The Ruins of Perperikon
Hello, guys!
While I'm still on the traveling topic, I will share about one more attraction in South Bulgaria. In fact, I'll be mentioning two of them, but I think Perperikon is definitely more popular than the Stone Mushrooms.
The most impressive fact about Perperikon is its size - spreading on more than 5 km² and carved into the rocks of the hill. The location is in the Rhodope Mountains, South Bulgaria, with the nearest city - Kardzhali.
Perperikon is the largest megalith ensemble in the Balkans. It is thought that the famous Temple of Dionysius is located at this location.
But before I start with Perperikon and the ancient city, I want to talk about another attraction, situated within a close distance, namely the Stone Mushrooms. I was there before going to Perperikon as the place is smaller and the visit takes less time. Here they are.
The Stone Mushrooms
The distance between Perperikon and the Stone Mushrooms is not more than 15 km. The site consists of natural rock formations, which closely resemble the shape of mushrooms, with the highest one reaching up to 3 m. Most of the formations are lower, around 1 - 1.5 - 2 m, and spreading over an area of 3 ha. Even though these shapes are registered as a national natural heritage, nobody actually monitors the place, and the fence around them is barely protecting anything. They just stand there by the road to Kardzhali as some kind of decoration.
The Stone Mushrooms by the road to Kardzhali
The shapes of the formations are purely made by nature during thousands of years. The processes affecting the rocks are erosion, volcanic activity, rain, and the wind. The main reason for the specific shape are the different minerals contained in the lower and the upper layers. The rock formations are really impressive, with the colors of white, pink, green and blue, due to the compounds and minerals, contained in them. Even the ground under the mushrooms is covered with tiny stones, probably fell out of the structures, and their color is also pinkish. Other than the mushrooms, it's a wild area, no villages near it as it is located by the road. Actually, I liked the Stone Mushrooms more than Perperikon. The reason for that - they are naturally created, while the city Perperikon is made by people.
The Stone Mushrooms
The particular shapes are so unique and fascinating that the locals connected them with a legend from the past, claiming that the mushrooms were actually girls, turned into stones. Although this is a nice story, nature is the one to blame for this magnificent place.
video source: www.youtube.com
Facts about Perperikon
Nowadays, Perperikon is a hill with a complex of archaic dwellings, some of them still being discovered by archaeologists. Perperikon was an ancient city, inhabited by Thracians, Romans, and Bulgarians through the centuries. After it was ruined in the XIV century, it was forgotten for a long time, until in the XX century the Bulgarian scientists started researching and discovering interesting facts about the place. In so many years of research, several theories were presented, about its proper name, about its residents, about the exact purpose of its existence. And today, not all the facts are clear and ultimately proven.
video source: www.youtube.com
The earliest presence of a city on Perperikon is claimed to be 8000 years ago. However, people pass through the place long before that. The latest research work shows there is a possibility that the hill was inhabited by one of the oldest civilizations - the Ancient Crete. Since the area of the location is huge, it took lots of years to discover one by one unusual objects, ruins of buildings, temples, etc. After the archaeological research started, the different layers and historical periods came to light.
Ancient dwellings in Perperikon
The Holy City of Perperikon
For years, the scientists have been searching for one of the famous wonders of the world, called the Temple of Dionysus. It was mentioned, together with its approximate location by the Greek Herodotus in his writings, but the description was so unclear, that until recently, the exact place was not known. In the recent years, as a result of the examining and measuring the facts discovered during the archaeological excavations and a little after that, arose the theory that Perperikon might be the place where the temple was built. For thousands of years, the city was a religious center and a holy location for many nations. It is also claimed it was the place where Alexander the Great was given the knowledge that he will conquer the world, and the Romans found out that they would be an empire. At least, that's what historians say... What's true for sure is that Perperikon is indeed an amazing achievement and has been a holy place for many centuries.
The City of Perperikon
The Archaeological Research
Ancient storage pots in Perperikon
As I said, archaeologists became interested in Perperikon somewhere in the beginning of the XX century. However, the active archaeological work and research happened just recently after 2001. Most of the elements of the ancient dwellings could be only guessed, but some are fully described and their purpose is clear by now. Since everything was carved in the rocks of the hill, a few of the floors of the buildings were most likely under the ground. Several large halls were discovered, which were probably used for religious rituals by the Thracians, and after them - the Romans. Moreover, a stone throne is carved in the rocks, and its shape so closely resembles a throne, that I think it can't be confused with anything else. Rock staircases lead to the other floors. Science can't confirm it yet, but one of the most probable versions is that there was an ancient palace or a temple, that the Thracians built into the rocks to perform their activities and for residential purposes. The throne and an altar found in one of the halls confirm this theory. Several graves were also discovered, but they were not in a good condition, and it is not known who was buried there.
Archaeological findings in the City of Perperikon
When I was there, I was lucky to find a couple of workers, who helped by guiding me through the place, and explaining about the most important sites. It is hard to follow the right path as everything around is just rocks, and not everywhere steps are available. Going up is hard as the hill is steep, and I felt really tired before reaching the highest point.
The Area
Another interesting fact is that a river flows in the valley right next to the City of Perperikon. And this specific river and the surrounding area were rich in gold and exploited in the past by the people for the extraction of gold.
View of the Perperikon hill
The City of Perperikon is located in the eastern part of the Rhodope Mountains (or in Bulgarian: Rodopi). The Rhodopes are not high mountains - the highest peak is only 2191 m (Golyam Perelik). In the past, the Rhodopes were inhabited by the Thracians. Now, the mountain offers tourism opportunities, splendid views, mineral springs, and much more.
View of the Rhodope Mountains from the hill
Kardzhali is one of the regional centers in South Bulgaria. When I was visiting Perperikon, I stayed for a few hours in Kardzhali, but this was on the way back home, and it was at night so I couldn't see much of the city. And I believe, completely knowing how a city feels like requires visiting both during the day and at night. Even so, I don't regret it as I've seen enough during my trip.
In the area of Perperikon, there is another ancient rock temple, called Tatul. I didn't visit it because of its smaller size and popularity. The second reason I skipped it was that I was too tired after climbing Perperikon hill. Nevertheless, it is also a good location for exploring, and again a Thracian temple. Once in the area, detailed descriptions and historical information are available for both sites, so one has the opportunity to choose what best fits his/her needs.
Old buildings found in the city
As an important tourist attraction, Perperikon is included in the list Top 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria. It is a very popular historical location in my country, and I never met a Bulgarian who doesn't know or haven't heard about the ancient city.
Thanks for reading!
- NinaB
