Karadag is not among the "official" Crimean sights. There are no high mountains, lush subtropical vegetation and famous resorts. Nevertheless, this place is well known to everyone who is interested in the nature and history of Crimea. Its originality was born from a bizarre combination of a picturesque relief, a unique geological structure, placers of rare minerals, a diverse fauna and flora on land and at sea, historical names and events ... The unusual natural conditions of Karadag have long interested scientists. In 1914, a scientific station was opened here, the basis of which we owe to the privat-docent of Moscow University T.I. Vyazemsky. The name of the geologist F.Yu. Levinson-Les-Singa, one of the first researchers working at this station, is immortalized in the name of the rock. Following the geologists, biologists came to Karadag, and the station became biological. An outstanding entomologist, one of the founders of the Zoological Museum in Kiev, V.A., worked here. Karavaev, birds were studied by zoologists from Moscow and St. Petersburg-Leningrad N.A. Bobrinsky and B.K. Stegman. A lot of attention was paid to Karadag by the famous researcher of the animal kingdom of Crimea I.I. Puzanov. Today, the Karadag Biostation is a branch of the Sevastopol Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, and its main specialization is the study of marine fauna. Picturesque shores attracted not only scientists. Famous poets, writers and artists lived and visited here, so Karadag is imprinted both in literature and in painting. The "literary" story is primarily associated with the name of Maximilian Voloshin, in whose Koktebel house many poets of the Silver Age visited. At different times, Andrei Bely, Marina Tsvetaeva, Mikhail Bulgakov stayed here, and the picturesque surroundings were reflected if not in poetry and prose, then in memories, diaries and letters. Later, the writer Vasily Aksyonov revived his famous utopia "Island of Crimea" with Karadag landscapes.


I had to go on expeditions to Karadag twice, with an interval of 25 years. The first time was with his father in 1976. The purpose of that expedition was to study the parasites (helminths) of the Black Sea sharks and stingrays. The second time I came to Karadag in 2000 on the instructions of the National Museum of Natural History. Now the object of study was mollusks, primarily terrestrial. The fact is that the study of these sedentary and often unobtrusive animals (most species are very small and live in forest litter and dead wood) allows a better understanding of the development of the fauna, and hence the entire territory in past geological eras. Features of the modern distribution of animals and the history of their settlement serve as the subject of a separate branch of zoology - zoogeography. We can judge about the connection and divergence of ancient continents, about bridges and barriers connecting and disconnecting land or seas, about the appearance of islands and lakes by the common fauna of different territories and water areas, by the kinship between the species that now inhabit different regions. Recently, precise methods have been developed for studying such relationships: comparison of nucleic acid sequences and computer analysis of morphological characters. So the time has come to test some old theories, and for this we need new materials. Crimea is of significant interest for zoogeography. Scientists of the past and the beginning of this century have formulated several theories of the origin of the peculiar fauna of the peninsula. She was attributed either Balkan or Caucasian origin and assumed the presence of ancient land bridges directly connecting the Crimea with the Balkan Peninsula or the Caucasus. Without going into the details of this discussion, we note that it was the study of the Crimean land mollusks that enabled I.I. Puzanov develop his own theory, emphasizing the antiquity of the Crimean fauna and the local ("autochthonous", as zoogeographers say) the origin of many species. Now the fauna of Crimea is interpreted as a distinctive relic (remnant) of the ancient Mediterranean fauna distributed in the past throughout Europe. By the way, modern Karadag is the most eastern, very isolated outpost of the endemic Crimean fauna and therefore needs special protection and further study. The Karadag mountain range is formed by several ridges and peaks. The four most picturesque ranges - Karagach, Khoba-Tepe, Magnitny and Kok-Kaya - break off into the sea. Behind them rises the domed Holy Mountain (577 m). According to geologists, these mountains arose as a result of the activities of Mesozoic volcanoes. The rocks brought to the surface by eruptions have been subjected to the destructive effects of winds, rains and the sea for millions of years, forming bizarre outliers. These rocks resemble fortress walls, figures of people, animals and fantastic monsters. Here, literally every stone has a name - figurative and memorable: Ivan the Robber, Sphinx, Golden Gate, Gingerbread Horse


On the Karagach ridge, nature created a whole sculptural composition - the rocks King, Queen, Throne and Suite. The coastline of Karadag is also very bizarre: in places the coast is a vertical stone wall and almost impassable, in some places the mountains recede a little and open small bays with a narrow border on the beaches. The names of the bays are also unusual: Robbery, Border, Lion, Carnelian, Barakhta, Frog ... There are also grottoes and small caves on Karadag. Volcanic rocks with their dark color stand out against the background of light limestones characteristic of the Crimean Mountains. The landscape is enlivened by the bright green exits of the tracks. Karadag gems, well-known far beyond the Crimea, - jasper, chalcedony, agate and carnelian - are also created by ancient eruptions. The sea takes them quite far to the west (this is a feature of local currents), where people collect them on the beaches and use them to make original jewelry. Of course, Karadag cannot compete in the richness of vegetation with the subtropics of the South Bank, but it still stands out from the arid East Crimea.

