Crimean Mountains

The Crimean Mountains (, translit. Krymski hory; , translit. Krymskie gory; ) are a range of mountains running parallel to the south-eastern coast of Crimea, between about 8–13 kilometers (5–8 miles) from the sea. Toward the west, the mountains drop steeply to the Black Sea, and to the east, they change slowly into a steppe landscape.

The Crimean Mountains consist of three subranges. The highest is the Main range. The Main range is subdivided into several masses, known as yaylas or mountain plateaus (Yayla is Crimean Tatar for "Alpine Meadow"). They are:

 Baydar Yayla
 Ay-Petri Yayla
 Yalta Yayla
 Nikita Yayla
 Hurzuf Yayla
 Babugan Yayla
 Chatyr-Dag Yayla
 Dologorukovskaya (Subatkan) Yayla
 Demirji Yayla
 Karabi Yayla

Highest Peaks

The Crimea's highest peak is the Roman-Kosh (; , ) on the Babugan Yayla at . Other important peaks over 1,200 metres include:

 Demir-Kapu (, , ) 1,540 m in the Babugan Yayla;
 Zeytin-Kosh (; , ) 1,537 m in the Babugan Yayla; 
 Kemal-Egerek (, , ) 1,529 m in the Babugan Yayla;
 Eklizi-Burun (, , ) 1,527 m in the Chatyrdag Yayla;
 Lapata (; , ) 1,406 m in the Yaltynska Yayla, Yalta Yaylası;
 Northern Demirji (, , ) 1,356 m in the Demirci Yayla;
 Ai-Petri (, , ) 1,234 m in the Ay Petri Yaylası.

Passes and Rivers

The most important passes over the Crimean Mountains are:

 Angarskyi Pass near Perevalne, on a road from Alushta to Simferopol
 Baydar Gate near Foros, connecting Baydar Valley and the sea coast
 Laspi Pass near Cape Aya, on a road from Yalta to Sevastopol.

Rivers of the Crimean Mountains include the Alma River, Chernaya River, and Salhir River on the northern slope and Uchan-su River on the southern slope which forms the Uchan-su waterfall, a popular tourist attraction and highest waterfall in Crimea.

History

Archaeologists have found the earliest anatomically modern humans in Europe in the Crimean mountains' Buran-Kaya caves. The fossils are 32,000 years old, with the artifacts linked to the Gravettian culture. The fossils have cut marks suggesting a post-mortem defleshing ritual.

Gallery

See also
 Crimea

References

External links

Crimean mountains - view on all parts of mountains of Crimea
Mountains of Crimea - Great collection of Crimean mountains from private mountain guide Sergey Sorokin

Category:Landforms of Crimea
Category:Mountain ranges of Ukraine