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AbkhaziaDescription and is it worth visiting the Aylaga-Abyku temple
Ailaga-Abyk Temple (Ailaga-Abyk, Bombor temple) is also called "Gray Baba" by locals – these are the remains of a medieval Christian temple. The exact date of its construction is not known, but some sources date it to the X-XI centuries. Moreover, soil analysis showed that this complex was built on the site of another more ancient temple. The place is poorly studied and not often visited by tourists.
The temple is located near the coast on a hill in a very picturesque place near the beach, and therefore you can come here for a day to relax on the shore, combining sightseeing. However, in our opinion, it is not worth going here just for the sake of visiting the temple, since you will spend no more than 15 minutes on it.
Today, the walls of the Aylaga-Abyku temple have been preserved almost to their full height, but not completely. In the corners adjacent to the western wall, at the top you can see the remains of voice jugs that amplified the sound. There is nothing left of the painting on the walls, but it is still possible to see a Christian cross carved in stone near the southern wall. Further south rises a large stone platform, hiding the burial crypts.
If you walk from the temple along the shore for 50 meters, you will meet a Monument to revolutionaries, on which an inscription is carved in three languages (Georgian, Abkhaz and Russian) stating that in 1905 the revolutionaries of Abkhazia brought weapons here by sea to organize an uprising.
Visiting Tips
- It will take no more than 15 minutes to explore the ruins of the temple, but we advise you to stay longer and relax on the local wild beach. Locals also come here for a picnic. You can put up a tent on the shore.
- There is a steep descent to the water from the temple, but it is quite realistic to go down. There are a couple of small picturesque grottoes along the shore from the sea.
- When building a route via Yandex.Navigator the road rests on a closed courtyard, you will not get to the place on it. Better use Maps.me , it will lead to the right point.
🕐 Working hours
Around the clock.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
Free of charge.
🚶 How to get there
Aylaga-Abyku Temple is located in the village of Bambora, Khypsta village, Gudauta district (temple on the map). You can only get here by your own transport or taxi, public transport does not go here, group excursions are not carried. It's better not to use Yandex.the navigator, and on the maps Maps.me or Organic Maps, since Yandex will simply lead you to a dead end at a private gate. Normal asphalt leads to the village itself along the main street, but you will have to drive a couple of kilometers directly to the ruins of the temple. During the rainy season, it can be washed out and it will be difficult to drive, so you can park the car on the edge of the village near the beach, and walk to a place along the coast about 600 meters.
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites: