| West Area is an elevated plateau getting low from south to north. The boundaries of the area are: abrupt seacoast on the north, transverse street 15 on the north-east, longitudinal (north) street I on the south-east, and west fortress wall (curtain walls 1–7) on the west. Archaeological investigation of the area probably started in 1842, when the excavations were conducted by civil officer D.V. Kareysha; it was K.K. Kostsyushko-Valyuzhinich who worked there since 1890s and uncovered fortifications (tower I and curtain wall I) and cult buildings (West Basilica, Basilica on a Hill, and others), which now are main display objects in the area. The excavations near the west fortification walls were continued by R.Kh. Leper in the early twentieth century, and L.A. Moiseyev and K.E. Grinevich in 1920s. Another excavations, supplementary investiga-tions and restorations were made in the area before and after the Second World War under the head of V.F. Smolin, G.D. Belov, Ye.G. Surov, I.A. Antonova, V.A. Kutaysov, and others. The area is promising for further development of the preserve display and museum infrastructure.
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