Things to see and do Mangalia

This atypical cave lies just west of Mangalia, in the village of Limanu, on the edge of the pond of the same name. Stretching over 4 km, it is by far the longest cave in the region. Formed by a maze of rectangular galleries, some of them man-made, it is believed to have been inhabited since prehistoric times and to have served, over the millennia, as a place of worship or refuge. Numerous animal species have also been discovered, mainly invertebrates, but also bats, foxes, turtles and polecats.

This museum (also known as "Callatis") houses a fine collection of Roman sculptures, including a ^3rd-century marble Aphrodite. There are also fragments of columns, capitals and friezes, as well as ceramics and jewelry... At the entrance is the "Papyrus Tomb", dating from the ^4th century BC and discovered in 1959. Sent to Moscow for conservation, the papyrus went missing for decades and was only repatriated in 2011. In the outdoor park, other architectural fragments are on display, along with sarcophagi from the Roman era.

Built in 1573, it is one of the country's oldest mosques. It bears the name of its founder, Princess Esmahan, daughter of Sultan Selim II and wife of a vizier, who took refuge in Mangalia at the time. This beautiful, thick-walled, carved-stone edifice is surrounded by a small cemetery, where prominent figures of the period are buried. Some of the stelae are over three centuries old. Also note the ablutions fountain in the courtyard. The mosque still serves as a place of worship for the city's Turkish-Tatari community, which numbers some 3,000 worshippers.