2/12/2020 MEGALITHIC SANCTUARIES IN THE CROSS-BORDER REGION -

“MEGALITHIC SANCTUARIES IN THE CROSS - BORDER REGION SERRES - BLAGOEVGRAD"

This virtual cultural tour is a journey to the largest and the most attractive for the cultural tourism megalithic sanctuaries in the cross-border region - , situated along the River from the region of the town of Serres in the Republic of Greece to the region of the town of Blagoevgrad in the Republic of Bulgaria.

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1.We start our journey from the town of Sidirokastro, region of Serres, Republic of Greece. The region of Sidirokastro is full of beautiful rock formations. Northeast of the town is the remarkable rock sanctuary "The Black Rock". It was studied archaeologically by the famous Greek archaeologist Katerina Peristeri. It is situated in a small fault between the continental rocks, where a cult niche carved in the rock dominates. It is high in the northern part lit by the sun and can be accessed by steps carved in the rock ending with a three-level site. The steps are much destroyed. There is an inscription "APOLLON", part of the body of Apollo, a body of god Pan without head and other fragments of female statues of Nymphs. According to the archaeological finds, the sanctuary dates from the 2nd century AD until the 4th century AD.

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The rock sanctuary "The Black Rock". Fault rock and the sacralized cave.

On a lower level there were springs forming a small lake which no longer exists due to new drainage works in the area. In the depth of the fault there was a sacred cave, which after the destruction of the cult sanctuary in the 4th century AD was inhabited by shepherds in its present form.

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A rock-cut niche in the Northern plumb of the sanctuary.

The rock sanctuary "The Black Rock". The sacred spring of the nymphs.

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General location view.

The Rock Sanctuary "Black Rock", dedicated to Apollo, Nymphs and God Pan from the 2nd century AD, shows the connection of the location with pagan cults, which are also found in other regions of the Balkans.

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The rock sanctuary "The Black Rock". The sacred site is connected with part of the new wall from inside the cave (Early Christian period, 4th century AD). A view from above.

The sanctuary is accessible by asphalt road, 3 km northeast of the town of Sidirokastro.

2. In the eastern part of Sidirokastro, on the sheer cliffs in the region of St. Dimitrios and St. Zona church we find two cut monumental rock tombs. Their entrances are shaped like facades of antique temples, ending upstairs with a triangular gable. One of the tombs was later transformed into a Christian temple. Today it is included as part of the interior of the architectural church of St. Dimitrios and St. Zona. The burial room of the tomb serves as an altar of a modern Christian temple.

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The church of St. Dimitrios and St. Zona near Sidirokastro. Exterior.

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The church of St. Dimitrios and St. Zona near Sidirokastro. Exterior. Rock-cut tomb with a facade, shaped like an ancient temple.

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The church of St. Dimitrios and St. Zona near Sidirokastro. Interior.

The facade of another tomb is also shaped as a silhouette of an ancient temple. It is located directly north of the temple of St. Dimitrios and St. Zone. It is left unfinished in antiquity.

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A rock-cut tomb with a facade, shaped like an ancient temple, located north of the temple of St. Dimitrios and St. Zona

The icon of St. Zona gives health to worshippers. We find it covered all over with votive gifts.

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The icon of St. Zona covered with votive gifts. The church of St. Dimitrios and St. Zona.

The monuments are 2 km east of the city center of Siderokastro on an asphalt road.

3. We continue north, crossing the Bulgarian-Greek border at Promahon/ and we reach the hinterland of the ancient town of (near the village of , Municipality, Republic of Bulgaria). The Chapel of St. Panteleimon is situated on the left bank of the Struma river in the sheer monumental cliffs (between the present-day villages Levunovo and General Todorov). The holy place was studied by the research team of Prof. Vasil Markov from Southwest University "Neofit Rilski" in Blagoevgrad. The chapel has inherited an ancient Thracian megalithic sanctuary, carved into sacralized rocks. The sacred cave, located in its north end has been transformed into a rock church.

