After a short rest from the long road, we began to make excursions around the Crimean peninsula to get to know this place better. The city of Kerch was a 30-minute drive from our parking lot. It is a very famous city that has suffered many hardships in its history. Even if not to talk about the horrors of the Second World War.
Kerch is a fairly large city. If we compare it in other cities of the Crimean peninsula, then only Sevastopol and Semfiropol will be larger.
But the most important discovery is that the city of Kerch is one of the most ancient cities in the world. The official founding date is somewhere between 590 and 610 BC.
That is, it is incredible antiquity.
There is a large mountain in the center of the modern city of Kerch. The height of this hill is almost 100 meters. Now this mountain is called Mithridates, in memory of a local king who fought with Rome in ancient times and died as a result of defeat in this struggle.
He was killed at his own request by his own guards on the territory of the ancient city, which was located on the top of the mountain, which today we call Mithridates.
This mountain is the main elevation in the surrounding areas. This makes the mountain a strategically important object and it is not surprising that it was here that the first ancient city was founded, which later turned into modern Kerch.
Today, archaeological work is being carried out on the top of the mountain. Many objects have already been excavated and we can observe with our own eyes the remains of ancient temples and houses.
In addition, at the top of the mountain there is a monument to the defenders of the city during the Great Patriotic War. The city of Kerch is a hero city. The defenders of Crimea and Kerch have had a lot of terrible trials.
The creation of the monument was started back in 1944. This is one of the first memorials that began to be created in a war-torn country. It's just that the feat of the defenders of Kerch was so amazing that it was impossible not to note it.
A large staircase leads to the monument, which was built in 1830. This staircase is one of the attractions of Kerch. 432 steps to the top is a challenge.
In addition to the large Mithridatesky staircase, there is one more - a small one. This second staircase leads directly through the private property. I must say that almost all the slopes of Mount Mithridates are occupied by private houses. People live on history. Probably the same as in Rome or somewhere else in Italy.
Somewhere I heard that Italian builders hide the found artifacts during the construction process, because if you start excavations every time, it will be impossible to build a modern building.
From Mount Mithridat, a delightful view of the Kerch Bridge and the Kerch Strait opens up. To the right is the Black Sea, to the left is the Azov Sea.
