The fortress is located on Fortress Mountain, which is 157 meters high, also known as Djenevez-Kaya or "Genoese Rock" in Crimean Tatar. This mountain, representing an ancient fossilized coral reef, has a gentle northern slope and a steep southern one, forming a conical mass that juts into the Sudaq Bay of the Black Sea at the Kyz-Kulle-Burun cape, which translates as "cape of the maiden tower." The area of the fortress is almost 30 hectares.

Due to its advantageous location and powerful fortifications, the fortress was practically impregnable: it is difficult to access from the west, while the steep slopes of the mountain protect it from the south and east, and to the northeast, there may have been an artificial moat mentioned by some researchers.

The fortification complex of the fortress includes two lines of defense: the outer one, known as the Castle of the Holy Cross, and the inner one, the citadel, the Castle of St. Elijah.

The outer line of defense covers the northern slopes of Fortress Mountain, from Tower No. 7 to the Corner Tower. Under the Genoese, it also protected the port part of the city: the now non-existent wall spanned the gorge between Fortress and Polvani-Oba mountains, where another tower likely stood. The port section retains the Tower of Federico Astaguero Port, next to which is an Armenian church on the hill.

The outer line of defense consists of 14 towers, not counting the Port Tower and the complex of the Main Gates. There were also Port Gates and "gates to the gardens," mentioned by the 17th-century Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi. The height of the best-preserved towers is about 15 meters, some are partially destroyed. The walls between them reach a height of 6-8 meters and a thickness of 1.5-2 meters. Each tower was named after the consul under whom it was built, as evidenced by the preserved foundation stones with coats of arms and inscriptions in medieval Latin.

The inner line of defense, the citadel, includes 4 towers connected by a wall running along the ridge of the mountain, the Consular Castle with 2 towers, and a separate Watchtower known as the Maiden Tower at the top of the mountain. The towers of the citadel do not have foundation stones, as they were built by the Genoese in haste after the capture of Sugdeia in 1365. The only tower with an established historical name, the Watchtower, known as St. Elijah's Tower, served as the residence of the citadel's commander.

The city of Soldaya during the Genoese period consisted of 4 districts: the main part between the lines of defense, the citadel, the port area, and the trade and craft settlement outside the walls.

According to the legend from the "Sudaq Synaxarion," the fortress was built by the Alans in 212, but there is no archaeological evidence for this. Many scholars date it to the late 7th century, linking it to the Khazars or Byzantines. Some fortifications may have been erected as early as the 4th century. The fortress was also owned by the Polovtsians, Golden Horde, and Turks.

Until 2014, the fortress was a branch of the State Architectural and Historical Reserve "Sofia Museum." Since June 24, 2014, after the annexation of Crimea to Russia, the institution "Museum-Reserve 'Sudaq Fortress'" was established on its territory. Entrance to the territory is through the Main Gates, and there is an admission fee; the ticket office is located on Genuezskaya Fortress Street. Visits are possible both as part of guided groups and independently. The building of the former Padishah-Jami mosque, known as the "temple with an arcade," houses the museum of the historical and architectural reserve.