Mount Akhun

Mount Akhun is located in the Khostinsky district in Sochi. This is a popular tourist destination for lovers of mountain peaks, the height of the mountain reaches 663 meters above sea level. Next to it in the neighborhood are Maly Akhun - 501 meters and Eagle Rocks - 380 meters. Here is the tower of the old fortress, erected by order of Stalin in 1936. Not long ago, a Ferris wheel was installed, from the height of which you can get an even better look at the picturesque landscapes of the Krasnodar region.

Legends of Mount Akhun

The name “Akhun” is associated with several legends, which often sound different among local residents. According to one of the legends, the deity Akhyn, who guarded cattle, used to live in this place. Akhyn had a staff with which he stepped from peak to peak, but one day the staff fell into the gorge, and Akhyn died. According to another version, the daughter of a local rich man fell in love with Akhyn and married him. However, the girl's father was against the union and secretly broke Akhyn's staff, which is why the deity fell into the river from a great height. Another legend is associated with Prometheus, whose statue can be seen on the top of the mountain. According to the stories of residents of the Krasnodar region, it was here that Prometheus lived in captivity. A girl named Agura came to him to bring food and water. Akhyn found out about this and pushed the girl into the abyss - this is how a mountain river appeared.

Observation Tower

The highlight of Mount Akhun is a small observation tower, built by order of Joseph Stalin. He really liked this place, and in order to admire the beautiful landscape, he proposed building a fortress with an observation deck on the mountain. First, in less than a year, a road was built to the top, along which you can now get to the fortress. And then the tower was built in record time in 10 months. The stone used was the one that was mined during the construction of the road.

The height of the tower, created in the Romanesque style, is 30 meters. A convenient staircase leads to the roof, and from the top, from 700 meters above sea level, there is a stunning view of Sochi, mountain landscapes, and the Black Sea. From here you can see the Olympic Village, and in clear weather you can see Abkhazia and the Turkish coast.

The time of wisteria flowering is especially beautiful on Mount Akhun. One of the walls of the tower is completely covered with it. There is a tasting room inside, and nearby there are restaurants where you can enjoy Caucasian cuisine.

Akhuna caves

For lovers of non-tourist places, nature has prepared special entertainment. There are about 30 caves of varying lengths on Mount Akhun. The longest cave, Bolshaya Akhunskaya, stretches 1,200 meters underground. The corridors of the caves are not yet equipped for tourists, so visiting them requires experience, rubber boots and flashlights.

There is another mysterious place on Mount Akhun - the building of an abandoned restaurant. It opened at the top the same year that the tower was built. The richest people in the country spent their evenings here. The restaurant's architecture was particularly attractive, but the establishment closed a year later due to a fire. They say people died here, and now ghosts can be seen at night. Until now, no one has decided to restore the restaurant and open its doors to visitors.