The forested Iosofatova Valley beneath the Chufut-Kale plateau hides a breathtaking and spooky sight. Thousands of moss-covered gravestones covered in Hebrew script stand, lie upturned or lean at precarious angles in the shade of ancient oak trees. For over a millennium the Karaites brought their dead to the sacred grove, which they called Balta Tuymez, meaning Axe-Don't-Touch in ancient Turkic. The scene is straight out of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' and at sunset it's hard to escape the chilly sensation of being watched by thousands of empty eye sockets.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.87 MILES
When she was busy ordering the mass destruction of Bakhchysaray's mosques in the 18th and early 19th centuries, Catherine the Great spared the Khans'…
0.09 MILES
Rising 200m, this long and bluff plateau houses a honeycomb of caves and structures where people took refuge for centuries. It's wonderful to explore,…
21.19 MILES
The city's bay-facing showcase greets seafarers with an array of whitewashed colonnaded buildings. Fresh from a Russian-funded spruce-up, the boulevard is…
16.94 MILES
Crimea's largest museum consists of three main sections. The first is a collection of golden artefacts, produced by Hellenized Alano-Goths in the…
20.86 MILES
Everyone's favourite pastime in Yalta is walking up and down the seafront nab Lenina and the pedestrian zone along the Uchan-su River, where you'll find a…
20.38 MILES
With many of Yalta's attractions a short distance away, the Chekhov House-Museum is the only must-see in town. It's sort of The Cherry Orchard incarnate…
22.74 MILES
The ruins of the ancient Greek city founded in 422 BC are of great significance to local visitors. This is the place where Volodymyr the Great was…
20.39 MILES
Memoirists claim that Tsar Nicholas II would always keep a flask of Massandra port hidden in his high boot during his daily Sunny path walks, while his…
Nearby Crimea attractions
0.09 MILES
Rising 200m, this long and bluff plateau houses a honeycomb of caves and structures where people took refuge for centuries. It's wonderful to explore,…
0.51 MILES
Stop for a moment and say 'aah!' at possibly the cutest little church in a country absolutely jam-packed with them. Part of the small Uspensky Monastery,…
0.81 MILES
The site where Crimean Tatar khans originally settled in Bakhchysaray now consists of a modest museum, ruins of a public bath, a mausoleum where 18…
1.87 MILES
When she was busy ordering the mass destruction of Bakhchysaray's mosques in the 18th and early 19th centuries, Catherine the Great spared the Khans'…
1.94 MILES
Ten years ago Crimean Tatar handicrafts were on the verge of extinction, but Ayshe Osmanova resolved to rescue her people's culture from the precipice…
16.94 MILES
Crimea's largest museum consists of three main sections. The first is a collection of golden artefacts, produced by Hellenized Alano-Goths in the…
17.26 MILES
The restored 16th-century mosque dates back to the Tatar town of Ak-Mechet (White Mosque), a predecessor of Simferopol.
20.38 MILES
With many of Yalta's attractions a short distance away, the Chekhov House-Museum is the only must-see in town. It's sort of The Cherry Orchard incarnate…