The Sugdeia Archaeological Reserve encompasses the area within and around the Genoese Fortress, where excavations have been ongoing since the Soviet era. The site has produced material from the Byzantine, Khazar, Genoese, and Ottoman periods, making it one of the richest archaeological deposits on the northern Black Sea coast.
A small museum within the fortress complex displays pottery, coins, weapons, and architectural fragments from the various occupation periods. The most interesting exhibits trace the town's transformation from a Byzantine bishopric to a Khazar trading post to a Genoese commercial colony and finally to Ottoman rule after 1475. The museum is modest but the objects are genuine and the context provided is good.