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The rock chapel of St. Panteleimon. Interior.

At the altar of the rock church, instead of an icon there is a built-in ancient relief, thought today as the image of the saint.

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An ancient relief instead of an icon in the apse of the rock chapel of St. Panteleimon.

At the southern end of the sanctuary, a small passage cave is located, facing west to the sunset. People believe that St. Panteleimon used to live here.

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The cave - St. Panteleimon's home. Exterior.

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Traces of traditional healing practices in the cave of St. Panteleimon.

People perform different healing rituals in the cave. To become healthy, they pass through it, tie red thread to the ladder, the bushes and the rocks, leave Geranium and other flowers on the icon of the saint and light candles in sacralized cave.

The cave which is believed to be St. Panteleimon's home. Interior.

Once they used to boil the pebbles chipped off the cave in water which they drank to become healthy.

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St. Panteleimon's cave over the Struma River. A view inside out.

The Bulgarian people's faith has preserved a remarkable legend about this holy place, also known as the "Bee Rock".

The Bee Rock, home of Krali Marko and his mother, according to the folk legend.

The legend says that when the Turks came to these lands, the mighty Bulgarian hero Krali Marko fought with them. Failing to defeat them, he retreated in this rock together with his mother and they made a home here. The two of them started to breed bees here. The bees are still there today. However, no one can reach the honey and it drips into the Struma River. Most probably it refers to а legacy of an ancient Thracian myth dedicated to the Great Goddess, whose earliest zoomorphic image is the bee, as well as her son –the male deity in ancient Thrace inherited from the folklore hero Krali Marko. The sanctuary is reachable by an asphalt road. It is only 4 km away from the village of Levunovo, Sandanski as well as from the village of General Todorov, Petrich region. http://sandanskibg.com/

4. We continue north on the E79 international road and get into the hinterland of the ancient city of Parthicopolis, inherited by today's town of Sandanski. On the right bank of the Struma river, high in Ograzhden mountain, on the impressive Krustilski peak (above the village of Krustiltsi) а Christian chapel with a patron "Ascension of Christ"(St. Spas) is located.

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Krustilski peak

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Krustilski peak

The holy place is explored by the interdisciplinary research team of Professor Vasil Markov from the South-west University "Neofit Rilski" in Blagoevgrad.

http://satrae.swu.bg/projects-and-discoveries/krastilski-vrah.aspx

On this day, the peasants from the surrounding villages gather here and do kurban for health and fertility. The slaughtered animal is a bull that is boiled in the churchyard and offered as a ritual meal. The priest holds a rite for blessing of water.

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A rite for blessing of water at St. Trinity chapel on Krustilski peak.

A ritual table and folk music with folk songs and traditional dances called "hora" follow the blessing of water.

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Folk songs from St. Spas feast at Krustilski peak.

Folk dances from St. Spas feast at Krustilski peak.

The Christian churchyard "St. Spas "has inherited an ancient Thracian megalithic sanctuary. The sacralized rock is full of great quantity of ancient ceramics dating back to the Bronze Age, until Late Antiquity. It is believed by people that Krali Marko's horse footprints can be found on the vertical rocks in the eastern part of the sacred territory.

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Rock-hewn Thracian sacrificial altars from Krustilski peak. According to the folk legend: "traces" of Krali Marko's horse.

According to the folk legend, the mighty horse hero flew on his winged horse Sharko from the ridge of mountain, flew over the Struma river and his front hooves got stuck the rock of the Krustilski peak.

Rock-hewn Thracian sacrificial altars from Krustilski peak. According to the folk legend: "footprint" of Krali Marko's horse.

Then the hero continued westward to Markovi kladentsi (Marko's wells), which also represent a sacred megalithic monument in Ograzhden mountain.

