Ukraine · 5th century
Eski-Kermen or Eski Kermen (Ukrainian: Ескі-Кермен; Russian: Эски-Кермен) was a cave town and fortress in the Crimea in the south of Ukraine. Founded by the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century to defend against the Göktürks, it was conquered by the Khazars in the 7th or 8th century.
The fortress was built on a plateau of about 1 km by 200m. Remains have been found of a basilica. The occupants were probably Alans or Goths. The military importance of the place disappeared after the Khazars had conquered it, but it remained a thriving cave dwelling until at least the 11th century, during the rule of the Pechenegs. It seems to have been deserted in the 14th century, under the rule of the Tatars. Nowadays, most surface structures have disappeared and only some 400 cave rooms remain.
Text adapted from “Eski-Kermen” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Eski-Kermen ranks #2,125 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #41 of the 195 mapped in Ukraine. Founded c. 500, it is older than 97% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 37 atlas entries founded in the 5th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,852 times in the last 60 days, more than 67% of the atlas. 22 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Sevastopol, 17 km away. See how Ukraine compares in the castle statistics.
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