 Broad-leaved forests (from hornbeam and fluffy oak), juniper and pistachio woodlands, steppe slopes are represented here. The list of higher plants of this massif includes more than 1000 species, many of which are endemic to the Crimea, and 61 species are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. The fauna of Karadag is also very interesting. Among vertebrates, it stands out leopard snake and peregrine falcon, listed in the International Red Book. Of mammals, bats are diverse. Of the rare insects, one can note the Crimean ground beetle, several species of mantis, and Askalaf. I have also seen here a large wingless grasshopper from the Red Book of Ukraine - a steppe horn. Speaking of Karadag, one must not forget about the sea. Here it is very densely populated. The purity of the water and the diversity of its bottom (rocks, sand, shell rock, silt) determines the richness of the bottom fauna of invertebrates, especially bivalves, annelids and crustaceans. It is estimated that 50–70 percent of species of the Black Sea fauna live in the Karadag water area. Some representatives, such as mussels, are of commercial value. Unfortunately, the settlements of another commercial Black Sea mollusk - oysters - completely disappeared. The disappearance of this species is associated with the emergence and spread in the Black Sea of ​​a predatory Far Eastern snail - rapana. Not only oysters but also other Black Sea bivalves suffered from this excessively aggressive invader: scallop, large modiolus and polititapes. Now, however, the rapan itself, which has multiplied in huge numbers off the coast of Karadag, has become an object of fishing, since it is also edible (although it can hardly be an adequate substitute for oyster), and its beautiful shells are sold to tourists. According to the recommendation of hydrobiologists in the water area of ​​the reserve, planned production of rapeseed is now under way in order to somehow limit its number and its further distribution. Unfortunately, in the Karadag region, sea pollution by industrial and domestic wastes is noticeable. This pollution is associated, in particular, an increase in the number of snail "top".


Karadag reserve is relatively young. It was organized only in 1979, although Karadag has had the status of a natural monument of republican significance since 1963. The impetus for the increase in protective status was the growing popularity of this place. Unorganized, “wild” tourism threatened primarily the mineralogical riches of Karadag. Flora and fauna indirectly suffered: the first from fires, the second from a disturbance factor. So the formation of the reserve should be recognized as a necessary measure, although somewhat belated: the most vulnerable species of large birds of prey, bats and other animals on its territory have already disappeared. It is important to note the scientific and social activities of the Karadag Biostation and the reserve. Here, an inventory of flora and fauna, thorough entomological studies, the study of marine plankton and bottom population (benthos) are carried out. Experts from institutes of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, scientific institutions of other countries come here to collect material. On the basis of the reserve, biology students and geologists of many educational institutions practice. But, besides professionals, mountains and the sea attract many nature lovers and just idle vacationers. I remember that on my first visit, the seashore, especially southwest of the village of Kurortnoye, where the now famous Fox Bay is located, was completely deserted. Today, the campus of the biostation is not at all like the secluded shelter of scientists, as it was a quarter century ago. Every year, during the tourist season, there are many visitors (although, as I have already noted, this is far from the most popular Crimean resort). We must pay tribute to the efforts of the reserve staff and biostations, who are trying to organize and at the same time regulate ecological and scientific tourism. After all, even before the creation of the reserve, employees of the biostation conducted excursions in the vicinity for those interested in nature and history, willingly showed the most remarkable places. Today, the territory of the reserve is divided into zones: open for tourists (organized, of course) and guarded, absolutely reserved, as this is done in many foreign national parks. For visitors, guided tours of the ecological trail and boat trips, a nature museum, an aquarium and a dolphinarium are open. I also went along an ecological path, though without an escort of a guide (this is a privilege of a professional). I can testify: the route is laid so that the most interesting corners of Karadag are accessible for viewing, but protected from direct invasion. First, the path goes through the pistachio garden and the oak forest, then it rises steeply uphill and goes out onto the slope of the Karagach ridge open to all winds. Approaching the cliff, you can see from the height of several hundred meters the cliff Ivan the Robber and the Robber Bay at its foot. Then we get to the crest of Hoba-Tepe. The upper part of its coastal slope for the abundance of grottoes and cliff-remains of a bizarre shape is called the "dead city". Several small rocks - Gingerbread Horse, Pyramid and Falcon - are located near the trail. Finally, after a short pass, a picturesque view of the Koktebel Bay opens. And the main attraction of the boat trip is the Golden Gate rock, really the real gate of Karadag. Of course, not everything is perfect in the reserve so far, but we can hope that in the end optimal solutions will be found that will effectively combine the protection of unique natural complexes, their scientific research and tourism. In conclusion, I want to express my gratitude to the staff of the Karadag Biostation and the reserve, especially M. Beskaravayny and A. Bezvushko, for the opportunity to get acquainted with the unique corner of Crimea.

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