Mishkova Niva – Brashlyan – Malko Tarnovo – Keşan - Enez - Erikli – Uzunköprü – Burgas
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FROM STRANDJA TO AEGEAN – THE UNKNOWN SITES BURGAS - PRIMORSKO (BEGLIK TASH) - MISHKOVA NIVA – BRASHLYAN – MALKO TARNOVO – KEŞAN - ENEZ - ERIKLI – UZUNKÖPRÜ – BURGAS 4 days – 3 nights 1st day 11.00 – Departure from Burgas - 12.00 Arrival in the town of Primorsko Municipality of Primorsko is the first municipality – product of democracy in Burgas region. It was created voluntarily by the will of the people from the town of Primorsko, village of Pismenovo, village of Yasna Polyana and the village of Novo Panicharevo in 1997 (Decree No. 258 of 18.07.1997 of the President of Republic of Bulgaria). Subsequently, the municipality was joined voluntarily by: Kiten (in April 2001) and the village of Veselie (April 2002). Municipality of Primorsko is located in the southeastern part of Republic of Bulgaria. To the east it is bordered by the Black Sea, to the west and to the north by municipality of Sozopol and to the south by the municipalities of Tzarevo and Malko Tarnovo. The total area of the municipality of Primorsko is 350.7 sq. km., which is 4.61% of the territory of Burgas region and 0.32% of the territory of Republic of Bulgaria. The territory of the municipality covers six land areas: of the town of Primorsko and the villages of Kiten, Novo Panicharevo, Yasna Polyana, Veselie and Pismenovo. The town of Primorsko is the centre of the municipality. The town is located 450 km away from the capital Sofia and 50 km away from the town of Burgas – the fourth largest town in Bulgaria. At 1 p.m. - Lunch in the town of Primorsko At 2.30 p.m. - Arrival at Beglik Tash The Thracian sanctuary Beglik Tash is located in the highest part of Beglik Tash cape (128 m altitude) near Primorsko. It covers an area of 6 decares. The land it is situated on is forest land, it was a part of the hunting lodge of the former communist head of state Todor Zhivkov (who governed from 1954 to 1989). Precisely for this reason one of the greatest discoveries about Thracian history on the Bulgarian Southern Black Sea coast and in Strandzha mountain remained unknown to science until 2003. The entrance to the sanctuary is from southwest. A rock trail leads to a stone "matrimonial bed". Two sacrificial stones surround the bed. Deep bathtubs have been carved in them, connected with chutes for transfusion of ritual liquids: wine, milk, olive oil, rain water. A stone throne follows, from which deep cut chutes and crossing lines start, joining in a large quadrangular "sharapana". The eastern part of the circle is occupied by three "menhirs" (large rounded stones). A "divine step”, 0.6 m long and 0.34 m wide, is cut on the top of the highest of them. This same "divine step" is discovered in the opposite southern point, at the foot of the rock terrace. The divine steps mark the innermost sacred space, designated only for those who are initiated to take part in the mysteries. The central area of the sanctuary is best studied so far. It is slightly raised above the surrounding terrain and rock elements, which have served for the performance of rituals, are located in a circle with a diameter of 56 m. They have preserved their natural character but have been moved and further shaped by human hands with characteristic sacral symbols and characters. An astronomical clock, made of 16 flat round stones and a huge dolmen, representing the "glowing cave", where the goddess-mother gives birth to her son, Sun God, and "the maze" – the way of the test, can be seen behind them. Pottery, stone utensils and weapons, flints, coins, etc. were found during the archaeological excavations, which show that it was created in the middle of II century BC and was destroyed in the beginning of IV century AD. The lack of later construction on it has preserved the unique sacral elements in their original form. 5 p.m. Accommodating in a hotel in the town of Primorsko – dinner, free time, overnight stay 2nd day 9.00 a.m. Breakfast 10.00 a.m. Departure to Mishkova Niva The most famous monument of the ancient Thracian culture in the area of Strandzha mountain is the sanctuary in Mishkova Niva locality. The sanctuary Mishkova Niva is a part of a large complex, which is located about 3 – 3.5 km southwest of Malko Tarnovo, on the left bank of Deliyska River in immediate proximity to the state border with Republic of Turkey. It consists of a fortress at Golyamo Gradishte peak, mines at its foot, mound necropolis, recessed suburban villa from the Roman period, as well as the so-called Great mound. The complex has been known yet from the early 20th C and was initially reported as a sanctuary of Apollo because of the inscriptions, carried over