Mount Demerdzhi, located in Crimea, is one of the most popular places among tourists. This is largely due to the fact that it has a very bright name that attracts lovers of mysticism - the Valley of Ghosts. The height of the mountain is 1356 meters. The ancient Greeks called it Funa, which means "Smoking", but the official name of Mount Demerdzhi is translated from the language of the Crimean Tatars as "Blacksmith". Obviously, the name is inextricably linked with the main legend, which is more than one hundred years old. According to this legend, in ancient times, the nomads who conquered Crimea built a huge forge on the top of Mount Demerdzhi. There, super-strong miracle weapons were forged to capture new lands, but the heat from this forge was so strong that it dried up gardens, streams and springs, and all living things around died. Local residents begged the nomads and the chief blacksmith to stop. They sent people to negotiate with them, but they killed everyone who came to them with any requests. Then the young and most beautiful girl Maria went up to the forge and began to ask the main villain, the blacksmith, to leave the mountain, but the blacksmith killed her too. At that very moment, lightning flashed, clouds thickened, the mountain trembled, the evil blacksmith, and all the villainous conquerors instantly turned into stones forever.
Of course, the legends will remain legends, but Demerdzhi is truly unique in that it attracts any clouds passing in the sky and fog instantly forms on its top. The fog dissipates as quickly as it appears. Within an hour, you can observe this phenomenon several times. In sunny weather, the stones cast a shadow in the fog, which further enhances the mystical effect. Perhaps this is one of the best places to film a fantasy movie. By the way, Mount Demerdzhi is known to Russians not for the ancient legend or its mystical views, but for the fact that it was here that the cult Soviet comedy film "Prisoner of the Caucasus or Shurik's New Adventures" was filmed. This film, along with other Soviet film hits, is traditionally re-watched in Russia on December 31, on New Year's Eve. These places have changed little since the filming of the film. Tourists often come to take pictures with the stone on which Soviet actress Natalia Varley danced, or the tree behind which the heroes of the legendary trinity of Yuri Nikulin, Georgy Vitsin and Yevgeny Morgunov hid.