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A view from the rock sanctuary on Krustilski peak towards Krali Markovi kladentsi in Ograzhden mountain.

Perhaps it refers to an ancient Thracian myth dedicated to the male horse deity in ancient Thrace, which reached us in a folklore form in the image of Bulgarian folk hero Krali Marko.

A view from Krustilski peak towards Struma valley and Pirin mountain.

The sanctuary is accessible from the village of Krustiltsi. An asphalt road from the town of Sandanski leads to the village. The four- kilometers road from the village of Krustiltsi to Krustilski peak is dirt. It is recommended to use а vehicle with four wheel drive- jeep. http://sandanskibg.com/

5. We continue north towards the Thracian megalithic sanctuary in the cirque of Popovo Lake situated from the left bank of the Struma River, on the top of the Central Pirin, at 2200-2400 m above sea level, in the lands of the Thracian tribe of Bessi.

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The area of the cirque of Popovo Lake which was sacralized in Ancient Thrace.

The sanctuary is found and explored by the research team of Professor Vasil Markov from the South-west University "Neofit Rilski "in Blagoevgrad.

http://satrae.swu.bg/projects-and-discoveries/discover5.aspx

A natural phenomenon - the cirque of Popovo Lake with diameter 3 km was sacralized. It had 7 entrances, five of which still carry the indicative name "gates". It consists of three inscribed circles - a sacred symbol for a central holy space through which the space axis passes according to the ancient mythological thinking. All three circles are marked with the traces of ancient Thracian cult ritual practices. The outermost and the highest circle is marked with a rock-hewn throne, oriented precisely west to the sunset point on the day of the summer solstice (Enyovden). There are numerous cult hearths in front of the throne.

A rock-hewn throne in the cirque of Popovo Lake.

The inner circle of the natural phenomenon which was sacralized in Ancient Thrace is determined by the shore of Popovo Lake. It is marked with a huge rectangular altar, situated on file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/DELIVERABLES_BORDERLESS_CULTURE_01.12.2020/5.4.1_Cultural_routes/1.htm 23/44 2/12/2020 MEGALITHIC SANCTUARIES IN THE CROSS-BORDER REGION SERRES - BLAGOEVGRAD

its eastern coast, on an impressive pyramidal stone block.

A rock-hewn alter situated on the east shore of Popovo Lake.

Below there is a small rock niche / cave and rock-hewn altars, with the shape of human footsteps where the sacred liquid has flowed from the altar.

Rock-hewn footsteps on the east shore of Popovo Lake.

From here, on the local horizon, the movement of the sun, identified in Ancient Thrace with god Dionysus-Sabazius, was followed. On the day of winter solstice a remarkable natural phenomenon was observed here -the sun deity / Dionysus-Sabasius appeared, "stepping" in the south gate of the circus known as "Demir Kapiya" and "entering" into its own sanctuary.

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On the horizon: the south gate "Demir Kapiya" from the circus of Popovo Lake.

The third, inscribed circle of the sacralized area is determined by the shore of the small island of Popova Kapa, located in the center of Popovo lake. It is marked with a half-broken cist grave. There a lot of legends about the sanctuary. They have an ancient Thracian origin. One of them says that the master of Pirin mountain - the young Pirin Dragon, still lives here, at the bottom of Popovo Lake. According to ethnographic records, this ancient Thracian holy place was revered until the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century by the population of the whole southeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. Pilgrims used to come on horses, not only from the settlements at the foot of Pirin, but all the way from , Serres, Drama, Kavala and even from Constantinople. They sacrificed rams in the hearths in front of the stone throne under Mount Polezhan, in the circus of Popovo lake and became hadji, like their fathers, grandparents and ancestors. All this gives а reason to locate here the famous central sanctuary of Dionysos Sabazius where in the antiquity it was predicted that Alexander the Great and Octavian August will become rulers of the world. The sanctuary is located in the protected area of Pirin National Park. It is accessible by an asphalt road from the town of to Gotse Delchev hut at the eastern foot of the Central Pirin. There is a chair lift from Gotse Delchev hut to Bezbog hut. Then there is a 2-hour walk in the mountain on a marked hiking trail. A mountain guide is recommended. http://www.bulgariatravel.org/article/details/414 http://www.tourism.government.bg/bg/content/turisticheski-informacionen-centur-gr-