from the site to the town. Golyamo Gradishte is the highest peak in the Bulgarian part of Strandzha mountain – 710 m altitude. Its name comes from the fortress on the top, which served as a shelter, the watch - tower and the region's security up to and during the Roman period but was destroyed by treasure hunters in the last quarter of 20 C. The fortress wall was built of crushed stones of different size and shape, tightly arranged without solder. The thickness of the wall is about 1.20 - 1.30 m. Pieces of bricks and metallurgical slag are noticeable in it on some spots. The space, surrounded by the fortress wall, has a diameter of about 100 m. Meagre remains of premises are found inside. Rock carvings are preserved at about 30 m southwest of the highest point on the top in the ground rock. The traces from the rock carvings on the top in the form of pits suggest that during a very early period, probably in 2 - early 1 century BC, a rock sanctuary probably functioned in this place, which started functioning as a fortress in later periods. Having survived through the millennia, the site has not been studied by archaeologists. The mound necropolis in Mishkova Niva locality was crowned by the so-called Great Mound, which was partially explored during the period 1981-1983. A monumental construction with external diameter of 25 m rises in the southern part of the Great Mound. The outer circle consists of 3 rows of blocks of white local marble with external and internal face. The blocks, which formed the last, third row of the enclosure, have а precisely carved upper surface in the form of an arch. The height of this enclosure is 1.80 m. The entrance to the cupola tomb, which consists of a covered dromos (corridor) and a round chamber, whose upper part ends with a dome, is in the southern part of the circle. The entrance was crowned with a pediment, decorated with a shield, spear and two open palms. The construction is made of well- carved marble blocks, secured with clamps. The floor of the dromos and the chamber are covered with stone flooring. A rectangular room was found at the western wall of the dromos, which is built using crushed granite stones – a technique, different from that of the tomb. The walls are plastered with mortar inside. Its purpose is not clear. The observations from the lateral wall of the dromos show that there were two blocks there, which were probably removed, so that one could enter the room, and put in their place again. It seems that they are parts of an older building, built of the same material, like their inner circle – crushed granite stones. This inner circle surrounds big granite slabs – remains of a heavily destroyed dolmen – and closes in the north-eastern outer corner of the dromos of the cupola building built later. A site of big marble blocks with large marble troughs is revealed in front of the well- preserved entrance of the outer marble circle. A small stone heap is located a few meters to the west of them, in which, according to the oral information, a water pipe was seen, leading to Golyamo Gradishte. The ancient road to the sanctuary can be seen from the site in southern and south-eastern direction, down the horizontal line of the slope. According to the citizens of Malko Tarnovo marble altars of Apollo Aularios with captions, a caption with a dedication of Heracles and votive tablets with images of the Thracian Horseman, preserved in the town’s museum, originate from this complex site, in which very few archaeological materials from 2-3 C have been found. One of the inscriptions indicates that the sanctuary is related to a mining and metallurgical centre with a fortified Roman suburban villa (mansion), because the text represents a dedication by the manager of the iron mines. The cult facility in Мishkova Niva is а centuries - old topos of faith, which evolved from a megalithic monument (dolmen) with an enclosure (krepis) into a sacred space (temenos). This transformation probably occurred in the beginning of the intensive development of the ore mines. Up to now the dolmen seems to have been used as a place for worship of a mythical ancestor in the surrounding necropolis. The rectangular room, attached to the western wall of the dromos, speaks in favour of this. During a later period the remains of the dolmen, which was turned into a place for glorifying the divinized ancestor-hero (heroon), and its krepis were included in a sacred enclosure (temenos), where God Apollo was worshipped. Most probably the territory between the remains of the dolmen with the earth mound above it, with its krepis and the marble circle is sacred land, in which votive gifts and dedications were placed, and the rectangular room served for storing the treasures of the ancestor - hero.