Ayu-Dag (, , , (''Aya'' - "Holy")) is a

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

. It is also known under the Russified name ''Medved'-gora (Bear mountain)'' (, ). The summit is located 16 km north-east from

Yalta Yalta (: ) is a resort town, resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crime ...

between the towns of

Gurzuf Gurzuf or Hurzuf (, , , ) is a resort town (urban-type settlement) in Yalta Municipality of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, a territory recognized by a majority of countries as part of Ukraine but incorporated by Russia as the Republic of Cri ...

and Partenit. Its

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

name was Κριοῦ μέτωπον (Kriou Metopon), meaning ''Ram's Head''.Strabo, Geography, Book VII.4.3, X.4.2,5. The Slavic language variants of the

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

's name are translations from the Crimean Tatar name and mean ''Bear Mountain'' ("bear"- ''ведмідь'' in Ukrainian, ''медведь'' in Russian, ''ayuv'' in Crimean Tatar; "mountain"-''гора'' in Ukrainian and Russian, ''dağ'' in Crimean Tatar). The mountain is a

laccolith A laccolith is a body of intrusive rock with a dome-shaped upper surface and a level base, fed by a conduit from below. A laccolith forms when magma (molten rock) rising through the Earth's crust begins to spread out horizontally, prying apart ...

. Today its territory is a

Nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

(5.5 km²). There is a pioneer children's camp Artek near Ayu-Dag which is well known internationally. The eastern slopes of Ayu-Dag lead to an ancient settlement Partenit. Remains of an early-medieval settlement and a number of churches were discovered here. In the 9th-10th centuries it was a well-known seaport, bound with cities of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. The western slopes lead to Artek.

References

Crimean Mountains Gurzuf {{Crimea-geo-stub