6. We continue north, against the Struma river. On the left bank of the river, high on the western slopes of mountain, "Markov kamak" (“Markov’s Stone”) rock sanctuary is located. The sanctuary is located on Mount Fekiro and is only 10 km away from the center of Blagoevgrad. It is located above the Upper Demirevo neighborhood of the village of Bistritsa, near Blagoevgrad. The sanctuary is found and explored by the research team of Professor Vasil Markov from the South-west University "Neofit Rilski " in Blagoevgrad.

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"Markov Kamak" rock sanctuary. A view from the north.

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"Markov kamak" rock sanctuary. A view from the north.

It is a remarkable rock phenomenon, marked in antiquity with rock-cut Thracian altars - round, elliptical, with a shape of human and horse footstep.

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A rock-cut Thracian altar with the shape of a horse footstep.

A rock-cut Thracian altar with the shape of a human footstep.

According to the folk legend, the hero Krali Marco once passed here and the footstep of his horse got imprinted on the rock. There is a magnificent panoramic view to the valley where Blagoevgrad is located. The sanctuary survived throughout the 1st millennium BC. to the 4th cent. AD. Together with the "Markova stapka" (“Marko's footstep”) rock sanctuary in the land of village of Barakovo, the architectural sanctuary of Zeus-Sabazius near the village of Porominovo, the rock sanctuary Markov Kamak near Tsarev Vrah and the megalithic sanctuary from Little Mechi Peak it marks a sacred royal road in ancient Thrace crossing the southwestern part of Rila Mountain. In the Middle Ages the holy road was "updated" by the Bulgarian medieval legend as the way which the Bulgarian king Peter 1st climbed to consult with St. Ivan Rilski how to rule the country. Markov Kamak sanctuary is accessible by asphalt road from Blagoevgrad to the village of Dubrava. Magadamov road goes from the village of Dubrava to Gorno Demirevo neighborhood and then a dirt road from Gorno Demirevo to Markov Kamak. Terrain is suitable for off-road vehicle - jeep. A mountain guide is recommended. file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/DELIVERABLES_BORDERLESS_CULTURE_01.12.2020/5.4.1_Cultural_routes/1.htm 28/44 2/12/2020 MEGALITHIC SANCTUARIES IN THE CROSS-BORDER REGION SERRES - BLAGOEVGRAD

https://viewblagoevgrad.com/

7. We continue north-east, against Blagoevgradska Bistritsa river. One of the largest rock sanctuaries in Ancient Thrace is located at the springs of this river, at the southern foot of Tsarev peak in Rila Mountain, about 2200 meters above sea level.

Tsarev peak in Rila Mountain. A view from the south.

The sanctuary is found and explored by the research team of Professor Vasil Markov from the South-west University "Neofit Rilski "in Blagoevgrad. http://satrae.swu.bg/projects-and-discoveries/discover8.aspx

It is more than 5 km long and 2 km wide. This remarkable sacred territory lying on a high ridge between Markov peak and Tsarev peak is full of great number of rock-cuts altars. The most sacred part of the sanctuary is located in the western part of the Dobro Pole in the southwestern foothills of Tsarev peak. It is known as "Markov Kamak" (Marko's stone) because of the folk interpretation of the Thracian rock cut altar here as the "distinguished" enormous footstep of the hero Krali Marko.

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"Markov Kamak". A view from the east.

"Markov Kamak". Thracian altar in a shape of enormous human footstep.

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Arizmanitsa peak. Krali Marko's footstep.

