Thracian Megalithic Sanctuary
near Tsarev Peak in the South Rila Mountains
Through the past several years the
explorers' endeavors of the expedition have been concentrated in
the area of Tsarev peak in the south ridge of Rila Mountains where
in year 2006 at an altitude of 1800-2000 m above the sea level an
ancient Thracian megalithic sanctuary of a huge territory was
registered located between Markov Peak and Markov Kamak of Dobro
Pole. The rock arch is the most notable located immediately at the
south foot of Tsarev Peak. It is marked with numerous rock
sacrificial altars - circular, oval. Among them there are two of
considerable dimensions. They have the shape of a palm of a human
hand. One of them has the shape of a human footmark - "The Footmark
of Krali Marko". A special attention is to be paid to the stone egg
- a natural code marked with sacrificial altars. It is located on
the path of the sun rays that are caught early in the morning into
the clearance of the arch. The archaeological gains date as far
back as the Late Bronze, Pre-Roman and Late Ancient Ages. The
archaeo-astronomic studies performed by Dr. Aleksey Stoev and Dr.
Penka Maglova found that it was an ancient astronomic facility for
the establishment of the day of the Summer Solstice. Probably this
day was related to the major cult practices in the Thracian
antiquity. It could be supposed that the Orphic Demiurgic Myth for
the birth of the god of light Phanes from the cosmic egg was taken
down through those symbols - rock egg, sacrificial altars in the
shape of hands and the rock arch. Probably it was a particularly
significant king's sanctuary that served for the immortalization of
the Thracian rulers. It could be supposed that it is the probable
Thracian precursor of the Rila Monastery. (Markov, V. The ancient
Thracian megalithic sanctuary Markov kamak" at Tsarev Peak in Rila
Mountain: semantic and functional analysis. In: Geoarchaeology and
Archaeomineralogy. Proceedings of the International Conference
29-30 October 2008 - Sofia, p. 177-179; Markov, V. Cultural
Heritage and Succession. Heritage from the Ancient Heathen Holy
Places in the Bulgarian Folklore Culture. Blagoevgrad: Neophyte
Rilski University Press 2007).
The Rock arch
Sacrifical altars hewn into the
rock
The stone egg marked with
sacrificial altars
Rock mask - sacrificial altar
Flint Arrow. Late Bronze Age
Thracian and late ancient
pottery