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Parus Rock - A Monument Of Nature |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 June 2012 )
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Sail Rock, or Parus Rock, is a natural sandstone monolith of late Cretaceous
age located on the shore of the Black Sea, in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It
resembles the outline of a ship's sail, hence its name.
The monolith lies 17 km to the southeast of Gelendzhik, near the village of
Praskoveyevka (which is about 500 meters from the coast) and the farmstead of
Dzhankhot (approximately twice that distance from the coast). Sail Rock has a
sheer vertical slope confronting the shore of sea, isolated from the mass of
basic rock by geological forces. It is more than three-fourths revealed by the
tide and lies perpendicular to the coast. What is most remarkable about this
landmark is its proportions. While the cliff is only a little more than a meter
thick, its height is about 25 meters and its length about 20. Thus, the form of
the cliff is described as resembling the outline of a quadrangular sail.
An opening of unclear origin is located in the sail, approximatively 2.5 meters
above the ground. Many guides state that the formation was a defense against
mountain artillery during the Caucasian War. However, this version of the origin
of the opening is under some doubt. In 1903, S. Vasyukov, who was investigating
the Black Sea coast, wrote after the inspection of the cliff that it was "[..]
shot from a battleship by seamen, they released 4 projectiles, but the wall
remained firm, although the traces are noticeable, but they nowhere opened the
rock.
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