The ancient city of Orheiul Vechi is a natural and historical complex located on a narrow bend of the Răut River. The natural landscape of
limestone rock, eroded by the river, is combined with archaeological vestiges of the ancient
Trypillian civilization. As a result of archaeological excavations, cultural layers were discovered from different epochs, such as the
Paleolithic,
Eneolithic, and
Iron Age. Old Orhei contains traces of different civilizations, including the remnants of earthen and wooden fortresses of a
Geto–
Dacian fortress (6th–1st centuries BC), the
Golden Horde fort
Shehr al-Jedid or
Yangi-Shehr (14th century), a
Moldavian fort (14th-16th century), an Orthodox monastery ( 14th century), and the Moldavian town of Orhei from the 14th–16th centuries. The
Orthodox monastery is still inhabited by a handful of Orthodox monks who maintain the church at the top of the hill. The caves are still functional as chapels and contain an array of historical artifacts and
Old Church Slavonic inscriptions dating from the 1690s, which testify that
hajduks took shelter inside them, hiding from the
Ottoman authorities. ==See also==