The city of Sochi has been and remains a “tourist Mecca” for several centuries. The proximity of the sea, the healing air of the mountains and the beauty of local nature made it the pearl of the Caucasus. But a unique ecosystem is not the only attraction. From the point of view of archeology, Sochi is a storehouse of invaluable knowledge, a sort of inexhaustible source of information about the history of the origin of civilization …
In the vicinity of the city, scientists have discovered more than four dozen places, the so-called sites of primitive man. Ahshtyrskaya cave is the most famous of them. It was there, in the depths of the rock, the clues of many secrets of the past were found …
Geographic details
In the mountains of Sochi, according to the report of the last archaeological and speleological expedition, there are at least 400 caves of natural origin. However, only a small part of them, about 10%, have historical significance. Moreover, what is interesting, the conditional center of concentration of the “cultural heritage” is the former urban-type settlement, and now it is part of the famous resort - Adler. The Akhshtyr cave is located very close, some 15 kilometers from it (upstream of the Mzymta river).
The fact that this site was once chosen by the Cro-Magnons is evidenced by the primitive tools found during excavations almost 80 years ago. From a geographical point of view, the cave is the extreme northern point of the entire southeastern region of Europe, "officially assigned" to the primitive people of that era.
The secret of the uniqueness of the Akhshtyr cave
Why is everyone on their lips just this cave, and not some other? Yes, because only here you can see a clearly expressed cultural stratification of ancient times. Getting here is like visiting a museum of the history of the Caucasian race. According to scientists, the first settlers began to settle down here 70 thousand years ago. True, after about 20 thousand years, due to natural disasters, Neanderthals left their native land. But a sharp drop in temperature was almost not noticed by the bears, who became full-fledged owners of the cave for the next fifteen thousand years.
The return of upright primates came in the early Bronze Age. Their intellectual level has grown, and this is reflected in the quality of living arrangements. About all the details of life Cro-Magnons told a five-meter "cultural layer", mastered by archaeologists in the last century.
Today, the Akhshtyrskaya cave, Sochi and mountain tourism are synonymous words. The monument did not lose its historical value, its status simply changed - now it is a full-fledged excursion object of a recreational nature.
Cave structure
Akhshtyrskaya cave parking is located at an altitude of 185 meters above sea level. The distance to the mirror of the boiling mountain Mzymta is 120 meters (the river is clamped by the walls of the gorge, which enhances the echo effect).
A narrow path leads to the entrance. She, like a cornice, stands on an almost sheer cliff. This path, which, incidentally, is equipped with special guardrails, is the only way to the first viewing platform. Another short transition - and here they are, the “doors” …
Akhshtyrskaya cave has a pronounced eastern exposure.
Its starting segment is a twenty-meter corridor, gradually transforming into spacious halls 8 and 10 meters high; the finish is a clay climb under a rather large slope, ending with two dead ends. The total length is about 270 meters. For the convenience and safety of tourists, the cave was illuminated where necessary - stairs are installed and steps are mounted.
Important nuances of the walking route
Problem number 1 is to get to the Trout farm - any transport going in the direction of Adler - Krasnaya Polyana will be perfect (in particular, you can ride a 131 or 135 bus). Next, you should find the main entrance to this same "fish establishment" - it is right there, on the highway, so there should be no problems. Having approached the entrance gate, you need to turn left, and then continue driving. If on the way there is a construction with the inscription “Glassblowers' show” - then everything is in order: the tourist has already overcome a third of the way to the place called Akhshtyrskaya cave.
How to get to the intermediate destination - "glaziers" - is now known. It remains to find out where to go next. And here, fortunately, there is nothing complicated: near the "Glassblowers' Show" the asphalt road smoothly leaves to the right, to two four-story residential buildings of the old construction. Having passed exactly between them, it is necessary to turn right again. After about a hundred meters, the sidewalk "rests" in a suspension bridge. However, there is no need to cross the other side: the well-trodden path is clearly visible on the left - it will lead the wanderer straight to the cave (it takes no more than half an hour to go from the suspension bridge).