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Arizmanitsa peak. Krali Marko's horse footstep.

"Markov Kamak" is a megalithic arch, a trilithon standing in the base of an ancient observatory serving in the Thracian antiquity to observe the movement of the Thracian Sun deity - Dionysus Sabazius on the sky.

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Megalithic observatory "Markov Kamak".

With rock cut altars on imposing stone blocks and other cult facilities are marked with the sunrise, zenith and dawn points in the days of the summer solstice, as well as the sunrises in the days of the vernal and autumnal equinox.

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A view from the megalithic observatory towards the sunrise marker on Enyovden.

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A rock "mushroom", a marker of the sunrise on the day of the summer solstice.

A rock-cut alter on the marker of the sunrise on the day of the summer solstice.

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An alter on the marker of the sunrise on the day of the summer solstice.

A rock-cut turtle silhouette.

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A rock-cut turtle silhouette.

A rock-cut snake silhouette.

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A rock-cut alter on the marker of the sunrise on the day of the vernal and autumnal equinox.

The rays penetrate into the rock arch from the east on the summer day solstice and fall like a shaft of sunlight on the huge (weighing several tons) rock egg located west of the arch. The egg is marked with many rock cut altars and is shown "broken".

The rock egg located just behind the megalithic arch "Markov Kamak" under Tsarev peak. A view from east.

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The rock egg located just behind the megalithic arch "Markov Kamak" under Tsarev peak.

This sign-symbol, as well as the two huge rock-cut human palms on the vaulted stone of the megalithic arch is probably a "record" of the myth about the birth of the luminous Orphic God Phanes who gave birth to all other Orphic deities, including Dionysus-Sabazius, whose symbol are the two upright palms "marked" on the rock.

Rock-cut monumental human palms at "Markov Kamak"

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The rock mask from the megalithic sanctuary "Markov Kamak" near Tsarev Peak.

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A megalithic alter situated next to the rock mask

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A silhouette of the winged anthropomorphic figure, located near the rock mask

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A group of round rock-cut altars in the area of the rock mask.

The rock arch "Markov Kamak" of Dobro Pole has served at the same time as a cult facility served as a deification of the Thracian kings. According to the analysis and reconstruction of the ancient Thracian rites here, the penetration of the sunrays into the rock arch on the Day of the summer solstice symbolizes the sacred marriage between the sun god Dionysus Sabazius and the Great Goddess - Mother of identified with the Earth. According to the ancient mystical religions the ruler used to enter as a mortal man in the archway early in the morning, before sunrise and witnessed the sacred marriage between the deities, the Creation. The ruler was leaving the arch "reborn" as their doctrinal son, i.e. as a deity. The Thracian megalithic sanctuary "Tsarev Peak" is only 5 km away from the and it is his pagan predecessor. A Bulgarian medieval legend connects this ancient Thracian holy place with the oldest sacred territory of the monastery - the cave of St. Ivan Rilski. It says that from Tsarev Peak, the Bulgarian king (tsar) Petar 1st, speaking with the saint through fire and smoke, asked him for advice how to rule his country successfully. The legend fully tallies as a structure and semantics with the Thracian myth about the annual visit of the Thracian king in the holy Kogaionon mountain to ask the Thracian deity Zalmoxis living there in a cave, how to rule his country.

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The valley of the Rilska river with Rila Monastery. View from Tsarev peak towards Rila mountain.

The sanctuary is accessible by walking hiking trail (3.5 hours walking on foot) starting from the tourist town of Bodrost, situated 35 km east of Blagoevgrad. A mountain guide is recommended. https://viewblagoevgrad.com/

Copyright: © 2019

Author: Prof. Dr. Sc. Vassil Markov South-West University "Neofit Rilski"

Translated by: Dr. Ruska Krasteva South-West University "Neofit Rilski"

Images: Prof. Dr. Sc. Vassil Markov South-West University "Neofit Rilski"

Map data: Google

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