Limestone is a soft rock that can be carved with simple tools. Over hundreds of years, people chipped away at this cliff to create a whole series of connected rooms - some small and quiet, others with tall carved ceilings. Because the cliff itself is the wall, there is no building material to rot or crumble. The rooms have survived for a very long time.
The cliff sits on a rocky spur that juts out into a wide bend in the Răut river. From above, the river almost completely circles the rocky headland, so the cliff feels like it is on its own island of stone. Looking down from the carved windows, you can see the river shining far below, fields stretching out on the other side, and sometimes eagles or storks gliding on the warm air.
The carved architecture is remarkable because the builders used the natural shape of the rock. Where the cliff bulged outward, they made a curved wall. Where it dipped inward, they created a sheltered alcove. The result is a building that grows out of the landscape rather than sitting on top of it.
Visitors today climb a path up the cliff to reach the carved rooms. The view from the top is one of the most dramatic in Moldova - a panorama of green hills, the looping river and wide open sky. Archaeologists have found that people have been living and working in this cliff for many thousands of years.