Painting by Lana Korolievskaia

Any day starts at dawn. Nature comes to life and wakes up after a night's rest. The sun's rays make their way through the clouds, illuminating the frozen bizarre stone figures in the valley of ghosts. In the northern part of the Alushta Valley, there is one of the most beautiful mountains of the South Coast - Mount Demerdzhi. In ancient times, the mountain was called Funa, which means "smoking". All the quaint shapes of the Valley of Ghosts are the result of rainfall, sun, wind and earthquakes. In their forms, these figures resemble people, animals, mysterious creatures, objects and, depending on the time of day and lighting, their images change, giving observers the opportunity to dream up. According to one of the legends, a long time ago the nomads who conquered the Crimea built a huge smithy on the top of Mount Demerdzhi. There, weapons for the seizure of new lands were forged, and many slaves toiled. The heat from this forge was so intense that it dried up gardens, streams and springs. The young girl got up and began to ask the evil blacksmith-overseer to leave the mountain. He killed the girl. After that, the mountain shook, and all the villainous conquerors turned to stones. The girl was also petrified.