Photo Credit: Myself
Hello, guys!
A few days ago I went to a short trip to the seaside, and inside Strandja Mountain that I'd like to share with you. I really enjoyed the whole day, and the weather was very nice. Actually my trip was postponed because of a storm on the previous day, but eventually, I made it and visited the desired location.
The name of the destination is Beglik Tash and it is located 5 km from the sea resort Primorsko, which itself is around 40 km from the big seaside city Burgas. I was traveling with my parents and to reach there we woke up early in the morning and took a bus. It was a short trip - not more than 50 minutes and we were already at Primorsko.
Photo Credit: Myself
Going to Beglik Tash
Beglik Tash is a prehistoric rock sanctuary situated on the southern Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, a few kilometers north of the city of Primorsko. It was re-used by the Thracian tribes in the Iron Age.
Primorsko is a small resort on the Black Sea with nice beaches and is mostly a tourist location. There are hardly any people in winter. But in summer everything is full of life, there are many restaurants, bars, souvenirs, toys, summer accessories, etc. The plan, however, was to reach Beglik Tash by foot and walk all the 5 km, without using any other transportation. Walking is healthy, but as the road to the location is also accessible by cars, it is at places dangerous and one has to stick to the edge of it to stay safe.
The good part was that it was not extremely hot, but sunny and pleasant after the rain the previous day. 5 km is not so much, however, if you're not used to walking on long distances it feels hard, especially when the road is climbing up. The first 4 km are on a road passing through a forest. The last one is where the actual wild part of the area is - no asphalt, only a wide path in the forest and at the end of it is Beglik Tash.
Photo Credit: Myself
The Ancient Treasure Beglik Tash
Somewhere around noon we arrived and took a short break before diving into the collection of stones and rocks. Beglik Tash has a rich history, dating from the time of the Thracians. Although it is not completely recovered and studied, some of the stones have been recognized and described. Until recently the location was not known, but since 2003 Beglik Tash is open for the tourists and they visit it to enjoy a quiet day and learn more about our history.
Photo Credit: Myself
Archeologists found out that many of the stones/rocks had a certain purpose in the past. And it was mainly related to the rituals and beliefs of the Thracians. There are 14 sites, that were identified and named, but I'll mention only six of them:
1. The Throne ― this is a stone, that is shaped as a throne, or a chair. It was probably used by the king for performing different rituals or ceremonies. It looks small and insignificant now but I'm guessing in the past it was an important part of the place.
Photo Credit: Myself
2. Menhir ― the highest stone in the complex. On its top one can see the step of the Sun God carved on the surface. A similar, but smaller stone has the step of the Mother Goddess carved on it. Indeed the shape reminds of a giant step and people leave coins inside of it for luck and success.
Photo Credit: Myself
3. Apistol Tash ― the heart-shaped stone, looks really huge and impressive. The shape is not a coincidence but rather was connected to the spiritual traditions of the people who inhabited the sanctuary. This stone is magnificent and the specific shape has been preserved for many years.
Photo Credit: Myself
4. The Sundial ― this clock was made out of 16 stone plates, but now it's only partially available. It was probably not stable enough to survive or nature destroyed it. Still, even now it's kind of recognizable.
5. The Labyrinth ― its name is quite self-explanatory. The Labyrinth is a collection of stones with tiny paths or no paths in between, which is hard to pass. It is believed that this object was used for spiritual advancement and strengthening beliefs. Other than that, it looks quite impressive and challenging.
Video Credit: Nina B via YouTube.com
6. Temenos, or the House of the Oracle ― separated from the other part of the ancient sanctuary, this stone object is the last one to see in Beglik Tash. It is correct to call this a house as its size is big compared to the main complex, but very few of the stones could be defined now and understood what was their usage. Nowadays, mostly the remains are there and one can use his/her imagination to find out the truth.
Photo Credit: Myself
The other archeological artifacts include the Nuptial bed, the Pleiads, the Main Dolmen (Sacreo) Cave - the Womb, and some others that are not so well-known. Overall it doesn't take more than an hour for the entire place to be covered, and that's the maximum with time for photos included.
Saint Paraskeva Bay
Since it didn't take us long to walk around and discover everything available, we had some free time to check other sites nearby. We noticed that a path is going into the forest next to our destination and a sign indicated that the route will take 40 minutes and will lead us to a gulf on the Black Sea. The name of this bay is Saint Paraskeva Bay.
Photo Credit: Myself
We've never been there before, so we decided to go and see if there is something more to explore. The sign we read indicated that the route is an eco path, but for me, it was just a normal path, no benches, no wooden bridges or steps - nothing like that. But I'm not complaining as it was a healthy training to walk a bit more this day.
Forty minutes later we were able to see the Black Sea through the branches of the trees and soon we ended up on a cliff above the bay. Saint Paraskeva Bay is a small long and narrow gulf which ends with a beach. The rocks surrounding the bay have really weird and interesting shapes, created by nature. In between them, there are other tiny sand beaches, and I noticed not many tourists were there.
Video Credit: Nina B via YouTube.com
Since the place is hardly accessible, I think very few people go there to spend the day or sunbathe. But it's very beautiful, the water is so pleasantly blue and it's incredibly peaceful. We stayed for some minutes to enjoy the view and then it was time to go back.
Primorsko Resort
Going back didn't take long as we already knew the route and nothing unexpected happened. When we reached Beglik Tash again luck was on our side and a bus was available so we didn't have to walk 5 km again. Soon we arrived at Primorsko and found a nice wooden bower in a park next to the beach.
Photo Credit: Myself
It was warm, but windy so many people were on the beach, however, the lifeguards didn't allow them to enter the water. The Black Sea is very beautiful in such weather; sitting and watching the waves can feel hypnotizing at times. Then we went to a coffee shop where we could watch the sea again and take a break before heading back home.
It was one of those refreshing days that I really love and fill me with energy. I even got sunburn because of the walking in the hottest part of the day, but it was totally worth it. Hope you enjoyed my blog!
Thanks for reading!
- NinaB
