Au-Dag (Bear Mountain) — from the ancient times to our days.
Au-Dag is covered with legends. In ancient times
the mountain caused the sacred feeling of nature's power. On bear's back there is a
real forest where you can get lost. Narrow paths go to its summit, where a
magnificent view opens to your eyes.Au-Dag is a unique place for archeologists. Here
they found the ruins of 7 christian churches, built on the place of earlier
pagan temples. There is an opinion that part of its name Ay which is translated
from turkic as bear, is changed Aj which means holy from Greek.
The
mountain is 572 m
high, its length is 2.5 km.
It appeared in middle-Jurassic stage of geological
history, tat was about 160 million years ago. Hot magma (molten
rock that sometimes forms beneath the surface of the earth) hardened in the sedimentary rocks. Such mountains are called
«laccolith». A laccolith
is an igneous intrusion (or concordant pluton) that has been injected between
two layers of sedimentary rock. On the top of the mountain there are remaining
of a fortress. It was a big village with about 100 houses which had 2 stores.
Walls were 1 m
wide. The village was protected on its North-Western side by a wall.
People lived by fishing and trading. On Ay-Konstant
glade there is a foundation of a high towerwhich
served as a house for local feudalist.
In spring
Au-Dag is covered by flowers of peony and lily of the valley. Many birds live here: tits, nightingales and many other birds. As for
animals, here you can meet foxes, badgers,
hares, martens and squirrels. Ascent takes
1.5-2 hours. Slopes in the sea side are rocky, with many bays.
In the
center of the glade near a forgotten road there are ruins of small medieval
church.
