Situated in the proximity of the site of ancient Tmutarakan, Temryuk was vied by various powers as a vantage point commanding the mouth of the Kuban River. The first recorded settlement on the site wasTumnev, a Tatar fortress, which passed to the Genoese merchants in the 14th century. It was known asCopa until occupied by the Khanate of Crimea in 1483
