Medieval site of Tepe-Kermen (Tatar for "fortress on a summit") is located in the vicinity of the present city of Bakhchisaray, at the top of a mountain which raises on 540 m above the sea level. On its south and west, there are precipices up to 12 m high.

Established in the 6th century A.D. simultaneously with many other Byzantine fortresses, Tepe-Kermen developed the features of a town by the 10th century, and declined in the 14th century. Tepe-Kermen differs from the other "cave towns" of the Crimea because of the great density of artificial caves (up to 300 in number) and relatively small area covered by the site of the town (about 1 hectare).

This is one of the worst studied sites of the Crimean Middle Ages. For example, it is still unknown how the dwellers of Tepe-Kermen solved the problem of water supplying. The scholars have presumably interpreted some caves as churches and defensive casemates with embrasures. The site still keeps the traces of residential buildings, which were erected above the ground. Some scholars incline to interpret Tepe-Kermen as a cave monastery; others explain it as a feudal fortification, which dominated over the valley of Kacha river.

Kyz-Kermen (literally "fortress of virgins", in Tatar) is located in the valley of Kacha river, close to Tepe-Kermen. The plateau still keeps the remains of defensive walls, towers, and residential houses.

There is an old Crimean legend about Kyz-Kermen and Tepe-Kermen, according to which once there was a bridge between them, where the beautiful daughter of the prince of Kyz-Kermen had to meet the heir of the castle of Tepe-Kermen in order to enter into marriage and thus finish centuries of conflicts between two kin. Nevertheless, when the girl came to the middle of the bridge, she remembered the old offences, drew the sword, and slew her fiance and was immediately slashed to death by the prince of Tepe-Kermen guards. And the war between two towns broke out anew… The bridge collapsed to pieces, and the huge stones that constructed it are still, according to the legend, spread through the ravine, which separates Kyz-Kermen and Tepe-Kermen.

This is one of the worst studied sites of the Crimean Middle Ages. For example, it is still unknown how the dwellers of Tepe-Kermen solved the problem of water supplying. The scholars have presumably interpreted some caves as churches and defensive casemates with embrasures. The site still keeps the traces of residential buildings, which were erected above the ground. Some scholars incline to interpret Tepe-Kermen as a cave monastery; others explain it as a feudal fortification, which dominated over the valley of Kacha river. You can get there by direct flight to Simferopol or through Kiev or Odessa.