Cape Aya

{{Short description|Cape in Sevastopol, Crimea}}

{{About|the promontory|the artist|Aya (artist)|the slovak rock band|AYA (band)|other uses|AYA (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox landform

| name = Cape Aya

| native_name = {{native name list|tag1=crh|name1=Ayya|tag2=uk|name2=Мис Айяru|tag3=ru|name3=Мыс Айя}}

| type = Cape

| image = Aya (promontory).jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption = Cape Aya

| map = Sevastopol#Crimea#Ukraine

| map_width =

| map_relief = yes

| location = Sevastopol, Crimea

| water_bodies =

| coordinates = {{coord|44|25|44|N|33|38|56|E|type:landmark_region:UA_scale:10000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| elevation =

| area =

| references =

}}

Cape Aya ({{langx|crh|Ayya}}; {{langx|uk|Мис Айя}}; {{langx|ru|Мыс Айя}}) is a rocky promontory jutting out into the Black Sea southeast of Balaklava. This 13-km-long spur of the Crimean Mountains separates Laspi Bay (to the east) from Balaklava Bay (to the west).

The name of the cape derives from "holy one" in Greek, “Άγια”.

The highest point, Kokiya-Kiya (literally "Blue Cliff") is {{convert|559|m|abbr=on}}. The headland is full of grottoes; it is protected as a national zakaznik.Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises Erich Hoyt - 2012 "The area between Cape Aya and Cape Fiolent, included in this MPA proposal, has also been identified as important habitat for all three cetaceans.

A storm off Cape Aya is the subject of one of Ivan Aivazovsky's paintings. A Soviet guided missile system was located on Cape Aya.

Viktor Yanukovych, the former President of Ukraine, ordered the construction of a luxurious private residence on Cape Aya. The "New Mezhyhyria", or popularly known as "Mezhyhirya 2"{{Cite web |date=2014-02-24 |title=Yanukovych used network of UK shell companies to hide private empire |url=https://www.intellinews.com/yanukovych-used-network-of-uk-shell-companies-to-hide-private-empire-500000186/?archive=bne |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=www.intellinews.com |language=en}} closed locals off from the coast, and was still unfinished when the Revolution of Dignity ousted Yanukovych from his post.{{Cite web|url=http://www.unian.net/politics/888936-v-kryimu-otkryili-dostup-k-myisu-ayya-gde-stroili-mejigore-2-udar.html|title = В Крыму открыли доступ к мысу Айя, где строили Межигорье-2 - "УДАР"}}