The Shaitan-Merdven or devil's staircase

The Shaitan-Merdven or devil's staircase was reliable and very important for the local population the mountain pass of the Main ridge of the Crimean mountains. From Neolithic she tied the Crimean foothills with the South coast. But the mountain pass was rather difficult, and it's easy to imagine how tired and stumbling traveler not once swore, and remembered the devil in the difficult parts of the gorge, which ran the devil's ladder. Hence its Crimean Tatar name of the Shaitan-Merdven (devil — devil, Merdven — stairs). Strange demonic name, full of mystery and horror, but it calls the traveler to himself, bringing the magic of mystery.





What the Fucking stairs built into the hills? Before the rocky barrier of the southern ridge not only protected the southern coast from cold Northern winds, but also served as a stone wall with cliffs and precipices, inaccessible to invaders-nomads. But it took mountain paths and roads, where they could get a wagon, the pedestrian and horseman, and which connects the South and North of the Peninsula.

So the natural passage among the rocks between high cliffs Merdven-Kaya and Balchik-Kai was a narrow gorge where people paved stone staircase and used it until the last century, until the road was built through Bajdarsky gate.

The saddle height of 578 m above sea level; length – about a kilometer. Not seem to the stairs, and to the entire valley, Alpine amphitheatre, with a formidable and rugged cliffs, a truly diabolical terrain coined such an apt name. But at the time it was the most comfortable pass on the way from Yalta to Sevastopol, has not yet built a modern road.





The Shaitan-Merdven or devil's staircase is not only a convenient passage to the plateau by steps and platforms. It incorporates and the whole terrain is winding and steep path. For hat in bulk at the edge Merdven-Kaya the famous gorge devil's staircase, steeply going up to the saddle of the saddle. Loop the devil's staircase twisted by natural stone heaps on the bottom of the gorge on shelves and ledges Merdven-Kaya. Some places had to cut up to half a meter of limestone, and people here bother stesyvaja protrusions, extending the road among the rocks, building krepidy — retaining wall.













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