Cape Tarkhankut is well known to all domestic filmmakers, diving and windsurfing fans. The fact is that it is practically not spoiled by civilization, and every kilometer of its coastline shocks guests with its wildness and natural wildness. On its territory there is the Dzhangul tract — the champion of landslides and sea abrasion in Ukraine. It was to its shore that the Russian ghost ship Sirius «nailed». And the local rocks of Atlesh are so good that they became a matchless scene for shooting «Pirates of the XX century», «Amphibian Man» and a number of popular science films about life in the Black Sea.
Rocks, jagged shore, flocks of dolphins on the horizon. The only thing missing is a lighthouse. The Greeks who founded Kalos-Limen were the first to try to improve the coastal landscape of Tarkhankut. The fact that there was a lighthouse on the territory of the ancient settlement is said by all those who worked on its excavations. Unfortunately, this navigational construction has not survived to our time. To remedy the situation, to enhance the picturesqueness of the cape and facilitate orientation in this sector of the Black Sea in the early XIX century decided the command of the Russian Navy.
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In 1816, a lighthouse was erected on Cape Tarkhankut, which is the extreme western point of the Crimean Peninsula. It is a snow-white column, tapering from the base to the top. It is equipped with a lamp and a nautophone — a sound siren, turned on in case of fog. A remarkable spiral staircase leads up to it. It is made of cast iron, which gives hope that this lighthouse will survive the Second Coming. The structure is 38 meters high. That’s the height of a twelve-story building.
In the construction of Tarkhankutsky lighthouse was used Inkerman limestone. It was delivered from the quarry located in the vicinity of Sevastopol. Thanks to the quality characteristics of the stone and the cylindrical design of the structure, it is practically impervious to weathering, easily withstands the onslaught of winds and regular attacks of the salty Black Sea waves.
During the Russian Empire, the Tarkhankutsk Lighthouse was maintained by one keeper, an experienced retired naval officer, and 11 sailors, a couple of telegraphists and servants seconded to him. According to the data included in the «Statistical Directory» for Taurian province, it is known that a Russian village of the same name was formed near the lighthouse. It was inhabited by 16 singles and one married couple.
The sailors were responsible for filling the lamp on the top of the lighthouse with surep oil. In the late 19th century, the oil lamp was replaced by its kerosene counterpart. Another function of the sailors was to ring the bell when fog obscured the lamp’s flicker from passing ships. In the 20th century, hand chiming was replaced by the nautophone device. It generated high-pitched sounds that traveled well in humid conditions in the air.
The specificity of this place is such that most often the rest on Tarkhankut is chosen by divers, lovers of underwater photography, marine artists (there are also such), windsurfing fans and kiting enthusiasts. Therefore, to the attractions of Olenevka, except for the warm, clean sea, can be attributed all that half-creative, half-formal bomond, which gathers for parties under the Tarkhankut lighthouse.