Akhshtyrskaya cave: how to get there by car in the shortest way?
Sochi is a modest city. But when the holiday season begins, kilometer-long traffic jams spoil the life of motorists. And so that the movement on the "steel horse" does not turn into torment, it is necessary to correctly plan the route.
So, the goal is the Akhshtyrskaya cave. How to get from Adler to the world-famous parking lot of a primitive man?
In order not to wind the mountain serpentines, of which there are many near Sochi, you should immediately, upon leaving the city, head for Krasnaya Polyana. Having reached the sign “Cossack Brod” - turn towards the village and drive through it (the houses are located along the highway, so there’s nowhere to get lost with all desire).
Having passed the settlement, you should not put pressure on the gas - somewhere in 200-300 meters one more pointer will appear, this time with the inscription “Akhshtyrskaya cave”. All that remains is to carry out the maneuver - turn right and drive half a kilometer along the dirt road. That, in fact, is all, because it is impossible not to notice the cave itself …
A few facts from the history of the discovery
The opening date of the cave is considered to be September 28, 1903. The fame of the “pioneer” was assigned to the citizen of the French Republic, Eduard Martel, and Gabriel Rivenko, a resident of Cossack Brod, accompanied the scientist on his next trip through the mountain gorges of the Sochi region. However, the foreign specialist was probably not a great hunter of archaeological sciences, so he saw only what "lay on the surface."
In 1936, the place of discovery was visited by the Soviet "digger of antiquity" Sergei Nikolaevich Zamyatin, who managed to detect signs of the presence of anthropoid primates. Subsequently, it turned out that under the rock fragments hid a well-preserved site of primitive people - and then the Akhshtyrskaya cave thundered to the whole world.
The history of Sochi, as well as the history of the entire surrounding area following the results of the opening, was radically revised. Cro-Magnons of the Caucasus became a sensation in the scientific world, therefore for many decades only “bright minds” and museum workers had access to the monument of ancient architecture. In 1999, the situation changed - the cave was adapted for excursions.
Myths and legends: guides versions
Almost all tourist sites have a “legacy”: tour guides tend to “register medieval castles of terrible castings in the house book”, fill museum halls with mystery, talk about “reliable facts” from the lives of prominent people of past eras …
From this point of view, the cave discovered by Martel is no different from the Paris Louvre or the Tower of London - it also has its own history. A story that kind guides will happily tell every visiting tourist.
The Akhshtyr cave, according to the guides, is nothing more than the legendary meeting place of Homer's Odyssey and Cyclops Polyphemus. Their "arguments" are so convincing that some people indeed begin to believe that the famous Greek was approaching the Sochi shores. Although, perhaps, these words have more truth than fiction …
Picturesque beauty of the Akhshtyr gorge: reviews of tourists
What does the Akhshtyr Gorge and Akhshtyrskaya Cave symbolize for ordinary residents of the resort town? Oddly enough, but for most of them it is “just a house”. People who grew up among the beauties of the Caucasus are accustomed to the fact that “it has always been like this”. And only visitors, getting into this paradise of the Earth, see the full picture of what is happening - the local nature literally bewitches them …
It is enough to go to any forum devoted to the topic of tourism - Adler and Sochi will certainly be in the spotlight. The surrounding mountains captivate the hearts of not only Russians - Kazakhs and Belarusians, Moldovans and Ukrainians dream of “lifting to the sky” in these parts precisely. Yes, what is the CIS! To visit the Akhshtyrsky (Dzykhrinsky) gorge is the desire of many foreigners! Two and a half kilometers in length, two hundred meters in depth - formed by the Mzymta River, it, like a sharp blade, cuts the mountain range of the same name. To convey in words the views that open from the panoramic points of its terraces is simply impossible …
