«The most remarkable tomb is undoubtedly the one that I have named Tsarskaya.
There are few monuments that can compete in elegance with this tomb».
A.B. Ashik
The Tsar’s Mound occupies a special place among the numerous and diverse historical and architectural sights of Kerch. It is a fantastic, mysterious, world-famous monument of ancient architecture. Why he received such fame can be understood by visiting here, making a fascinating journey into this «afterlife». For each guest acquaintance with this place becomes a unique experience.
The Tsar’s Mound is located five kilometers from Kerch on the northern outskirts of the city near the village of Adzhimushkay. In the belly of the 18-meter hill with a circumference of about 250 meters hidden amazing tomb, which is a true masterpiece of ancient architecture, which has no analogues in Greece or in the world.
This monument was discovered in the early XIX century during excavations, which were conducted under the direction of the director of the Kerch Museum of Antiquities A.B. Ashik. To get to the tomb archaeologists tried 5 years — excavations were conducted from 1833 to 1837. What the researchers found, struck their imagination. The big, on the sizes having no analogues among similar monuments of architecture the construction appeared really mystical, mysterious place. Its skillful, masterful execution, its scale became the reason why A. Ashik called it «Tsar’s».
The uniqueness of the architecture of the tomb can be appreciated while still outside. To the entrance to the tomb leads an interesting, peculiar corridor of rectangular stone slabs, laid on the sides of the walls of the corridor in the form of stairs. When looking at this construction, it seems as if the hillside has opened up, opening the way into its depths, and the walls of the fantastic corridor can close at any moment. All this adds adrenaline, but, of course, visiting the mound is absolutely safe.
The dromos — the corridor leading to the burial chamber, stretches for 36 meters, but from the outside because of its unusual design it seems not so long. For many visitors to the tomb, the path between the stone walls that close at the top evokes exciting, vivid sensations that are remembered forever. Such a constructive solution, according to historians, was used for a reason and has a philosophical meaning — the corridor symbolizes life, the path of a man from birth to the moment of transition of his soul to the beyond. Bypassing the corridor, the guests of the barrow get to the burial room.
The tomb is almost square in shape — 4.29 by 4.39 meters, its height is about 9 meters. The walls of the tomb, as well as the corridor, are made of stone blocks, they hide the second reason for the uniqueness of the Tsar’s Mound: gradually square walls pass into a round vaulted dome, consisting of 12 levels — this is also an unusual, uncharacteristic for ancient tombs of that time architectural technique.
Another feature worth noting is that from the inside the corridor seems much longer, and the exit to the street is visually much farther away than from the outside of the mound. In this way the builders expressed the idea that a person comes to death quickly, and after crossing this line, it is impossible to return — this way is very far away. Inside the burial chamber there is an incomparable atmosphere, each guest discovers this wonderful world in his own way.
The researchers who discovered the tomb were not upset not to find treasures in it — this place itself is of great value. It was found that it was intended for the burial of one of the Bosporan kings — Levkon I, at which the kingdom reached prosperity. The royal mound was built in the IV century BC and was looted in ancient times. Only a wooden sarcophagus and fragments of pottery have survived.
To visit this attraction of Crimea means to make an impressive excursion into the afterlife. Coming to holidays in Kerch, such a unique journey can be made by anyone.