The Road of Gods, the Road of Gold, and the Way of People

Stroitelstvo Gradat Weekly, 28th May 2007

Every Bulgarian has heard of Perperikon. This incredible historical monument is located in the Eastern Rhodopes, known as a cradle of megalithic culture. The region is a unique combination of historical monuments from antiquity to nowadays, unique nature phenomena, immense lakes, pictorial rivers. Bulgarian scholars have announced that they shall try to defend the hypothesis that the rock sanctuaries in the Eastern Rhodopes are more ancient than the Egyptian pyramids. Revealing the mysteries of this mountain region becomes more and more attractive for tourists. And the Thracian miracle Perperikon is still a free tourist attraction.

The project named “The Road of Gods, the Road of Gold, and the Way of People” is financed by a program of PHARE, namely “Development of the Bulgarian Cultural Tourism”. The project amounts to 131 690 Euros. It is managed in partnership of the municipalities of Kardzhali and Ardino. The goal of this project is to contribute to the development of Eastern Rhodopes as a tourist destination, through making and promoting tourist products based on the archeological and nature wealth of the region, as well as on the regeneration of the old trade roads. The project includes Perperikon, Diavolski Most (Devil’s Bridge), the museum in Ardino, a route through the old road of camels, the river valley of Arda, various attractions of Kardzhali dam lake, etc. The destination is being advertised on the national and international market, through full range of printed advertising materials, a video clip and a film, a CD, and a website.

Locals have been trained in the sphere of tourism – marketing, management, accommodation, food and beverages, animations and attractions, business communications.

The realization of the project has made the museum in Ardino a fact, although its registration in conformity with the legal requirements is still awaited. The building has been built at the end of the XVIII – at the beginning of the XIX century. Until the year 1912, it had housed the staff of the Turkish garrison, and after that it was used for military purposes again, but by the Bulgarian garrison. In the yard of the museum, there has been a powder-keg – one of the few ones in Bulgaria. Later, the building has been used as a school for retarded children. The building has been prepared for a museum during the year 1970. In this museum, the already existing archeological and ethnographic collection was placed. The project organizes a three days tour “The Road of Camels, the Road of Gold, and the Way of People”, which includes Kardzhali, Perperikon, Dzhebel, Zlatograd and Ardino.

In the past, the traders of Kardzhali have driven their goods from Greece and Turkey, on the hunches of camels. Camel transportation has been a profession of Thracians living in the Aegean region. Many refugees have settled in Kardzhali in the beginning of last century. Then, the settlement had a road connection with Haskovo – merchants supplied goods with lorries, and after that they have hired the camel drivers for driving the goods to the villages in the Eastern Rhodopes. Tobacco traders have used the road back. The last camel caravan departed from Kardzhali in 1947. The town became regional two years later. Kardzhali figures as a settlement for the first time in a Turkish register of the year 1607.

The other route is the one-day tour “One Day in Ardino” - Diavolski Most (Devil’s Bridge), Orlovi Skali, “Beli Brezi” reserve, and a traditional local lunch. The routes made in connection with the project are marked with 10 information and 20 indication signboards.

Ardino Municipality

The territory of Ardino is rich with historical and nature sights. There is the mystic Diavolski Most above Arda – a renowned monument of Rhodopes architectural art. It is 56 meters long, it has three arches, and it is 3.5 meters wide. The height of the central arch is 11.50 meters. The bridge has been announced a cultural monument during the year 1984. The Thracian settlement Orlovite Skali (Eagles’ Rocks) is located at 3 kilometers to the south of Ardino. More that 100 rock niches have been manually carved in the cliffs. No regularity has been observed for in their arrangement. Ancient stone-hewers have used every single smooth place for making single openings, or groups of openings in the soft volcanic rock. All of them have trapezoidal shape. Their sizes, however, are quite various. According to some authors, these niches belong to the Thracian Odrisi tribe, and date back to the first millennium A.D. The niches probably had a cult function. The Medieval fortress “Krivus” is situated at the end of a rock cape on approximately 100 meters above the level of Arda, which surrounds “Krivus” from three sides. Only the citadel has been well preserved. Its size is 40 by 50 meters, and the walls are 6 meters high.

Tatul keeps the grave of Orpheus

The rocky village Tatul probably keeps the grave of Orpheus. The rock monument has been described for the first time in the beginning of the 30ties of last century. In the 70ties, Professor Ivan Venedikov made a detailed description and revealed the hypothesis that this is either a mausoleum of an eminent Thracian aristocrat, or a tomb relevant to the mythic Orpheus. The temple has been intentionally built on the high peak, so that it could be seen from far away, and make mortal people honor the memory of the Tsar buried there. The Thracians believed that after death the Tsar would live somewhere between the earth and the sky. The finds of the archeological excavations near Tatul confirms the hypothesis that the sanctuary is that of Orpheus, says Professor Nikolay Ovcharov. According to him, this is surely a heroon (a sanctuary of a great Thracian Tsar, honored in the Rhodopes, who has been deified after his death). He supposes that the sanctuary near Tatul has probably been devoted to the legendary Orpheus. On the other hand, it is even doubtful whether Orpheus has been a real person. There is a hypothesis that he is a collective character. Discovered ceramics from the Copper Stone Age reveals that the monument has been built in an early historical period. The place has been constantly occupied until the Middle Ages, probably because of the fact that it had won recognition as a sacred territory.

Perperikon

Thousands of people are already crowding around the miracle called Perperikon. However, the tourist infrastructure around the Thracian sanctuary is still not well developed. The Council of Ministers has approved the financing of a project amounting to 3 150 000 Euros, announced the archeologist Professor Nikolay Ovcharov. Thus, the sanctuary will gain everything that would make it easily accessible for tourists. The project plans the construction of contemporary roads, sewerage and a museum building for the exhibits discovered in Perperikon. Among the remains of Perperikon, there are Cretan and Greek cultural monuments. Some finds connect it with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Its inhabitants had knowledge of astronomy. The dimensions of the sacred settlement are also impressive – it is situated on area of 12 square kilometers. For comparison – Troy is just 8 decares big. That makes scholars believe that there has been a cultic center on the territory of Bulgaria unparalleled elsewhere in the world. It is quite impressive that Perperikon has never stopped its existing from the 5th millennium B.C., until the period of Early Christianity - 5-6 century A.D. Discoveries in the immense sanctuary are just forthcoming. Perperikon has been an economic and industrial center concentrating the riches of the entire region.


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