Exploration for new excavations started in the center of Odesa

The team of the South Ukrainian Pedagogical University named after Ushynsky has started regular georadar surveys of the Khadzhibey Castle on Prymorskyi Boulevard in Odesa.

This was announced by the rector of the university, Andrii Krasnozhon.

"We are searching for anomalies based on the results of previous excavations and the Deribas plan. For the sake of methodology, we followed our old excavations, where the walls of the fortress remained. Then we followed its historical plans. A lot of interesting things..." he noted.

In October, the restoration of the pavement was completed at the excavation site in the center of Odesa near the monument to Richelieu, where archaeologists found the remains of the wall in the summer of 2025.

Meanwhile, Andrii Krasnazhon expressed doubts that the fortress was built by the Ottomans, because in 1573 the empire sent a representative to Khadjibey to oversee the restoration of the fortress. That is, there was already a fortress here that had fallen into disrepair.

At the same time, Andriy Krasnazhon noted that he doubts even that the fortress was founded in the 15th century when the first written mention of the port and fortress was made, because Polish historian Jan Dlugosz points out that the grain that Polish King Wladyslaw allocated to envoys to Constantinople to help them was to be received in the royal port of Kochubiyiv.

Thus, the scholar believes that the Khadjibey could have been built by the Genoese, who actively traded with the Juchi Ulus, better known in national historiography as the Golden Horde. The Genoese built fortresses in the Black Sea and Crimea for trade. This theory is indirectly confirmed by the findings of ceramics from the first half of the 14th century.

At the end of July 2025, archaeologists conducting excavations on Prymorskyi Boulevard in the center of Odesa checked their findings with archival documents and concluded that they had identified the location of the Khadzhybey Castle.

Traces of wall dismantling and destruction were recorded in all excavations this season. In the scientist's opinion, the corner joint of the masonry of the two walls of the battery, which was dismantled to the foundations, is particularly indicative in this sense.

Кирило Бойко