Description of the attraction
Fortress Aluston was built in the 6th century. by order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. Aluston was located 200 meters from the sea on the top of a 44-meter hill. The line of the fortress walls of Aluston was an irregular quadrangle. At the junctions of the curtains, 3 towers were erected: Ashaga-Kule ("Lower Tower"), which has survived in the city center to this day, Orta-Kule ("Middle Tower") and the completely destroyed Chatal-Kule ("Horned Tower").
The thickness of the walls of Aluston reached 2-3 m, and the height - 9, 5 m. If you look closely at the masonry, you can see voids in it. They contained wooden logs. They performed not only a connecting function, but also served as a kind of shock absorber during earthquakes.
By the end of the VII century. Aluston was abandoned by the Byzantines. In the X century, after the fall of the Khazar Kaganate, Aluston was destroyed, possibly by the Pechenegs. Its decline began. But since the XII century, after the stabilization of the situation on the peninsula, Aluston is experiencing a new heyday.
In the years 1381-1382. The Genoese bought from the Crimean Khan a section of the coast from Sudak to Balaklava, including Aluston (Lusta). A new stage has begun in the history of the fortress. Alushta becomes a trading post of the "Captaincy of Gothia", its population grows to 1-1.5 thousand people. In the II half of the XV century. a new line of defense with 3 towers on the northern and eastern flanks is being erected around Aluston.
In June 1475, the Italian possessions in the Crimea were attacked by the Turkish fleet. Aluston was also attacked. Archaeological research has shown that the city was destroyed by fire, after which the Aluston fortress was no longer rebuilt.
