It is commonly believed that all the «pearls of Crimea» are located on the southern coast of the peninsula. But if you find time and drive along its western edge, you will be surprised by the variety of natural forms and the number of archaeological monuments and invaluable balneological resources located there.
The leader in terms of the effect produced on neophytes is Beliaus. It is a spit with the ruins of an ancient manor. The length of the spit is 9 kilometers. The width of this geographical object varies from 200 to 600 meters. The spit «works» as a dividing strip between Lake Donuzlav and the water area of the Black Sea. Therefore, guests of the peninsula are struck by the local landscape — snow-white sand, surrounded on both sides by water mirrors. Experts say that sand of such whiteness can be found only on the beaches of the Maldives, the Dominican Republic and the Spanish resort Costa del Sol. According to the same experts, Belyaus Spit lacks only a couple of palm trees and deck chairs standing in the water near the shore.
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But there is something on the spit that none of the above mentioned resorts can boast of. These are the ruins of the ancient settlement. Because of the name of the spit it is called «Belyaus». The true name, unfortunately, faded in the centuries. The oldest buildings Belyaus date back to the IV century BC. The most preserved object on its territory is considered to be a fortified manor, most likely, a rich Greek naval commander.
Guests vacationing in the western part of the Crimea, will be able to see the hulk of the house with a perimeter of 44 meters. The thickness of the walls of the structure reaches 1 meter. This indicates that the owners lived under constant threat of attack. In addition, a well, millstones and a grain pit were found in the building itself. The owners of the house and their slaves had a chora, an agricultural land in the area of the present-day village of Znamenskoye. Near the house there are foundations of other buildings, not so well preserved, cobbled fragments of streets and a mini acropolis. The wreckage of a triera, a legendary Greek ship, as well as a wooden anchor, giant amphorae and bronze nails were found in the sea near the shore.
In the 2nd century, the Greek community was destroyed by the warlike nomadic Scythians. But once in this blessed place, they changed their way of life. The Scythians increased the thickness of the walls to 2.5 meters and turned the house into one of the most fortified forts of Tauris of their time.
Today, the history of Belyaus house is «read» by archaeologists. Until 1994, they had virtually no access to local treasures. The fact is that Lake Donuzlav was a classified object — in its water area deployed a regiment of seaplanes, patrol and landing ships, as well as mothballed historical vessels. Therefore, when scientists got the opportunity to explore this settlement, the starburst of archaeological finds surprised everyone — bronze weapons and gold jewelry, magical figurines and even the necropolis of a rich Mongoloid boy.
Where are these amazing attractions of Crimea? About 20 kilometers from the town of Chernomorskoye, to whose museum much of the treasures have migrated. Of course, you can choose holidays in Popovka, but one and a half kilometers from the antique manor is the village of Znamenskoye. Its inhabitants have perfectly understood the realities of the tourist business, so the guests of the spit awaits a hotel imitating the «Viking Castle», several private recreation centers, fruit market and organized fishing in the sea or in the waters of Lake Donuzlav.