The Genoese started to build a fortress on Krepostnaya Mountain in 1343, for defensive purposes. Its current name, Cembalo, has survived to this day as a distorted form of sumbolon limne, which means "harbour of symbols". In 1475, Cembalo was seized by the Ottomans. They deployed a Turkish garrison at the fortress and renamed it Balyk-Yuv (Fish's Nest), which subsequently transformed into Balaklava. It was severely damaged twice — during the defence of Sevastopol in 1942 and battles to liberate the city in 1944. Today, the ruins of the fortress are the city's biggest attraction.