On the southern shore of the Black sea between two large cities of Alushta and Yalta is situated the mountain Ayu-Dag, or otherwise it is called Bear mountain. The height of the mountains above the Black sea level is equal to 577 meters. The size of this mountain more than four square kilometers. In 1974 it was declared a national reserve.

About the name of the mountain there are several legends. The most beautiful and romantic legend tells of a beautiful girl. She lived on the South shore of the Black sea, among the considerable accumulation of large bears. No one knew how it got there, but it was known that life with the bears she had since childhood. The bears loved her and cherished taking care of her. She had a beautiful voice and she sang well, and the bears loved to listen to her. Once, when one of the predators was not at home, the seaside arrived with the boat. In the boat were wounded guy. She took his hands, and hid it in his small house. In this house bears ever entered. She began treatment for young men, and the boat hid away from their homes. And the day came when the boy was strong and asked her to flee with him in his boat.

Resentful and angry bears fled to the sea and growled fiercely. They dropped into the sea their evil faces, and began greedily drinking the water. Seeing the angry bears, she began to sing. The bears tore the head from the water and heard her enchanting song. One only the old leader even deeper plunged his big head in the water, trying to drink it without a remainder. But some time passed, and lovers had vanished, and he has since and stands on the shore and hopes to bring a beautiful girl. After a while he stopped moving and turned to stone. The sides thereof turned into a terrifying cliffs, wool - in a very dense forest, and back formed the top of a mountain.

If to take for a basis the Greek-Tatar language, Ayia Doug translation of the Holy mountain. Long ago, in the distant middle ages, this place was one of many centres of Christianity. On the mountain, built a monastery with several churches, and there were several settlements. Ayu-Dag is called an even – Büyük-Castell, and it translates to a Large fortress. Indeed, currently at the top of this mountain there are the ruins of a very old building, which was built by the Tauri.

Bear mountain has a ripe old age - it is over 150 million years. The mountain was formed in the middle Jurassic era. It consists of igneous rocks, which are called gabbrodiorite. Ayu-Dag formed from poured out on the surface of the lava.

In this mountain grows 577 species of plants, 44 of them are in the red Book. On Ayu-Dag is often found, foxes, badgers, squirrels and Martens. The coast mountains are frequent guests - great cormorants and gulls quick, and in other places you can see the owl, woodpecker, chirping Sparrow and little tit. On the mountain live lizards and snakes. In the red Book listed 16 different species of animals residing in the territory Bear mountain.