Cities, like people, have their own destinies. On the territory of the Crimea there were at one time many states and cities that played a significant role in history. Some of them have always remained in the memory of generations: Chersonesos (Korsun), Feodosia (Kafa), Pantikapey (Kerch). Others, having lived a long and interesting life, were undeservedly forgotten. Mangup also belongs to such cities. This small feudal principality had direct ties with Byzantium, was in close relations with Russia, fought for the south - bank lands with Genoese merchants and participated in the intricacies of the international diplomacy carried out by the Grand Duke of All Russia Ivan III, the Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellonchik and the Crimean Khan Mengli-Giray. The Mangupa plateau (500 m above sea level) is located in the second ridge of the Crimean Mountains and acts as four steep spurs, the height of which reaches 40 meters. And in the south lie the lands that were a bone of contention between the Genoese and the inhabitants of Mangup. Convenient geographical location, favorable natural conditions of Mangup (fertile land and good water sources) have long attracted the local population. It is not by chance that coins and fragments of pottery dating back to the first centuries of our era were found here during excavations. There is little data on the ethnic composition of the early medieval population of Mangup. Most likely, it consisted of Sarmatians and Alans who converted to Christianity, among which the Taurians and Scythians were previously assimilated. At a later time, the population of Mangup was mainly composed of Greeks. In addition, Karaites and Tatars who converted to Orthodoxy lived here. Descriptions of Mangup by travelers date back to the XVI century. The first of them visited Mangup was the Ambassador of the Polish King Stefan Batory Martin Broniewski . He describes the so - called "cave cities" - Inkerman, Chufut-Kale, Mangup, as he saw them in the 70s of the XVI ... Read more