Description of the attraction
Chaban-Kule, or "shepherd's tower", is the name of one of the watchtowers built in the 14th century. Not far from the village of Morskoye, on the Agira cape stretching into the sea, the remains of powerful fortress walls, up to 3 meters thick, are clearly visible. Their height, even when destroyed, is about 10 meters. The tower itself is well preserved, but the entrance to it is badly damaged. Inside, in the plinth, there is a fireplace and a pool for water. In addition, you can see pottery, blacksmithing and other workshops, of which there were about 40 in the fortress. It is known that to the north of the tower, in the fortress, there was a temple, but it has not survived.
Historians believe that this fortress is the family castle of the Guasco brothers. Like many other adventurers and profit seekers, they came to Crimea from Genoa. They built a castle, captured villages and fields, forced the peasants to work for them, imposed additional taxes and duties. To maintain their power, they created armed detachments, and to intimidate them, they erected a gallows and a pillar of shame.
But with the arrival of the Turkish Sultan in Crimea, the rule of the Guasco brothers ended. They managed to take the fortress not by storm, but by a long siege. The brothers became slaves, and the tower is all that remains of the mighty castle.
