Description of the attraction
Not far from Alushta, near the southern slope near Mount Demerdzhi, there is a cluster of unusual stone statues. This is the Valley of Ghosts. The largest cluster of stones is called "Catherine's head". It will take more than one hour to explore this remarkable place.
The Valley of Ghosts got its unusual name due to this feature: the stones scattered at the foot of the mountain, at sunset, cast bizarre shadows that look like ghosts that move quickly. The mountain itself looks amazing at this time - due to the change in lighting at sunset, it constantly changes its color. Such mysterious phenomena attract tourists here.
The mountains themselves are also very impressive: rocky structures of various shapes are scattered everywhere, which resemble the faces and figures of people, animals, and fabulous creatures. In each rock you can see something unusual.
There is a legend among local residents: in ancient times, these places were captured by the sorcerer Blackbeard with his retinue. They gathered all the men from the area on the top of the mountain in the forge they had created. The flame that swelled in the forge dried up all the land and lakes, and destroyed all nature around. Famine began in the village. And then a young girl, whose name was Catherine, went to the sorcerer to ask him to leave these lands. But the evil sorcerer did not listen to anything and killed her. Then God punished everyone: flames burst from the top of the mountain, and huge boulders rolled along its slopes, which destroyed everything around. If you believe the legend, the sculptures at the top of the mountain are soldiers frozen in stone who tried to escape from God's punishment.
Tourists are also attracted by more mundane things - the most famous of all trees in Crimea grows here - this is the Nikulin walnut, which was involved in the filming of the film "Prisoner of the Caucasus", and the stone on which Natalya Varley sang the song "Polar Bears" and danced.
The Valley of Ghosts is a natural monument of national importance.
