Ancient settlement Hermonassa or Tmutarakan in Taman

What to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting

Ancient settlement Hermonassa or Tmutarakan - it is an important archaeological site and open-air museum in Taman. Immediately note that this is not the most spectacular attraction: you will see only the ruins in their most modest form and from afar, and the whole visit will take no more than 5 minutes. But if you join the excursions, which are free of charge several times a day according to the schedule, you will learn a lot of new and interesting things, and you will not regret it. Excursions are held daily at 11:00 and 16:00, but the time may vary seasonally, so we recommend that you come here in advance and find out the schedule, so that you can return at the right time.

It is difficult to overestimate the historical importance of this archaeological site. Tmutarakan is a city that existed in the Middle Ages on the site of excavations. It received its sonorous name from the Turkic name "city of Tarkan Taman". Even earlier, there were cities of different civilizations under the names of Samkerz, Tamartaha, Tumen-Tarkhan and others. The earliest known is the ancient Greek – Sindh city of Hermonassa. Archaeological work here continues (periodically seasonally), further delving into the historical layers and making new finds and important discoveries. The lowest historical layer dates to the 4th century BC, which is more than 2,500 years ago. But who knows, maybe with time even more ancient finds will be found.

After visiting the settlement, you can go down the path to the shore, and there you can try to find ancient artifacts as souvenirs. They say they sometimes come across potsherds, coins, bronze products. But in fact, you should not rejoice at every find, because there is a lot of modern garbage.

By the way, along the path from the shore you can climb to the Archaeological Park and get to the territory bypassing the ticket office for free, but the "stowaways" are watched, besides the entrance fee is purely symbolic – only 40 rubles.

Also see guided tours with reviews available for online booking on these trusted sites:

• 📷 search for excursions on Tripster.ru
• 📷 search for excursions on Sputnik8.com