparently found Mithridates’ treasure. But the chariots are gone.
7. Gold Mamaia (Chatyrdag)
Having been defeated in the Battle of Kulikovo, Khan Mamai was overthrown from the throne of the Golden Horde and fled to the south, presumably to Crimea, taking with him almost all the gold from the treasury of the Golden Horde, in order to subsequently prepare a coup. The French, English, Italians have been looking for Mamai's grave on the peninsula since the 10th century... These attempts were never successful, however, according to Russian researchers, the treasure that Mamai took with him should be looked for on Chatyrdag, in the little-studied caves of the mountain.
8. Museum exhibits of Europe (Tarkhankut)
In December 1847, the Russian 12-gun schooner Vestnik, which was returning from a Mediterranean voyage, crashed on the rocks near Cape Tarkhankut. The ship had previously visited one of the Greek ports and presumably had museum exhibits on board, which were supposed to be transferred to the Kerch Historical and Archaeological Museum. Because the ship crashed on the rocks, it sank somewhere near the shore. However, the Russian schooner has not yet been found.
9. Bronze galley (Sevastopol)
Rumor has it that at the bottom of the Black Sea, not far from the entrance to Sevastopol Bay, rests a life-size bronze Ukrainian galley of the 17th century. This statue was allegedly made in the USA in 2005 as a gift to Ukraine in honor of the expulsion of the Russian fleet from Sevastopol. But since the provocation failed in 2006 and the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation ended in nothing, and the fleet remained at anchor, they supposedly had to get rid of the gift. They couldn’t think of anything better than to drown it in the sea. Divers say that the galley is already half sawed and sold out. But even its remains are valued at millions of dollars.
10. Treasures of the Golden Mound (Kerch)
At the entrance to Kerch from the highway you can see the ruins of the ancient mound Altyn-Oba. In the 1820s, General Rosenberg, knowing the legend of treasure hidden in the mound, placed a fair amount of gunpowder at the top and caused an explosion. He did not find gold, but only disfigured the mound, breaking the Cyclopean lining. Archaeological excavations of the mound began in 1832 by Demyan Kareisha. He found nothing but two empty stone crypts. However, there is no smoke without fire; the mound was probably called Golden for a reason and it still holds treasures from the times of the Bosporan kingdom. But finding them now is not easy - the explosion scattered the stones from which the mound was made several tens of meters around and buried them under a thick layer of earth.
Alexey PRAVDIN
Photo Archive "KT"
The material was published in the Crimean Telegraph newspaper No. 226 dated April 5, 2013