Momchilgrad municipality released unique footage a few days ago which went viral on social media. The video, shot using a drone, offers a bird’s eye view of the mysterious medieval fortress Asara in the region of the village of Ralitsa in the Rhodopes.
The remains of the fortress date back to the 11th-12th century. They rise on top of a prehistoric rock sanctuary and a crypt. A trapezoidal sacrificial altar has been hacked out on the fortress site. The ruins of two large towers are still visible that were once connected by a passage hacked out into the rock. In one of the towers there are traces of a residential area and a chapel. Archaeologists discovered precious medallions made of bone that were once elements of a gold-inlaid icon.
Video:
Studies have shown that some of the first attempts at ore-mining in the Balkan peninsula took place right here, in the Eastern Rhodopes. Ore-mining galleries like the ones found at the foot of Asara peak have been discovered in the vicinity of the village of Zvezdel nearby. The peak, where the fortress remains are scattered, commands a breathtaking view of the Eastern Rhodopes and the highest peak in this part of the mountain – Stramni Rid peak (960 m.)
Not far from Asara fortress, Boyalak waterfall rises to a height of some 25 m. The bizarre-looking rocks formed after the waterfall are also well worth seeing.
The Asar fortress in Momchilgrad municipality is not the only fortress of that name in Bulgaria. The word “asar” comes from the Arabic-Turkic “hisar”, “hisarlak” meaning fortress, fortification, pile of stones. That is why there are many fortresses in the Bulgarian lands bearing such names.
More:
Video: Tencho Petkov Photography
Editing by Veneta Nikolova
Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
On 10 August 1915, the first Bulgarian-built aeroplane took to the skies for a test flight in Bozhurishte. It was designed by inventor Assen Yordanov, whose name still features in the textbooks used to train pilots and engineers today. From an early..
A trilingual exhibition titled “Egyptian Cults around the Black Sea” opens today at 6 PM at the Archaeological Museum in Sozopol , according to BNR – Burgas. Part of an international research project, the exhibition is organized by the Institute of..
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has issued an official statement on “pagan neo-Hindu propaganda with pseudo-Christian elements”. The bishops of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church call for greater vigilance against “touring gurus, self-proclaimed “spiritual..
8 November is celebrated as the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel. According to church legend, Archangel Michael commands the whole army of angels in..
Rain
Cloudy
Scattered showers
Overcast, rain